'The Wild Robot' Review: A Visually Stunning Masterwork of What It Means to Feel [TIFF 2024]
Chris Sanders’ newest animated adventure will touch the hearts of viewers of all ages as Roz the robot learns how to love.
Every few years, an animated film hits screens everywhere and audiences everywhere, children and adults alike, are spellbound. Think of the emotional ties to Pixar’s Coco, or the awe-inducing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – beyond being box office successes, these films have a massive impact on the hearts of their viewers. Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot, based on the popular children’s novel of the same name, is undoubtedly one of these films.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation, this film is the last to be animated entirely in-house, with the studio reporting a coming shift in reliance to outside studies following this year. The film’s animation style takes a lot of inspiration from some of studio’s latest releases, like The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. This artistic direction is so exciting, differentiating the work from other films and franchises, and, genuinely, The Wild Robot is a work of art. Just the first few scenes are enough to shock an animation lover with emotion – the complex, ethereal forest alone makes this film well worth watching.
It can be anxiety-inducing when celebrities are cast as voice actors, with viewers often critical of their performances and deservedness to be cast. Indeed, sometimes animated films are hindered by the choice to cast big names instead of talented voice actors, but this is no problem at all for The Wild Robot. Despite starring some well-known actors, the voice work is incredibly well done. Lupita Nyong’o, voicing titular character ROZZUM unit 7134, also known as Roz, delivers an entirely convincing performance. The rest of this ensemble cast’s voices fit their characters well, with performances including Bill Nighy as wise elder goose Longneck, Stephanie Hsu as morally questionable robot Vontra, Mark Hamill as a grumpy grizzly, and Catherine O’Hara as relatable mother opossum Pinktail. Of course, it also must be mentioned how fantastic (and funny!) Pedro Pascal’s performance as fox Fink is – reminiscent of Jason Bateman’s Nick Wilde in Zootopia, he serves the character so well.
The Wild Robot follows the story of a robot Roz as she boots up after washing ashore to an island devoid of human life. Instantly, she is thrown into the wild world the forest, and despite the violent and chaotic way of life, the animals are terrified of this new addition to their habitat. Despite Roz’s best efforts to fulfill her programmed mission, focused on helping others complete tasks, animals either run from her or attack her, dubbing her a monster. After an unexpected accident, Roz is left with a gosling egg, and after direction from local mother Pinktail, she gains a new set of tasks she’s determined to complete with the most important one involving teaching this gosling to fly before autumn. With the help of unpopular fox Fink, the gosling starts to grow, despite remaining isolated from the rest of the forest. Gosling Brightbill begins to grow frustrated with their situation, and distances himself from his patchwork family. At the same time, Roz tries her best to exist as a helping hand, she remains feared and hated. With Roz working overtime to make sure Brightbill achieves an ability to fly, her programming starts to jumble, and it begins to be unclear what counts as a task and what has begun to feel like love. Despite her personification, she remains willing to sacrifice for those around her, and her selflessness inevitably will touch the viewer’s heart.
Despite being geared toward younger audiences, this film has something for all viewers. The depiction of the circle of life is initially shocking, with animals casually eating each other (!), but this realistic world is only necessary for the emotionality behind these beautiful visuals. Indeed, this film holds important meaning, focusing on themes of friendship and enduring, even in times of isolation and uncertainty. Roz’s story shines with what it means to be alive, and what it means to be a part of something bigger than yourself. The risks we take for love and life make us who we are, and with a heavy focus on the emotional connection between the characters, audience may struggle to hold back a tear or two.
The film, however, could do with a slightly slower pace. As soon as Roz boots up for the first time, the film zips along, with action-packed scenes barraging the viewer. While the pace fits the film, the landscape and juxtaposition of this robot all encompassed by the natural world is something that deserves hesitation. The film would benefit from a light meditative tone, and this may have been achieved if scenes were allowed to play out just a hint longer than they were.
The Wild Robot is brimming with emotion and meaning, and through stunning visuals, will entrance any viewer. This film is sure to be a big hit, and it is so well-deserved – bring the little people in your life and let them experience the magic of animation.