Ladies, and gentlemen, we are now nearing my film reviews in the 600s. To conclude that string of reviews, we shall review an animated film that has been out for six weeks, and has received a good majority of positive reviews from critics, and audiences alike. And now, for the one, and only latest review of DreamWorks’ latest animated film, The Wild Robot!
Plot: When a storm causes six robots to crash, and wash ashore on an island that has been uninhabited by humans, a robot named ROZZUM unit 1734, who is later nicknamed Roz by some of the local wildlife, is the only survivor. After befriending a mischievous fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), and adopting a gosling named Brightbill (Boone Storm as the baby version of this character, and Kit Connor as the adult version of him), Roz slowly becomes acquainted with some of the local wildlife of this area. Now, as she tries to teach Brightbill to fly, and face harsh realities with the island, and some of the wildlife, the questions remains, will Roz try to return to her group of robots that she came from, or will she remain with Brightbill, Fink, and any other animals that she befriends along the way?
Now that I’ve finally seen The Wild Robot myself, is it as good as many people have made it out to be, or is it’s over positive reception getting blown out of proportion? Well, I’m going to tell you the truth, everyone, The Wild Robot may yet be another animated classic from the DreamWorks animated film lineup. First of all, sure, the story could potentially drag a little bit. However, what makes this film really stand out just like say other films in this canon like The Prince Of Egypt, Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron, the How To Train Your Dragon films, the Kung Fu Panda movies, and films like those, is that there is a strong, and engaging story, combined with mature themes, and elements from beginning to end. Honestly, had this film been released years, or even decades earlier, I’m not sure how well it would have worked. Next, the animation is beautiful. Truth be told, the method of likely combining some 2D, and 3D animation together seemed to feel better this time around. Seeing as that didn’t seem to work quite as well with last year’s Disney film, Wish, I’d say that’s saying something. Rhetorical animation is truly top notch to be sure. The color palettes truly do come together over the course of this film, whether it’s scenes with geese flying, any action scenes that occur, and so much more. Next, there are the characters. First off, Roz is a fun, creative, and well thought out character. Putting aside the fact that characters like her were done in movies like The Iron Giant, for instance, Roz knows how to stand out on her own. The same can be said about all the other characters in this film as well, particularly Fink the fox, and Brightbill, the duck that she adopts as her son. That was another aspect of this film. The relationship between Roz, and Brightbill is deep, and meaningful. Her relationship with Fink was also well developed as well. The character arcs not only for the three of them, but also some of the other supporting characters, were also surprisingly well handled. For a film a little over an hour, and a half, that for sure is saying something. But honestly, I would say what makes each of the characters truly memorable, especially Roz, Brightbill, and Fink, is the character journeys they each go through, learning to love, and/or even let go when necessary, and the love, and compassion that they had for everyone else around them, to the point of risking danger, or even their lives. The other side characters, like Thorn the grizzly bear, Pinktail the opossum, and all of them were great, and sometimes even hilarious as well. Honestly, for reasons such as these, and other reasons, it’s understandable as to why so many people are loving this film, and giving mostly positive feedback for the film. Then, there is the score by Kris Bowers. Holy cow! The score is most definitely out of this world. For a non-Hans Zimmer person scoring for a DreamWorks animated film, he knows how to draw in the audience. He should definitely be listed as one of the greats for composing film scores. Then, there’s the storyline overall. Again, it may have dragged a little once, or twice. However, at the same time, The Wild Robot also takes it’s time to develop it’s story, all the characters, and truly takes it’s time to put heart, and soul into it’s story. Truly, Chris Sanders, who also directed animated films like Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, and the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy from DreamWorks, truly did seem to go all in this time around. He was not afraid to make this film appeal to kids, as well as make it’s deep, and mature subjects appeal to the adult audience as well. There’s heartwarming moments, along with gritty wit, excellent action at points, and other elements that make The Wild Robot a well-crafted story. The best part about that is it makes this film a work of art, or, rather, a work of heart. Finally, there are valuable lessons provided by this film in the form of love, compassion, being willing to look out for the best interests of others no matter what, and well thought out lessons like those.
And that’s my review for The Wild Robot. It is an overall well done film that has action, has heart, well-written characters, an excellent script, funny moments, as well as emotional moments, and all of the ingredients mixed together to make a memorable story. Truly, Chris Sanders didn’t have to make this film as good, or great as he did. But he did, and, in doing so, made a film that may be almost, if not quite as great as DreamWorks’ other animated movies of this library like The Prince Of Egypt, Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron, Kung Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon, and films like those. If you want to see an animated film like this that kids enjoy, as well as adults, has grit to it, and has mature topics, and a very mature story, then please go see The Wild Robot. By the end, you’ll be glad that you saw this film, and will probably be hoping that it gets nominated, or even wins a Golden Globe, or even Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Don’t believe me!?! Well, make a point to see The Wild Robot, and see what you think!
Final Grade: A+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 