THE WILD ROBOT
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames
Director: Chris Sanders
NICK
Sure, the trailers made The Wild Robot look visually stunning, but they did nothing for me story-wise. I certainly wasn't expecting it to be the best DreamWorks Animation effort in 20 years, but that's exactly what it is. The breathtaking animation pairs wonderfully with Lupita Nyong’o's vocal performance as Roz. Part Baymax, part droid, Roz is one of the richer animated characters we've seen in some time. Much like DreamWorks' Shrek franchise, she is surrounded with instantly memorable and funny side characters. For a film about coming together and forming unlikely friendships, this is crucial to make the story work, and it does so in spades.
ADRIANO
The Wild Robot is... it’s solid. The animation is stunning to look at, the score by Kris Bowers is fantastic, it's got a good heart, and its themes of community are genuinely effective. A lot of the movie works, but the overall story is very generic and not that different from other Dreamworks movies. I even found some plot threads to be pretty rushed - for instance, the motherhood storyline - while endearing, I think it’s a little underdeveloped for me to fully feel what it wants me to feel. The Wild Robot is inoffensive and really good even, just nothing special.
AMARÚ
The Wild Robot makes many hilariously irreverent jokes about the treacherous reality of Mother Nature, and it’s juxtaposed very well to its heartfelt themes of belonging. Yet, it suffers from not fully committing to how it delivers those themes. At first, I thought “oh, we’re getting Wall-E vibes,” but a second later, it was off on a race that never let up. Many plot points come and go without reaching the depth it seems to want to explore, and instead of one emotionally discerning story, we get two enjoyable movies that tread across the runtime they’re crammed into.
PRESTON
The Wild Robot is…cute. It’s an entirely saccharine movie that should meet any young parent’s criteria of being visually engaging and having wholesome messaging. The relationship of step-mother and child between Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) and Brightbill (Kit Connor) is especially heartfelt, but development of other characters is rushed and lackluster, resulting in poor viewer connection. Additionally, the voice acting, with the exception of Ving Rhames and few others, is way too toned down, which detracts from the intended humor and character connections, adding to the sense of overall blandness. A successful and visually rich film for ages 12 and under and their parents.
QUENTIN
As you may have learned from reading my reviews over the years, predominantly kid-driven animated movies aren’t really my thing. However, The Wild Robot surprised me with its surprisingly adult themes of chosen family, step-parenting, and community. The visuals are, of course, outstanding, but it’s the depth of story and excellent vocal performances that elevate this movie over the likes of feature length toy commercials like Minions and mid-tier Pixar offerings like Onward. Still, though, there is plenty for the youths to enjoy too, making this something parents can watch with their kids without hating life.
This film was reviewed by Nick and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.