The Wild Robot is a sci-fi animated film directed by Chris Sanders, known for his successful animated features at DreamWorks Animation, including How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods. The screenplay is adapted from the book series by Peter Brown. The film features an impressive voice cast, including Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, and Ving Rhames. With a budget of $78 million and its high-caliber talent, can The Wild Robot bring a fresh touch to the sci-fi animated genre?
Set in the future, the story follows a robot named Roz (voiced by Nyong’o), who washes ashore on a remote island teeming with wildlife. The robot seeks a “master” and a mission to fulfill its technical protocols. As time passes, Roz realizes that the wild is not its natural habitat. However, before deciding to activate its return protocol to the factory, Roz inadvertently discovers a goose egg and finds a new mission: to care for the goose.
From the outset, the environmental themes are strongly felt. Without any exposition at the beginning, we gradually understand that this is a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by catastrophic global warming. Uniquely, the story completely omits human characters, focusing instead on robots and animals. Thanks to its adaptive technology, Roz can communicate with the wildlife, allowing the narrative to flow through the “parenting” dynamic between Roz, Bright Bill (the gosling), and Fink (the fox), forming a small family unit. More than half of the film explores the unique and heartwarming relationship between the robot and the animals, culminating in a routine conflict: the rogue robot versus its manufacturer.
The plot somewhat resembles WALL-E (2008) from Pixar, which also carries an environmental theme. While WALL-E is considered one of the greatest animated films, the warmth and “humanistic” elements in The Wild Robot set it apart. Speaking of parenting, the recent Netflix animated film, Ultraman Rising, also features a “father and baby” narrative but lacks the depth and warmth found in The Wild Robot. The relationship between Roz and the wildlife feels unparalleled, as The Wild Robot presents a more cohesive story that beautifully balances themes of family and environmentalism.
The Wild Robot features a humanistic connection between a robot and animals, along with strong messages about family and the environment. It is a complete viewing experience for families and audiences of all ages, showcasing warmth rarely seen in similar sci-fi films. One minor drawback is the absence of human characters. It feels slightly odd for a film that discusses messages for humanity and the environment without including any human figures. While it may not achieve greatness, The Wild Robot stands out as one of the best environmental animated films in recent decades and a strong contender for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature next year.
