The Wild Robot is a perfect return to form. When Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois are working together to craft (or adapt) a story, there’s magic to behold. Although I can recognize the tropes they’ve been using ever since Lilo and Stitch (concerning runts of the litter and the Ugly Duckling motif), what’s presented in DreamWorks latest is a variation of that formula. Here, it’s about the relationship between machines and nature.
Here, the focus is on how creatures all great and small can get along and is more concerned about survival in a wild frontier. When a delivery of robots gets lost during a storm, I can imagine the company who made them can always build more rather than retrieve the items for scrap. As for the one who activated, Fink (Pedro Pascal) bypasses his natural fox instinct to teach the machine about the rules of the jungle.
Technically, the location is a forest located on a small island, and as for how close this film is to the book, I’m not sure. After seeing the film, I’m definitely wanting to read it to see what’s changed. Even though this is the norm for many DreamWorks adaptations, what’s often altered doesn’t require prior knowledge. Unlike How to Train Your Dragon and The Bad Guys, this latest has tickled my curiosity but I’m not rushing out to buy the books.
In this tale, I believe this ‘bot’s self-awareness routine wasn’t activated until after Pigtail (Catherine O’Hara) teaches it how to become a mother. As a result, I’m sort of reminded of Rosie from The Jetsons. Although Fink’s purpose is for self-preservation, their relationship isn’t too different from Ice Age, where Diego, the sabre-tooth tiger’s initial idea of attacking a tribe to get at food got turned upside-down. In this film’s case, the ostrich Roz named Brightbill (Kit Connor) almost became the fox’s next meal! Although this bird’s survival skills were lacking early in the film, what he learns by the second act is simply marvellous.
Sadly, the geese he meets know what happened to his actual family, and they don’t give him a chance to join the ranks. Even though The Wild Robot shifts focus to that of this bird, this machine is still important to the narrative. While his story is straightforward, the other is not. Roz will either be reprogrammed or will decide to remain with the animals. I won’t spoil this detail, and I’m glad her story isn’t exactly over.
As for whether DreamWorks will turn this film into a series, like their other catalogue of films, I really hope not. Some releases should really stay a one-off than revisited on television or streaming. After seeing The Bad Guys: Halloween special (movie review coming soon), I feel this studio should stick to movies rather than expand everything. After Boss Baby and The Croods‘ modest run on streaming services, this branch has lost steam.
5 Stars out of 5
The Wild Robot Movie Trailer
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