If I had to be honest, I wasn’t even sure I was going to be able to produce a review this week. This is mostly because we just dealt with a hurricane here in Florida (though, thank the Lord, my family and I are safe and sound) and the movie theaters were all closed. I knew they would eventually reopen, but I was concerned when the timing due to the fact that I work weekends and time isn’t exactly on my side these days. Fortunately, the storm has passed and cinemas are up and running. This paved the way for me to review the new DreamWorks animated film, The Wild Robot. 

For those who don’t know my thoughts on animated films, it’s a genre that I appreciate and admire given that imagination is the only limit when making them; that and a film budget. I am, however, critical of mainstream animated films given how commercialized they can be. I also do not enjoy their use lowbrow “humor” for the sake of a cheap laugh that only kids would like. That being said, based on the trailers alone, The Wild Robot looked like a different type of DreamWorks film as there weren’t any annoying pop songs or jokes that feel forced. In addition to that, I’ve seen several positive blurbs already for the film such as “the greatest animated film of the year” and “the best DreamWorks movie!” which made me a bit skeptical. Were these instant reactions correct, or is this another DreamWorks dud? As usual, let’s find out.

Set in the unknown future, The Wild Robot follows a ROZZUM utility robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) from a company called Universal Dynamics. One of their cargo ships runs aground near an uninhabited island with one ROZZUM utility robot remained unscathed. Identified as Unit 7134 (though later goes by Roz), this lone robot was designed to help people with everyday tasks and will do anything to complete its task. The problem, however, is that the only form of lifeforms on the island are wildlife that are scared of her, running away or attacking the artificial being. There’s even a moment where Roz goes into a safe mode where her programing translates the language of the animals where she can understand them. Despite the ability to communicate, she still has a difficult relationship with the wildlife. There’s a moment where she tries to signal her manufacturers due to the fact that she can’t find anyone she can assist. This unfortunately is unsuccessful because the animals keep attacking her, which leads her accidently killing a goose nest and crushing its eggs, all but one. Noticing that there is a lifeform in the egg, Roz decides to protect the egg, which is easier said than done given the fact that a hungry fox named Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal) keeps trying to steal and eat it. Fortunately, he is unsuccessful and the egg eventually hatches, and Roz unintentionally imprints on the goose hatchling. Roz then proceeds to her next task, but the hatchling still follows her and thinks the robot is its mother. Reluctant at first, an opossum by the name of Pinktail (voiced by Catherine O’Hara) tasks her to raise the gooseling, but Roz’s programming causes her to accept the assignment. Roz then recruits Fink to help bring up the gooseling because he claims to be an “expert” on the subject. Roz learns while parenting the gooseling (who she later named Brightbill) that geese migrate south during the winter season and from there, Roz and Fink work together to teach Brightbill (later voiced by Kit Connor) how to swim and fly before the migration season.

Now, would I agree with the blurb mentioned earlier that The Wild Robot is the best DreamWorks movie? Definitely not since Shrek (2001), Kung Fu Panda (2008), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) exists. I will, however, partially agree that it’s one of the best animated films of the year due to the trailers living up to the potential by making this a delightful watch . . . sort of. More details to follow.

As an admirer of animation itself, what makes The Wild Robot such a unique and magnificent film compared to others (more specifically DreamWorks animated films) is that it didn’t do the things that I complained about in an earlier paragraph. In the film, there were only two songs listed in the credits and there were no pop culture references that would eventually feel dated. I highlight this because as someone who had to deal with Trolls: Band Together (2023) and some of the more modern DreamWorks features, I was delighted to experience a film that relied on the visuals and characters to tell the story without rolling my eyes and/or giving me a headache. To be honest, I probably couldn’t tell that this was a DreamWorks production if I had avoided the trailers and missed the logo in the beginning. Not counting Puss in Boots: The Last Wish mainly because it’s a spinoff, The Wild Robot is probably the best original DreamWorks film to come out since How to Train Your Dragon, which is a film I love for similar reasons. 

In The Wild Robot, Roz says the phrase, “To survive, we must be more than we are programmed to be.” This obviously stuck out to me given how as Catholics we are tasked to do more than just exist. While we don’t know God’s calling right away, sometimes that opportunity can happen at any moment. For Roz, it means taking care of Brightbill. While it’s not an easy job raising him given that he was the runt of his nest, Roz does whatever it takes to complete her mission as its in her programming. Despite that, she develops a bond beyond her program (i.e. love). This is something that I need to remind myself on a daily basis sometimes as while I don’t have romantic love in my life right now, that emotion can translate into different things such as caring for others and making sacrifices. This film does a great job at showing all of those things, which was something I appreciate seeing in a big budget animated film not made by Pixar. 

Despite my enjoyment, I can’t say that The Wild Robot was the perfect film I had anticipated. One problem was the overuse of dialog. Maybe I was hoping this would’ve been the DreamWorks version of Wall-E (2008) (which is a film that I recently rewatched) where they used little dialog to tell the story, relying more on visuals. I know it sounds like nitpicking, but there were quiet moments in the film and allowing the visuals carry them is something that I wanted in The Wild Robot. Another complaint I had was the misuse of certain characters. This issue is much smaller but it bears mentioning. Towards the end of the film, we are introduced to what I think is the villain (whom I won’t reveal for spoiler’s sake) and while I did enjoy its presence, the timing felt completely off and I would’ve loved to see it throughout different scenes in the film. Still, it wasn’t enough to ruin the third act which was pretty cool nonetheless.

Even though I had some minor complaints, The Wild Robot was fun, and definitely a top tier DreamWorks film, which is rare for me to say about the animation company. Any other complaints that I have aren’t really towards the film itself but the viewing and atmosphere. Just imagine kids in a theater after a hurricane. When I saw it, I experienced it in 3-D and while it did suffice, it wasn’t as grand compared to previous DreamWorks features I have seen. Still, that wasn’t enough to tarnish my experience because I saw it with two really good friends of mine. Further, it is something most people will enjoy if you’re looking for a feel-good movie with gorgeous animation that I hope will be remembered come Oscar time. I’m that confident in it.