The Wild Robot is a wonderful film targeted at children that will more likely have their parents in tears.
Beautifully animated and with an abundance of heart, Robot has all the makings of a rewatch staple for families who catch it at the right time.
It is part Iron Giant, part WALL-E and part something completely unique, where all of its sight gags and jokes aimed at making kids laugh are in service of the larger story.
That is what we have come to expect of our biggest animated films of course, where whimsical stories hide real life lessons, but Robot never feels like an education.
The film follows the titular robot ‘Roz’ (voiced by the always excellent Lupita Nyong’o) who crash lands on an island inhabited only by animals.
She is programmed to help and immediately sets about trying to make herself useful, but is initially rejected by its residents.
Aside from the alien mechanical exterior, Roz is also unable to communicate with the animals, which understandably makes her an instant outsider.
But with the help of some futuristic technology, she soon learns the language of the island and tries to find her place in the world.
She later meets some others outsiders in the form of a sneaky fox called Fink (Pedro Pascal) and Brightbill (Kit Connor), an orphaned gosling who also happens to be the runt of his litter.
Roz takes on the makeshift role of mother to Brightbill and the trio become an unlikely family unit.
The real magic of Robot comes out when the three join each other onscreen, as Roz tries to figure out motherhood and Brightbill tries to figure out life.
This is also where director Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch) comes into his own with trademark animations of animal figures and their movements.
Robot feels alive throughout its runtime and will have you glued to the screen for plenty of laughs and a final act that will prompt puddles of tears.
It is a heartwarming watch for the whole family.
Rated 7-9 PG for some violent scenes.
4.5/5
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