DreamWorks’ 2024 animated movie, “The Wild Robot,” is a beautiful and surprisingly mature family film that will have you in tears by its end. 

The movie tells a pertinent story about social and cultural ostracization. It grapples with a lot of contemporary issues while implying an optimistic view as it speaks on the significance of community and collectivism.  

“The Wild Robot” explores mature subjects such as death, parenthood, and climate change with the writers even throwing in some legitimately funny morbid jokes. The film’s only real negatives are how predictable the plot can be at times, and how corny it gets towards the end, but the negatives don’t undermine the quality of the movie.  

Based on Peter Brown’s 2016 book series of the same name, “The Wild Robot” concentrates on Rozzum unit 7134 or “Roz” (Lupita Nyong’o), a service robot who finds herself shipwrecked on an island after a severe storm. Initially, Roz tries to assist the various animals on the island, but they all reject her, even after she takes the time to decipher their language. 

Roz is a typical fish-out-of-water character who must learn to survive in a new environment. In the beginning, her stark contrast to the environment inadvertently makes enemies out of many of the animals on the island. It’s her ultimate assimilation into the community which drives the film’s sensitive narrative.  

Near the beginning of the film, Roz is chased by a bear, and she accidentally crushes a goose and most of its eggs with only one surviving. When the surviving gosling, later named Brightbill (Kit Connor), hatches, he thinks Roz is his mother, so, despite her poor treatment from the island creatures so far, Roz takes on the role of Brightbill’s mother. 

Roz can’t raise Brightbill alone, so a fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), who, due to his mischievous nature, is almost as hated on the island as Roz, helps Roz survive and raise Brightbill. The three of them become a group of island outcasts and ultimately succeed as characters in telling a meaningful story to the audience. 

Director and writer of the film, Chris Sanders, who also directed “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Lilo and Stitch,” does a wonderful job bringing to life this simple yet refreshing story. While recent family films have typically focused on flashy but seemingly random plotlines, “The Wild Robot” focuses primarily on its characters and their development. to have a message instead of being a quirky set of events. The film’s themes and messages shine through its well-developed characters.  

“The Wild Robot’s” animation expands on the style used in DreamWorks’ “The Bad Guys” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” making it a visually stunning film with breathtaking shadows and movements. Also, the soundtrack composed by Kris Bowers adds a musical layer to the film that breathes life into the island and atmosphere.  

Usually, when an animated film uses popular actors, they don’t perform at the expected level since live-action is their typical medium, but the A-listers in this film do well. Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal do a great job with their roles. with it barely noticeable that they were in the roles. Importantly, the actors are able to accentuate the film’s characters. 

“The Wild Robot” is sure to become an animated classic with its stunning visuals, character work and use of mature topics.