“The Wild Robot” Review (2024)
Written by Victor DeBonis
If people ask me what one of the reasons I love movies so much is, I will often say this: Movies, similar to books, are a great way for others to discover the power of empathy towards others. That experience has come in countless forms for me over time, whether it has been John Candy’s “I like me” monologue from “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” or Kal-El instructing his son about humanity and his purpose in being a role model and good source of guidance for them in 1978’s “Superman” or seeing the acts of goodness in a devastating and tragic time of history in “Schindler’s List.” I love the ability of the medium encouraging others to feel more for others than themselves and discover greater emotions they might not have felt on a certain level.
“The Wild Robot” is the most recent example of a modern movie demonstrating the power of empathy and what great deeds it and selflessness can accomplish.
Based on the book series of the same name by Peter Brown “The Wild Robot” is terrific for many reasons, but a big source of its success as a story is its ability to convey the importance of generosity and emotion in a world heavily reliant upon technology and people that don’t factor in selflessness or empathy as essential for society to advance.
As much as many insist on wanting to do things completely by themselves and try to point their emotions towards being more in check, we need more than ourselves to survive.
We need love, family, in whatever form is most available to find our way through the complications and the dark.
Always talented Lupita Nyong’o helps add to the power of this movie by expressing the humorously overly informative demeanor of her character named Roz in the beginning before echoing the steadily advancing humanity of the titular machine. Nyong’o speaks in steadily paced words meant to instruct in the manner through which her corporate company programmed her to, but she eventually pauses and shows shifts in the tone of her voice from heightened urgency to the softer speaking of someone who misses someone deeply loved who is suddenly gone.
Pedro Pascal plays the crafty fox who gradually becomes her greatest ally in the wilderness. Matching with the swift motions of someone who is a trickster and has lived in the forest all of his life and has mostly relied upon only himself until Roz entered the mix, Pascal as the fox delivers some funny observations about trying to find one’s way through the woods but is also completely believable in his vulnerable moments when he expresses the loneliness he has felt from being on his own. Many of us have seen this type of character before, of course, but Pascal lends a friendliness and a knowledge of when to lean into the humor or directness of stating an insightful truth when the moment requires.
Both of these performers have proven themselves as experts into recognizing the character needed for the role they play. It can be a soulful character or a terrifying one or a complicated one with both darkness and warmth fighting with one another, but, whatever the challenge may be, Nyong’o and Pascal have proven themselves as beyond capable of stepping into the shoes (or metal feet and paws, in this case) of whoever they perform as. They do this greatly here, too.
Vibrant, warm colors fill the palette decorating the screen of what is a truly breathtaking movie to witness. The steady and rapid movements of the animals in the woods and the quick whirling and gentler gestures of the robot match greatly with an environmental setting and story that is about adapting and learning from the life surrounding you. Every character feels alive and breathes and crawls with an abundance of life, thanks to the wonderful animation on display. You can also practically feel the foamy spray of the seas crashing against the rocks or sense the lightness of the soft edges of the grass upon which the animals prance around. This movie will most likely be great to see at home, but I highly encourage others to see this in the theater if you can because it’s an amazing looking work and has a grand feel to its design on top of that.
In the tradition of many animated films from DreamWorks, the direction flies and sprints along with its creatures in longer takes, leading the audience to follow along with its warm atmosphere and also experience the lively momentum of those at the center of the screen. Also helping the wonder of this story is Kris Bowers’ excellent score in the background, highlighting the playfulness of the slapstick-heavy moments and the tenderness of the moments in which characters find out greater strength or try to cope with the harshness of what’s presently happening around them. At several points, I found myself misty-eyed as I felt the bliss of seeing a character grow or sensing someone recognize why it’s important to find connection in spite of what could be lost, and part of these feelings trace from Bowers’ expertise in having a strong sense of what mood to create through his composing.
Director Chris Sanders, who has proven himself as a wonder in the field of animation through directing “Lilo and Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon” and writing “Mulan” has done great work in telling stories with familiar ideas but presenting them in ways one doesn’t expect. He accomplishes this here, too, with his direction and screenplay. Sanders presents a beautiful-looking story with a humor and heart worn on its sleeve that steadily expresses itself through a community with different dynamics and methods of living its life in the woods but finds the importance of unity and connection through clever and unexpected means.
On this note, Sanders’ screenplay examines the hard work and the necessary presence of empathy and kindness for finding family. The writing highlights the importance of feeling emotions for others beyond you or your kind and using selflessness to help you and others survive.
In my past, I was surrounded by people who heavily emphasized the importance of doing things on one’s own and thinking with your mind as much as possible and your heart as little as possible. I was (wrongly) taught by these people that doing things as quickly as possible without thought for others and only to help one’s self get ahead was what was necessary to achieve success.
I never understood this mindset and still don’t.
Roz is someone built from a corporation heavily leaning on these ideas of accomplishing tasks in a technologically advanced fashion but without giving any heart or thought to the life outside of it. In a world and time in which AI is being used more in appropriate ways and businesses and people are becoming more overly reliant on technology in place of humans to get things done, this movie is simultaneously a breath of fresh air and a thoughtful tale serving as another reminder of why overly relying on technology to solve everything accomplishes little, if anything.
The mechanical heroine of the movie finds her true inner strength via breaking free from the system and its cruel methods of attempting to eradicate memories and anything personal from what she has experienced. Memories and the discovery of connection are what develop us to become who we are. To push aside anything that leads us to connect or feel for someone else beyond ourselves only causes greater discord and makes the world a colder place.
Roz discovers the harsh truth of what harm not feeling compassion for others could do because she develops a heart towards those from her family of the woods that she bonds closer to. And, Pascal as the fox learns not to keep to himself when he develops his friendship with Roz because he doesn’t want to return to a life in which he is by himself and is left with loneliness, due to others not trusting animals of his kind very much.
Almost everyone discovers something valuable from what happens in this well-written story, and much of it develops from everyone’s role in the path of what occurs.
The last 15 minutes have a physical conflict of sorts develop, and, while it has plenty of well-animated action and isn’t as derivative as other climaxes I’ve seen, it is surprising to see this threat occur out of the blue, almost as though someone was told to add this as a requirement to help entertain who might possibly be bored rather than the story essentially needing it.
Aside from this, though, I love this movie and the brilliant mind it contains and the powerful heart at the center of it. We are so fortunate to have a new film wisely discussing the idea of life venturing beyond the detachment of systems only meant to achieve tasks without people’s involvement and exploring the necessity of newfound family and selfless kindness to help one’s self and others around them live and thrive. We are fortunate to see a movie echoing the greatness of empathy and what it can accomplish.
It is, so far, my favorite animated movie of 2024.
Grade: A