The Wild Robot review: A touching tale of a robot at the insistence of its parents that tells the story of humanity without any humans

What is The Wild Robot about?

A beautiful animated film about a robot who reprograms itself to love seems perfectly appropriate for our current era of uncertainty around generative AI. Lupita Nyong’o stars as ROZZUM 7134, or Roz, in this adaptation of Peter Brown’s beloved book series.

When Rose crashes on a deserted island, her task-oriented people-pleasing programming leaves her with no one to serve her. Fearless, she tries to find ways to be helpful to the many animals and wildlife that thrive on the island. Soon, she finds herself caring for the gosling Brightbill, whose family she accidentally killed, and makes it her job to help it grow and learn to fly south for the winter.

Wild Robot is a perfect illustration of the unique task that is parenthood (especially motherhood). In the beginning when Rose comments that she doesn’t have plans to become a mother, one of the possums replies “No one does, we just make it up”. Rose’s new role as a mom includes making naive mistakes, suffocation, rejection, the inability to let go, and ultimately the empty nest – experiences all too familiar to any parent.

The film is just as entertaining for children, as Rose learns to navigate the forest by observing and imitating the animals that live there. As time goes on, Rose has built her own family, living up to the adage – it takes a village to raise a child. She is aided by the sly fox Fink (charming Pedro Pascal) and Pinktail, the aforementioned possum (the always great Catherine O’Hara), among others.

The film is stunning to look at, the colors are vibrant and help to showcase the diversity of wildlife on the island. The animation style is partly photorealism and partly impressionism, depending on the storytelling needs of the scene. DreamWorks Animation has finally developed a homegrown style distinct from Pixar, coming a long way from the early days of cheaply derivative Shark Tale. Although one wishes they had taken advantage of the medium to get a little more creative with Rose’s design, which ultimately looks like a mix between Star Wars’ BB-8 and Big Hero Six’s Baymax.

As animated features focused on robots continue to grow, The Wild Robot deserves a place between The Iron Giant and Wall-E. Although I was engaged with the film from the beginning, it wasn’t until the flight training montage set to the stunning original song Kiss the Sky that the film finally broke me. That sequence also has strong echoes of Bing Bong from Inside Out, as Rose struggles with the loss of a limb to help Brightbill fly, and finally accepts that she has to let go. Adults would be advised to carry a box of tissues for support.

In a departure from films aimed at children, The Wild Robot doesn’t shy away from portraying death as a defining feature of existence. Predators are portrayed this way, and the food chain is an important part of the film. The film makes several allusions to what it’s like to lose loved ones, albeit in a gentle way, making it a little easier for parents and children to talk about the loss afterward.

The jungle in the film is so dark that it is almost startling when the first human appears. Rose’s humanity becomes a liability to her company Universal Dynamics as they send other robots to retrieve her. Vontra, the ringleader of these robots, describes itself as ‘morally neutral’, which is a unique way of referencing capitalism and its effects. We see brief glimpses of the sunken Golden Gate Bridge, hinting at humanity’s future and making it clear where the moral center of the story lies.

final thoughts

Wholesome and heartfelt, The Wild Robot is ideal weekend viewing for the family. This film is a perfect animation medium – a fun ride that reflects some universal truths about what it means to be human. Rose may have artificial intelligence but her emotions make her human.

The Wild Robot is in theaters October 18th.