The Wild Robot Review
Gorgeous cinematography, a wonderfully inventive cast of characters, and a story that will have you in tears, make The Wild Robot a runaway win.
After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) is stranded on an uninhabited island, where an orphaned baby goose named Brightbill (Kit Connor) imprints on her. As she tries to raise the young goose ahead of his first migration, alongside the wily fox Fink (Pedro Pascal), she begins to discover that maybe there is more to her than her programming, and more to life than completing a task.
Written and directed by Chris Sanders, The Wild Robot (based on the book by Peter Brown) is an absolutely lovely film that - although somewhat predictable - tugs on the heartstrings and has you calling your mum on the way home.
The animation style is absolutely stunning, and the cinematography has a wonderful way of expanding on the majesty of this small island. There are some truly iconic looking scenes here; whether it’s Roz running alongside the geese as they take off for migration, or her sat morosely on the edge of a cliff with the great expanse of ocean alongside her, the time and care for the visuals sucks you into the story.
The voicework is great across the board, and while there is quite a starry cast attached to the film, none have voices or performances so distinct as to be distracting. The score is also amazing, and has so many swelling, engaging moments that just suck you into the emotionality of the whole thing.
Ultimately, the bits about The Wild Robot that really stand out are the story elements. This is a truly heartwarming tale about chosen family, one that has a fantastic mother-child relationship pull and mixes it with a bunch of friendship messages, that really plays well. You’ll find yourself laughing, maybe crying, but definitely thrilled throughout.
