‘The Wild Robot’ Review: An Animated Triumph Destined to Become a Classic with an All-Time Voice Performance from Lupita Nyong’o | TIFF
Never underestimate the power of children’s books. It’s easy to dismiss them as something designed for a child at a stage where they’re learning how to read, but that way of thinking completely overlooks what is being emotionally developed between child and parent. After all, the audience is both someone who is just beginning to learn about the world around them and someone who has become cynical of what the world can do for them.
Based on the bestselling books by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot manages to look and feel exactly like a children’s book on the big screen. It starts as a very simple situation, as we see a robot named Rozim 7134 (Lupita Nyong’o) wash ashore on an island full of animals. Now Rozim is a task bot. She is programmed to receive orders and fulfill them. But the problem is, there are no humans to be found. Every animal retreats in fear over the sight of this robot. That is until she finds Brightbill (Kit Connor), an orphaned gosling with tiny wings (think Nemo and his fin from Finding Nemo) who attaches to her the moment he’s born and sees her as his mother.
The opening minutes of the film brought about a sense of wonder I haven’t felt in a long time from animation. Nowadays, characters zip back and forth with quips and one-liners, making constant referential humor that are rewarding in short bursts. Movies used to take their time. Director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How To Train Your Dragon) opts for something simpler. Aside from Rozim’s Siri-like voice speaking to animals that have no idea what she’s saying, the film remains wordless for a good amount of time. It reminded me of the opening sequence of Disney’s Dinosaur (2000). Back when we would see visuals and be immediately transported and not think about anything else.
Some of the early reactions to the film’s teaser included the possibility of the whole film being silent. Though it does inevitably feature a stacked ensemble cast of talented voice actors, the film even has a neat trick to “explain” why the animals talk. One quick moment and we’re all comfortable again.
As Rozim, later shortened to just “Roz,” tries to figure out how to take care of Brightbill (and see if its even a plausible thing to do under her programming), she befriends a sly fox called Fink (Pedro Pascal). Together, they will overcome task after task to help Brightbill come of age. For a moment, though admittedly it’s brief, the skeptical cynical adult in me began to wonder whether this was “all the story was going to do.” But then like its titular character, the film manages to keep going. It continues to evolve by adding new characters, new situations, and new dangers. Layer upon layer, building on what came before, until the story becomes much bigger than how it started.
The wide range of animals here are lovely to watch. They all have their distinct colors and personalities. Naturally, in a forest, there are animals bound to not get along. The script makes great use of dark humor here, as we learn again and again that the forest is incredibly dangerous a hundred percent of the time. At any moment, you can be eaten, so every animal at every moment is fighting for their survival. Whether we hear it from Pascal’s Fink, in a vocal performance that can rival Jason Bateman from Zootopia, or the hilarious Catherine O’Hara as Pinktail, a possum mother who teaches her seven children how to play dead, the film is ripe with fun performances. There’s also a warm performance from the instantly recognizable Bill Nighy, a mischievous turn for Stephanie Hsu, as well as a cute appearance from Mark Hamill, where I couldn’t figure out the character he was until the end credits. Kit Connor also provides a terrific performance as Brightbill, a young “boy” of a goose who feels like an outsider to his own kind and also faces a separation from his mother, who clearly looks different from him.
But Lupita Nyong’o is on a whole other level with Roz. From her quirks to her self-reflections, the film makes careful note of every turning point for Roz and her journey. As she begins to develop more and more of her own agency, beyond her programming, you can hear her voice change. Her words become more fluent. Inflections start to appear. We begin to sense some sarcasm, some regret, all the elements of humanity. What starts as a hilarious hybrid of Siri and Alexa being a fish out of water becomes the warm, motherly presence that unites all the animals in the forest. If there was an Oscar category for voice performances, Nyong’o’s in The Wild Robot is probably the strongest argument you could make for it.
There are also plenty of fascinating mysteries sprinkled throughout The Wild Robot. As we follow Rozim and the animals, naturally we will be asking questions like “Where did all the humans go?” What does civilization look like? After all, Rozim was invented as a task bot to assist human living. So where is everybody? The movie smartly chooses to avoid answering all the questions and instead provides just enough visual guidance for us to imagine a scenario ourselves. Like the best children’s books, it unlocks a child’s imagination.
As the film slowly expands its world and adds new challenges for the characters to overcome, the thematic ideas come into focus with great effect. Sincere messages about community, co-existence, and kindness help the film achieve a sense of universality. By the time we reach the third act, we are completely immersed and emotionally on board with this ensemble of characters, as they put their differences aside and solve great problems together, to ensure each other’s survival and not just their own.
Wrapped around The Wild Robot, from the story to the characters to the vocal performances, is some of the most stunning animation ever, with beautiful watercolor imagery that is full of texture, depth, and meaning. But the thing that will absolutely take your breath away is the music. In the spirit of composers like Howard Shore or Hans Zimmer, Kris Bowers delivers one of the most memorable scores of the year. Nearly every sequence, dramatic beat, and climactic moment is elevated to the highest level with his music, so much so that sound and image come together in a way that few films have achieved. Think of sequences like King Theodan’s charge in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Or Simba seeing his father in the stars in The Lion King. Every once in a while, a film comes along where it has moments that make you get that feeling in your chest. In The Wild Robot, just like how Roz discovers what love means, you will feel it.
It’s easy to confuse simplicity as a bad thing in a film, but when done right, simple becomes pure and universal. The Wild Robot is an incredible achievement because of this. It finds hidden strengths in all the little components and brings them together to let the story fly. Filled with gorgeous animation, touching performances, and a score that can move mountains, The Wild Robot is destined to be a classic. Not only will it help children discover their compassion and kindness, but it will help adults regain theirs.
Grade: A
This review is from the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival where The Wild Robot had its world premiere. Universal Pictures and Dreamworks will release the film in U.S. theaters on September 27, 2024.
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