Animated movies are not my specialty as a film critic. That isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy them. Maybe I’m just not the right demographic because I don’t have kids, but I love to be “wowed” by a great animated movie that can also spark a wonderful emotional response. And that movie for me right now is The Wild Robot. It’s a wonderful and sincere adventure that shows the best of what you can get from an accidental or nuclear family. And yes, I’ll admit I shed a few tears by the end because it’s a film with a lot of heart while showing the kind of love that we all deserve. The story centers on a “helper” robot for a planetary station along with other service robots that end up getting marooned on an island in habited only animals. The robot is very logical and simplistic for its only function is to serve and complete assigned tasks. But what if that robot incidentally has to become a caregiver and a mother to a young goose who has just an orphaned? What if that robot has to overcome language barriers and figure out what it means to love and care for something. For us nerds it’s like watching Data from Star Trek try to be more human! However, this makes for a great theme in a story.
I really thought this was a sweet story filled with a lot of love and humor. The robots journey is very similar to other animated words like The Iron Giant and Wall-E and that’s very much a compliment because those are wonderful films. What really makes this movie work is the sense of discovery throughout the island for the robot everything is brand new and trying to get the layout of the island while protecting a foundling from predators is not only amusing, but extremely emotional. Also, the dialogue truly drives this movie. There’s just something heartfelt and humorous about the way a robot would speak well putting emotion in the dialogue when they are not programmed to have emotion. But at the heart of this film it’s about finding your family in whatever form that comes.
The Wild Robot truly captures that by becoming a caregiver in befriending a fox who is an outcast of the island. They all become outcasts to a point where they learn to connect with those that are naturally enemies. The beginning of the movie opens with the sense of discovery and trying to raise a goose foundling who is for the most part is a runt and would not have normally survived under normal circumstances. But it is towards the end of the movie when everybody comes together to save the robot who is no longer seen as a monster. It makes for an incredibly sweet movie.
But this film is not without some flaws at least in my opinion. I feel like it’s a movie that could have been longer and I know that you can’t make a really long movie for a younger audience, but I want to know more about the robot. I wanted more stories of the robot raising the foundling and training it to swim and fly. It all seemed too incredibly short. I wanted more adventures of the robot exploring the island and some history of the company that made the robot. Maybe as an adult I just want more to the story because these are wonderful characters, but I know that I’m not the film’s target audience so it’s a lot to ask for a 2-hour animated movie when 90 minutes is perfect for a younger audience. However, I feel like there was more story to tell. Perhaps it’s minor criticism even though it’s logical for adults to want to know more of the story. And perhaps as an adult I will get my wish if they do a sequel. However the film is a sweet and emotional ride that can bring tears to your eyes. The Wild Robot is a lot of fun and has the makings of an instant classic that we will be watching 50 years from now. It’s a perfect story for kids about how makeshift families can come together and that the most important thing in life is always love. I laughed, even shed a couple of tears, but more importantly, I had a great time watching this film. It’s well made and one of the best films from DreamWorks. It may be different from the original book and that’s okay because this movie has a lot of heart and will keep you entertained from beginning to end. And it’s definitely one of those films that you won’t mind watching again or getting tired of watching with your kids. Is it the best animated movie of the year, who knows, but it’s definitely in Oscar contention.
