Review: The Wild Robot
The best animated film of the year. No, the decade! Alright, I'll say it: Maybe ever!
I remember back in September, walking out of the small, newly refurbished theater at United International Pictures’ offices in Oslo after an early screening of The Wild Robot. A mix of strong emotions flooded my mind — joy, love, and deep admiration for what I’d just witnessed. I tried to hide my tears from the staff, then quickly slipped into the bathroom to splash some water on my face.
Few films have this kind of intense effect on me, especially animated ones, which rarely hit so deeply. When I finally stepped onto the sidewalk, I didn’t head straight for the nearest tram stop. Instead, I walked — aimlessly at first — reflecting on what I’d just seen. Why had this film moved me so profoundly? I’ve always loved animals, and earlier this year, my pet ferret passed away, a loss I felt deeply. Pets don’t live long enough; they should stay with us for life. But that’s nature, and that’s life. Somehow, this film tapped into that mix of care and loss, that aching blend of connection, empathy, and grief.
It takes many carefully chosen elements to create a rare, animated masterpiece like The Wild Robot. This film is undoubtedly a masterpiece and will be seen as a new classic in years to come.
The first essential ingredient is a story that not only works but also balances originality with universal themes that resonate with us all — care, growth, empathy — the necessary elements of motherhood, a central theme in this story. Based on a book series by American children’s author and illustrator Peter Brown, best known for The Curious Garden and the award-winning Creepy Carrots!, the first The Wild Robot book was published in 2016, becoming a huge success. Brown followed it up with The Wild Robot Escapes in 2017 and The Wild Robot Protects in 2023.
Set in the future, the story unfolds on an uninhabited island (somewhere along the U.S. West Coast, I think, though it’s never specified) where crates of wreckage wash ashore. In one of these crates lies an inactive household robot. When a curious family of sea otters gets close, one of the pups accidentally flips the switch, and Rozzum 7134 (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), or Roz, as she’ll later be known, awakens to fulfill her programmed “instinct.”
What follows is an encounter between technology and the wilderness. Unlike many other animated films with animals, The Wild Robot doesn’t shy away from depicting the harsh, brutal side of nature. As Roz meets more animals and decodes their “language,” she begins to find a balance within the natural order. She even becomes the “mother” of an orphaned gosling, Brightbill (voiced by Kit Connor), whom she must teach to fly before winter, with the help of the cunning but loyal fox, Fink (Pedro Pascal). Alongside them, we meet a range of other animals, from the fatalistic opossum mother Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara) to the wise old goose Longneck (Bill Nighy), the fierce falcon Thunderbolt (Ving Rhames), and the grouchy grizzly bear Thorn (Mark Hamill).
With a strong story and universal themes, supported by a fantastic cast, the next crucial element is the director. Chris Sanders is a well-known name in animation, not only having written and directed two (now three!) of my favorite animated films, How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch, but also providing the voice of Stitch. It’s clear that Sanders poured his heart into this adaptation of Peter Brown’s books.
For an animated film to succeed, of course, the animation itself must work, which brings us to the next ingredient. The Wild Robot has a very different style than the relatively abstract but effective illustrations in Peter Brown’s books. It’s more reminiscent of other works by DreamWorks Animation but has a certain roughness and rawness to it. Unlike many CGI-animated films, Sanders and his team at DreamWorks opted for a more “painterly” style. They also avoided adding overly human expressions to the animals. Though these talking animals have distinct personalities, they come across as far more realistic than what we typically see in animations from studios like DreamWorks or Disney.
The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to great enthusiasm from critics and audiences alike, is heartfelt, raw, often hysterically funny, and at times, brutal. Though it’s a family film, it might be a bit intense for the youngest viewers. But this film — and its inevitable sequels — will stay with us for years to come.
For me, The Wild Robot is definitely the animated film of the year — it might even be one of the best ever, taking its place alongside How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch, and other classics and favorites in the genre. With the right ingredients, Chris Sanders has served up a masterpiece, giving us a much-needed reminder of what animation can achieve when filmmakers pour their heart and soul into their work.
This review originally appeared on my Letterboxd profile.