DreamWorks' latest animated film, The Wild Robot, has been met with rare enthusiasm from both critics and audiences. But does it truly deserve the celebration? In some ways, absolutely. Our review explains why.
After a robot cargo ship crashes on a deserted island, the only intact robot, Roz, is accidentally activated by the island’s wildlife. Immediately, Roz starts searching for a purpose. Eventually, she finds one when an orphaned duckling sees her as a parent and begins following her everywhere. Initially clueless about how to handle the role, Roz gets help from a lonely fox named Stikli, and as she learns more about motherhood, she not only becomes the mother to the little duckling, Brightbill, but also the island's protector.
Before diving into the story elements of The Wild Robot, we must start by acknowledging how stunning this film looks. It feels like a living watercolor painting, with every frame radiating artistic skill and animation expertise. It’s fresh and mesmerizing. The visuals are hard to get enough of, especially knowing they were achieved on a $78 million budget, which is especially impressive considering that a typical Pixar film doesn't stop at $200 million.
But The Wild Robot offers more than just visual wonders. The film begins as a slapstick comedy about an outsider thrust into a completely unfamiliar situation. The entire wilderness seems to conspire against Roz, with all its inhabitants working against her. You wouldn't bet much on the character surviving the next day. The filmmakers don’t shy away from showing the wilderness as truly wild—the animals don’t even spare each other at the start, which is a far cry from Disney’s sweet, sing-along forest aesthetic. As Roz gradually learns not only the animals' language but also their ways, the story deepens, offering a touching tale about motherhood, responsibility, and acceptance. Those who are moved by Roz’s bond with her adopted son, Brightbill, are bound to shed tears by the film's end, which holds a few surprises too.
However, these tears might start flowing as early as the film’s first half. As Roz teaches Brightbill how to fly, it becomes increasingly clear that their paths will eventually diverge, and it's predictable that Roz will be missed by someone sooner or later. Rather than feeling predictable, the film comes across as calculated, delivering humor, action, and drama in precise doses to ensure a balanced mix of each. While the story has a clear arc and goal, it's built from distinct segments that could span weeks or months, each differing not just in time but also in tone and style, creating a noticeable narrative gap. Additionally, in its attempt to condense its multi-year, epic story into a 100-minute runtime, the film rushes through its themes at a breakneck pace, occasionally undermining what it had previously established. For instance, the impressively wild nature of the island becomes tamer over time, losing some of its magic.
Chris Sanders, director of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, has previously shown how adept he is at depicting how a family can form between characters separated by entire universes. The Wild Robot similarly conveys the importance of family and care, even if the story and tone jump around a bit to satisfy all its goals. Its dense, fast-paced narrative and many themes might stretch beyond what the film can comfortably cover, but its emotional depth and breathtaking visuals remain irresistible nonetheless.
