THE WILD ROBOT is a wholesome entertainer

The Wild Robot (English) Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating

Director: Chris Sanders

The Wild Robot Movie Review Synopsis:
THE WILD ROBOT is the story of an unlikely bond between a robot and a bird. A robot named Rozzum 7134 aka Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) washes ashore on a remote island. An amphibious animal accidentally activates her. Roz is designed to be an all-purpose robot and starts promoting her service to the animals. The animals, however, get scared and run away on seeing her. One animal attacks Roz and while running, she unintentionally crushes a goose nest. All but one egg survives. The egg hatches and the baby goose sees Roz. The baby assumes Roz is his mother and starts following her. Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara), a mother opossum, instructs Roz to feed the goose and teach her how to swim and fly before the migration begins. Roz considers this as her task, and she dedicatedly tries to fulfil it. She falters and gets help from Fink (Pedro Pascal), a shrewd fox. Roz and Fink name the goose Brightbill (Kit Connor). The trio form a great team, but Brightbill soon realizes that he’s a misfit among the other birds due to the upbringing given by Roz. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

The Wild Robot Movie Story Review:
THE WILD ROBOT is based on the book of the same name, written by Peter Brown. The story is adventurous and unexpected. Chris Sanders’ screenplay is effective and packs in a lot in just 102 minutes. The dialogues are witty and also conversational.

Chris Sanders’ direction is wholesome. The film has emotional, dramatic, thrilling and even action moments. Chris peppers the narrative with all these aspects. The robot has been well fleshed out and despite his obvious robotic eyes, one’s heart goes out for her when she’s in crisis. What also works is the fact that one doesn’t know where the story would go next. The second half is better than the first and the scene where Roz rescues all animals from biting cold is applause worthy.

On the flipside, Roz getting attacked and battered in the opening sequence is a bit repetitive. In order to keep the narrative crisp, the makers rush through some key scenes. The humour is limited and kids might not appreciate it. Also, one can’t help but draw parallels with WALL-E [2008], albeit for a few minutes in the beginning. Lastly, India is an unpredictable market for animation films, and one can’t say for sure if the film will click with the Indian audience.

The Wild Robot Movie Review Performances:
Lupita Nyong’o is terrific and effortlessly voices the robot that also has human-like qualities. Pedro Pascal adds to the entertainment value. Kit Connor is dependable while Catherine O’Hara’s voice has a motherly feel, which adds to the character’s trait. Bill Nighy (Longneck), Stephanie Hsu (Vontra), Mark Hamill (Thorn) and Matt Berry (Peddler) do well. Ving Rhames (Thunderbolt) leaves a mark, but the character disappears after a point.

The Wild Robot movie music and other technical aspects:
Kris Bowers’ music has a cinematic appeal. Chris Stover’s cinematography is breathtaking. Raymond Zibach’s production design is rich. The animation matches global standards though it’s bewildering why the fire is depicted in an awkward red colour. Mary Blee’s editing is crisp but too quick in some scenes.

The Wild Robot Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, THE WILD ROBOT is a wholesome entertainer but the dull pre-Diwali period and unpredictable market scenario for animation films in India might affect its collections.