• Release year: 2024
• Director: Chris Sanders.
• Producer: Jeff Hermann.
• Screenplay by: Chris Sanders.
• Cinematography by: Chris Stover.
• Music by: Kris Bowers.

Shotgun Commentary: gorgeous film that will make you so emotional you’ll probably cry during most of it. What a masterpiece, though.

Review

The Wild Robot is the cinematic adaptation of a series of books for children written by Peter Brown. It follows a robot, made to complete any task, that is activated in the middle of a wild island.

In its attempts to find a task to complete in this place void of humans, it ends up with the mission of taking care of a gosling until it’s time for it to migrate. The movie will rip you apart and put you back together over and over until you are nothing but a sobbing mess. And it’s totally worth it.

The bittersweetness of life

The story begins like a Mr. Bean comedy, with a hilarious character incapable of acting according to the standards of the world around it. In this case, it is not an awkward man but a robot in nature that provides the hilarious contrast. Soon after this opening, the narrative goes dark with a series of violent attacks. There is an accident that costs a few animal lives, and various encounters with animals who hate the robot because it is strange to them.

The jump from sitcom to commentary on racism and its inherent destruction might give you a bit of a whiplash. Get used to it. Soon, you will be laughing and crying and laughing again within the same minute. You will have felt so many emotions within about an hour and a half that you will not even know what it is you are feeling by the end of the screening.

The souls behind the big, round eyes

Despite the marvellous story, the experience wouldn’t be as intense had it not been for the outstanding cast of voices. They are all spot on, their performances among the best of the year despite utilising only their voices.

Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, the robotic protagonist, is absolutely perfect. As is Pedro Pascal in his role as arguably the best character of the film, the fox Fink. The two of them bring the most emotional charge and, despite the cuteness of Brightbill the gosling, they are the ones you can’t help but to care about the most. Other great voice actors like Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, and voice legends Mark Hamill and Catherine O’Hara, complete the main cast of this wonderful work.

A full orchestra

The sounds of nature, along with the audio effects of each of the characters movements, the voices, soundtrack and songs, all create an environment that tramps you and pulls you into the island depicted in the story. You are part of it even if you close your eyes. A closed environment that you won’t want to leave until the experience is over. Even if you omit the score, which is impossible because it goes straight to your heart without even having the decency to ask for permission, you won’t be able to ignore how incredibly immersive the film is, greatly due to its incredible sound editing.

All in all, The Wild Robot just works. The animation is gorgeous, the sound is a masterpiece, all the voices have been perfectly chosen, and the story is both educational and entertaining. It will be hard for you to find any flaws in this one, so what are you waiting for? Grab your tissues and get ready for a bit of healthy, emotional overload!

Advice to take from this movie:

• Never try to reason with a fox, even if it has Pedro Pascal’s voice.
• Never underestimate a goose.
• How many films do we need to watch about kindness being a survival skill before we all put it into practice?

What’s your take? Have you watched The Wild Robot? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀