Last Updated on September 27, 2024 by
The Wild Robot is a 2024 animated movie directed by Chris Sanders. The film stars Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, and Kit Connor., with a 1h 41M runtime, and was released on September 27, 2024.
“The Wild Robot” is an animated movie adapted from a book by Peter Brown published in 2016 and directed by Chris Sanders, best known for “How To Train Your Dragon” and “The Croods”. It holds great sentimental value and is ideal for an adventurous film. It is a young robot who crash-landed on an unknown island and struggles to survive and make friends with animals. While stories about robots exploring and learning new things may not be entirely novel, Sanders does a well-wrought job of portraying an emotional aspect of the story, particularly when Roz finds herself parenting in a way she never imagined.
The story takes place in the future of a company called Universal Dynamics, which is developing robots to facilitate positive change on the planet. One of these robots, named ROZZUM 7134 (or just Roz, voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), mistakenly crash lands on a deserted island. Roz is a helper robot designed to help people but due to the actions of the inhabitants of the island, she becomes interested in animals only. The animals, however, are afraid of her at first and consider her to be dangerous.
However, there is one sad event that occurs when Roz is building a relationship with the animals and their ways: she kills a mother goose. Roz discovers the last of the goose’s eggs and takes it under her wings. After his eggs hatch, revealing a baby goose named Brightbill (voiced by Kit Connor), the bird believes that Roz is his mother. Roz now has a new mission: to rear Brightbill and educate him on how to live. To do this, Roz recruits the assistance of some of the characters, including a fox named Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal) and a hardworking opossum mother named Pinktail (voiced by Catherine O’Hara). Alone, they instruct Roz on how to help Brightbill learn social skills, including flying so that he can join his fellow geese in the winter.
The first part of the movie tells viewers about Roz trying to explore the island. She has a mission to assist people in society but because in this environment she is only around animals she turns into “analysis mode,” where she tries to understand how animals live and exist. This leads to some funny moments as Roz has to endure comedic misadventures during her time on the island while learning their customs. She also learns to understand their languages which enables her to begin to communicate with them. Some of the animals like Fink in the story are initially afraid of Roz but end up being friends with her. Fink initially intends to cook Brightbill’s egg; however, he later assists Roz in guarding the baby goose, thus giving the twist of predators and prey.
Since the development of the character named Brightbill, he begins to look upon Roz as his mother and thus the movie develops an element of parenthood. Roz’s role is to make Brightbill become a wild bird and teach him how to swim, fly, and get ready for the next season to join other birds. It is rich emotionally, especially the way Sanders describes not only the fulfillment but also the tiredness that comes with being a parent. Pinktail, with her group of rowdy kids, is a perfect example of this, presenting the audience with a realistic picture of how difficult yet fulfilling parenting can be. On the same note, Fink and Roz are still friends considering their personalities, and Roz’s technology aids Fink in surviving and getting his meals.
The focus of the film revolves around Roz and her newly acquainted companion, Brightbill. The story highlights how a robot called Roz forms a close relationship with this little goose and assists him overcome his phobia of flying. Their journey is made all the more memorable due to the enchanting visuals of the film as well as an uplifting score by Kris Bowers.
While the bond between Roz and Brightbill deepens, the film also shows how the rest of the animals on the island also learn to accept Roz for who she is. They learn from Her and, in unison, they strive to live in a world where climate change is creating hurdles to life. ‘However, toward the end, the film introduces a villain element, which feels a bit rushed and unnecessary.’ The dramatic aspect of the film lies in the relationship between Roz the main character and the sheep, Brightbill, and her need to save him. The climax feels slightly forced, but fortunately, the narrative refocuses on its dramatic core in the final moments. The conclusion is warm and tender, which is quite appropriate to end the movie with, giving the audience a happy ending.
Overall, “The Wild Robot” is a touching story about survival, family, and connection, told through the eyes of a robot who learns what it means to care for someone and protect them, even in the face of challenges. It’s a movie that’s not just visually stunning but also full of emotional depth, making it a great film for older kids and adults alike.
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The Wild Robot Parents Guide Age Rating
The Wild Robot is rated PG by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for action/peril and thematic elements.
Violence and Scary Situations: There are several action scenes, which feature some instances of danger. Some of the scenes that might be a bit violent are when, in the initial scenes, we see Roz, the robot, crash land on the island. Some scenes show animal endangerment or struggle. For example, when the fox Fink tries to kill Brightbill’s egg and when other animals meet Roz they are afraid of her and see her as a predator. One of the scenes that can be viewed as rather emotional is when Roz sadly dies of a heart attack, and on her death, she steps on a box, killing a mother goose and her little chicks, which may be traumatic for young audiences. While the event is not exposed very violently, the death results in Roz coming across and hatching the goose called Brightbill. It gives an example of the notion of ‘losing a parent’, which, even when only mentioned briefly, is difficult to handle emotionally. The movie embodies a predatory drive along with the victim’s escape instincts meaning that there might be scenes that some potential audiences would consider frightening, especially if they are predisposed to anxiety or panic. Although there are no violent scenes in these sequences, the ideas of survival and hunting are depicted. Towards the conclusion of the band, a particularly evil force enters the picture, and that causes tension. This villain, however, is not very scary or aggressive, and this is consistent with the rating of the movie as PG.
Language: There is very little swearing in the film and the movie is rated PG. People get annoyed or scared in threatening situations, however, there’s no call for violence or using poor language slang.
The movie “The Wild Robot” is visually stunning and is a mix of an adventurous and comedy theme with some serious-feeling undertones at its core. There are rare scenes that can be categorized as scary, tears, and sadness but overall, a lot of messages of love, family, bravery, and acceptance of people’s differences. As a PG-rated movie, children of 7+ can watch it, though children under ten may get confused about some emotional moments and might need some parental help.
