The Wild Robot could easily fall into the typical, low intelligence fair for children, however it is able to offer more. The Wild Robot opens with Roz, an assistance robot who crash lands on an island. As she gets up out of her packaging, Roz asks for instructions on how she should function. However, on an island full of wild animals they run away from her and she is left alone without purpose, asking in isolation: Did anyone order me?
Soon, after learning the animal dialect, Roz stumbles across an egg, which soon hatches into a gosling, Brightbill, and she alongside a fox named Fink must form an unlikely mother-father duo to raise a child, a runt who shouldn’t survive. However, as Roz’s programming states she never fails a task, she must feed her child, as well as teach him how to swim and fly before the autumn migration.
My initial verdict of The Wild Robot was that whilst it is a beautiful-looking film, its themes are surface level and I struggled to engage with slow and one-dimensional dialogue. However, on reflection, it is a charming and sweet tale of motherhood, although not anything too original. It is a film showing the sacrifice of mothers, as Lupita N’Yongo’s Roz speaks to Cathrine O’Hara’s opossum, she states rather unsubtly, that children make things difficult if not impossible. As the film goes on you see the robot's form begin to deteriorate as she is challenged by her new task.
Two of the main draws to The Wild Robot are the cast and the animation. Firstly, the animation is gorgeous to look at. An almost hand-drawn style, more resembling something like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, rather than the style of computer-generated animation that has dominated the medium. There is almost a quality of it not being finished that adds a rugged authenticity to the style. Particularly Fink’s tale looks large and bushy adding character to what could otherwise look clean and polished. Each animal has its own unique style and real texture to the skin which contrasts that of the metallic sheen of Roz’s robotic form.
This is helped by its look and aesthetic, which is extremely well-lit, with beautiful skyline colours, the type that could perhaps only be captured in animation. Particularly one running scene where the autumnal leaves are swept up in the air creating a collage of oranges and browns to complement the action.
The film also has an array of brilliant voice work, with a stacked cast including Pedro Pascal, Mark Hamill, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu and Ving Rhames; but the highlight for me was Matt Berry, a stubborn beaver with a distinctive British accent trying to gnaw down a giant tree.
What makes The Wild Robot succeed so euphorically is the score by Kris Bowers which drives the film with a theme that plays through all the big moments. It is a wonderfully uplifting piece that makes you feel like you are chasing through trees in a newfound excitement.
The themes focus on the symbiosis between technology and nature. Something that has been seen before, but this time its take is more optimistic, similar to that of Wall-E. It shows the benefits of technology, Roz is someone who helps the animals complete tasks they may be unable to do otherwise, bringing them together when no one else could with her naïve optimism. A film catered to a generation that will never know a life without technology, it portrays the robot with much greater compassion than other examples on the screen. However, it is one-dimensional in this sentiment, never challenging Roz as a helper. One scene shows Fink’s fox taking advantage and skill in catching his meals, but it never takes this idea further. This would have been a prime opportunity to discuss food chains and the impact of external interference.
However, it is more interested in being about the different stages and tales of motherhood: Raising children, and the lessons of persistence, letting go, and protecting your young. But, it struggles to connect these separate tales. There are four or five parts rather than a cohesive whole, leaving the film disjointed as it stumbles to keep momentum.
The Wild Robot is a tale of motherhood, leaving something for all ages and has a few fun jokes just for the older audience. The film uses its animation style and texture particularly well to inform character and has an authentic feel. Although simplistic in its approach and at times disjointed, it is nevertheless a charming, bright and sweet film with an uplifting and euphoric score which is worthy of recognition during awards season.
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