I saw this film as an opportunity to gauge whether a movie could hold my two-year-old son’s attention. This is something I am particularly interested in, because it would demonstrate that my baby boy is finally ready for a theatrical experience. Unfortunately, he is not quite there yet. He watched for a bit, but then he eventually wandered off. Ironically, I didn’t notice his absence at first, as I was too focused on the movie. Based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, The Wild Robot stars Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, a ROZZUM unit 7134 robot that becomes shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling. Joining Nyong’o is Pedro Pascal in his animated movie debut, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Ving Rhames, and Catherine O’Hara as the wildlife that Roz finds herself surrounded by. With How to Train Your Dragon’s Chris Sanders at the helm, The Wild Robot is a very entertaining tale that somehow, I ended up more interested in than my kids.
“The Wild Robot is a story that is not afraid to pull on your heartstrings.”
Lupita summarized the film best in that one quote in the Feeling Alive featurette, and I echo her in that sentiment, as that is exactly what the film does from the very beginning with Roz, who takes on the task of raising Gosling after an unintentional mistake resulted in the creature becoming an orphan. The guilt that Roz feels is the character’s most defining characteristic and her motivation behind her every action in the film. This gives the character depth and, ironically, makes the robot more human. It also serves as the catalyst to inevitably from a wedge between Roz and her adopted child, Brightbill. I think that was the aspect that had me leaning. Granted there was no way that the truth wouldn’t come to light. It was a given that Brightbill would eventually learn the reasoning behind Roz’s dedication to him; how that situation would play out and its subsequent fallout was the element of the film that most interested me. Fortunately, the film doesn’t drag that out too much; it comes to light in a organic way.
However, I wasn’t fully onboard with the bittersweet manner in which the film concludes, though I do applaud the film bucking the traditional happily-ever-after convention. Call me a softie, I suppose, but I was expecting such a happily-ever-after for all parties involved. However, I am not so much of a softie that I cannot appreciate the chosen ending. I suppose we do get a bit of a happily-ever-after, if not a lasting one, at least for the two main parties. It’s not like there is no chance of a sequel. The ending is perfectly postured to lead into the next novel in the series (The Wild Robot Escapes). With a title like that, I will leave it to you to determine what the sequel will entail.
Video
The Wild Robot is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The ultra-high-definition 2160p image is arrived at by an HEVC codec with an average bitrate of 65 mbps. The ultra high definition delivers on the animation intent…I’m guessing. The animation has a very “painting” quality to it that I assume is intended. You don’t really get the photo-realistic environments or characters. It’s very much a style. The HDR allows for some really vivid colors. The outliner lights on the robot that indicate emotion and such stand out here. Black levels are deep with plenty of shadow definition. The butterfly swarm is one of those exceptional moments of vivid colors and better image detail. This will not appear very much like anything you’ve seen from Dreamworks Animation but it’s clean and perhaps just a little more organic because of the style.
Audio
The Dolby Atmos audio presentation defaults to 7.1. The surrounds allow you to be immersed in ways the image presentation doesn’t quite give you. There’s some nice placement here particularly the wild environments that truly surround you with often subtle moments. The surrounds also work well to recreate the environments with a higher level of realism here. The subs are quite impressive. You get depth to everything including dialog which works nicely. The inner workings of Roz add character to the robot and allow us to see more than the simple design might suggest. It’s the audio presentation that gives her sentience in ways the physical forms simply cannot. There are plenty of quiet moments here and I’m often more impressed by the quality of silence than an aggressive mix. I’d say that’s true here.
Special Features
“Commercial for Rozzum” Alternative Opening (04:08): Director Chris Sanders introduces this alternative opening, which according to him was originally to serve as the film’s opening in order to give Roz a understanding what she was designed for. I like the storyboard design of it and think it would have been a good addition.
“The Overprotective Mother” Storyboard Sequence (03:12): Director Chris introduces this sequence too, providing understanding and clarity of the intention behind feature. Would have made for another great addition to the film.
Moments from the Mic (02:23): Essentially the film’s blooper reel, showcasing the actors in the recording booth trying to stay in character, but only succeeding cracking themselves up.
Meet the Cast (06:33): A staple featurette of any movie where the cast speaks about their experience making the film and what drew them to the film. The one to pay close attention to would be Pedro Pascal as this film served as his animated movie debut.
Feeling Alive Featurette (09:07): Delve into the mind of the author of the novel which the film is based on. Joining him, Chris Sanders and the cast impart their own personal connection to the story and its characters.
Fly Your Own Brightbill (10:38): Now that’s a new one. A do-it-yourself tutorial featurette to help you build a Brightbill kite. I’m not much of a do-it-yourself-er, so I didn’t get much out of it.
How to Draw Featurette: Want to know how to draw Roz? How about Fink, o maybe baby Brightbill, or better yet Pinktail? Have no fear, these collection of featurettes can teach how from none other than Chris Sanders himself.
Wild Sounds (06:00): The musical score played an important factor in this film. Don’t take my word for it, the director says it himself as he introduces Kris Bowers and he talks your through how in composed the film’s score.
Final Thoughts:
I originally intended this film to be an experience to share with my kids, and it ended up being more an experience for me. And while it may not have hooked my kids, I have no doubt in this film’s ability to captivate the younger generation. My kids are just weirdos and don’t know a good things when they see. No matter what, I fully intend to make them watch the sequel with me, if and when it is announced and subsequently released. Maybe by then my youngest will be capable of sitting still
Parts of this review were written by Gino Sassani
