The Wild Robot

“As The Wild Robot explores community and motherhood, the film also touches on how someone with a disability fits within that.”

Title: The Wild Robot (2024)
Director: Chris Sanders 👨🏼🇺🇸
Writer: Chris Sanders 👨🏼🇺🇸

Reviewed by Gavin 👨🏼🇬🇧🌈♿

—MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD—

Technical: 4/5

DreamWorks has had a great decade so far. Projects like The Bad Guys (2022), Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), and Orion and the Dark (2024) have pushed the boundaries of what 3D animation can be, whilst proving to be a success with audiences and critics. The Wild Robot reaches those heights, and at times surpasses them.

Adapted from the children’s book written by Peter Brown, this is a story of technology clashing with nature. Robot Rozzum 7314 (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), later known as Roz, awakens shipwrecked on an island full of wildlife. Roz quickly experiences what it’s like to be both prey and predator, barely escaping from a vicious bear attack before struggling to connect with the animals who are frightened of her.

After accidentally killing a family of geese, save for one unmatched gosling, Roz raises Brightbill (Kit Connor) with the help of Fink the Fox (Pedro Pascal). The Wild Robot’s messaging around community and kindness will touch the hearts of kids and adults alike, but the film’s refusal to shy away from harsh realities is refreshing. A stunning art style further draws in the viewer; every frame could be a painting, with brushstrokes layered on top of 3D animation that evokes traditional handcrafted work.

Adding to this is Kris Bowers’ bombastic, stirring score, and some stellar voice work. Whilst Hollywood animated features usually fill roles with A-listers purely for marketing purposes, here the cast do wonderful work. Nyong’o could have phoned in a one-note performance as a soulless robot, but there are subtle emotive line deliveries that stand out. Connor and Pascal are reliable as ever, and joined by the likes of Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Stephanie Hsu, and Mark Hamill, each has their moment to shine.

Gender: 4/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES

A film about robots and talking animals doesn’t immediately bring to mind gender dynamics, but there’s actually a lot to admire here. Roz may be a machine, but she uses she/her pronouns and takes on the role of a mother. Motherhood is a big theme in The Wild Robot, as Roz raises Brightbill and deals with the challenges parents typically face. Many of these are played for endearing laughs—possum Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara) often jokingly laments having so many children to look after—but the film touches on serious topics, too. Characters grapple with how to let a child be independent while keeping them alive and well in an often brutal world, and eventually learn to trust themselves in their parental decision-making.

Even though the book and film are written by men, the voice cast’s leading women stand out in their roles. For all of Pinktail’s sarcasm, she also sincerely guides Roz throughout the film. Roz herself, through voice and animation, is curious, kind, patient, caring, and loving. And in a small role, Hsu has fun voicing a villainous robot who transitions from seductively caring to menacing in a single line.

Race: 3.75/5

The Wild Robot isn’t a film that explores racial or ethnic dynamics, but neither does it perpetuate harmful or offensive stereotypes through its mostly animal and robot cast. A few humans do make nonverbal appearances: Placed in the background of certain moving shots, they have varying skin tones to suggest the humans of this near-future world are diverse.

Behind the lens, voice actors hail from different backgrounds, ranging from Kenyan Mexican Nyong’o, to Hsu (Chinese-Taiwanese American), Pascal (Cuban American), Rhames (African American), and others. The film’s animal designs also lean realistic, avoiding exaggerated physical features that can raise eyebrows, as seen in other movies. As a result, these actors are allowed to lean into the personalities of their characters. For example, Pascal’s Fink is a sly fox with a big heart, and Rhames’ falcon Thunderbolt is a serious but encouraging instructor for Brightbill. It’s true that on screen, the filmmakers do the bare minimum to avoid racist depictions. But behind the lens, the diverse vocal talent is very much welcome.

Bonus for Disability: +0.25

As The Wild Robot explores community and motherhood, the film also touches on how someone with a disability fits within that. Brightbill is revealed to be the runt of his family, and different characters explicitly state that without Roz raising him, he wouldn’t have survived.

The young gosling grows up and has small wings, a setback in learning how to fly and being ready for migrating thousands of miles before winter comes. Roz initially helps him before Thunderbolt takes over, giving lessons that make Brightbill utilise his shorter wingspan for advantages he never knew he had. It’s nice to see parallels to DreamWorks’ How To Train Your Dragon (2010), also written and directed by Chris Sanders, with Toothless the dragon and his rider Hiccup each using prosthetics to effectively fly together.

Brightbill’s journey makes for a wonderful message on equity that Sanders builds upon from his previous work: It’s rewarding to give others time and resources so that we may all thrive in our own ways.

Mediaversity Grade: B 4.00/5

It might seem like a stretch that a film about talking animals and robots can be make headway for representation. But The Wild Robot succeeds thanks to a poignant story on motherhood and a diverse voice cast.

Like The Wild Robot? Try these other films that show communal caregiving.

Grade: BLiOctober 29, 2024