After being accidentally released on a remote island, service robot Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) finds a new purpose as the guardian of a runt gosling, Brightbill (Kit Connor), whose parent she accidentally killed.
As Brightbill grows up, and Roz grows beyond her assigned role, the robot has to contend with the fact she will have to let him go, so he can survive amongst his own kind.
And then her corporation re-enters the picture…
I do not generally watch movies aimed at kids, but I am always trying to expand the focus of this blog.
Written and directed by Chris Sanders, whose credits include Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon, this is a lovely movie.
I love how vibrant the aesthetic is - apparently it was inspired by the colour palette of classic Disney. Meanwhile, Roz the robot’s rubbery physics approximate the looser movements of classic Warner animation, creating an aesthetic clash that works for Roz’s outsider status on the island.
The film’s focus on the robot’s body verges on body horror at points - the scene of the raccoons stealing her internal components - but it all feels closer to the anarchic spirit of Looney Tunes rather than Cronenberg.
The idea of a robot raising a wild animal is the hook, but what is impressive about The Wild Robot is how it uses this as a starting point for exploring notions of the struggle between programming and free will, parenthood, growing up, and overcoming differences.
When Brightbill finally takes off with the flock, and there were 40 mins left I was wondering what would happen next. The plot gets a little busy but the characters are so well-drawn, particularly Rozz and Brightbill, I could overlook this.
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The finale is a little too neat, considering the maturity of the film’s themes, but The Wild Robot remains a delight.
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