The Wild Robot movie review: Based on author Peter Brown’s book – which is why the movie seems as complete as it does, rather than thought hastily on a storyboard – The Wild Robot uses a hand-painted animation technique, part classic Disney, part Hayao Miyazaki.The Wild Robot movie review: “Sometimes, hearts have their own conversations.” We all know that, sure. But if you need reminding, here is this DreamWorks film, where a giant, AI-empowered robot opens hers to a fragile, orphaned bird, and the bond they make moves a forest.
Based on author Peter Brown’s book – which is why the movie seems as complete as it does, rather than thought hastily on a storyboard – The Wild Robot uses a hand-painted animation technique, part classic Disney, part Hayao Miyazaki. The images are striking, whether it is the desolation of Rozzum 7134 or Roz (Nyong’o), a walking, talking robot trained to complete every task demanded of it, hanging by a twig off a cliff in a bid for a goodbye, or sitting alone in a swirling snowstorm. Or the warmth of gosling Brightbill (Connor) nestling in the crook of Roz’s neck, setting twinkling the criss-crossing networks that power the latter. Or the soaring delight as Roz and Fink (Pascal) finally watch Brightbill, whom they have sometimes reluctantly raised, take to the skies. Or the coziness of a Noah’s Ark-kind of home that Roz builds to last a particularly harsh winter.The music is not overpowering, though the score by Kris Bowers touches all the right chords. Which means that The Wild Robot lets its characters have conversations, and not just the silent heart ones.
There are very many animals which populate the forest, where Roz finds herself stuck after a ship full of robots like her crashes. Director Chris Sanders, who also has co-writer credits with Brown, gives each one of these animals a distinct character and flavour, and for the most part, they talk rather than be glib.After she has found herself in the forest, Rozzum 7134 spends her initial hours seeking an “owner” who can give her a “task”. Finding this alien creature among them, most of the animals in the jungle either steer clear or try to take her down. But then Rozzum stumbles upon an egg and her cognitive technique lets her see the life that is growing inside. She slides open a metallic chamber near where a heart should be in a human body and puts the egg in for safety. Fink, the sly fox of this story, tries ineffectually to steal the egg from Rozzum. And later, when the egg yields a gosling, exasperatingly offers to help Rozzum (by now christened by him as Roz) raise her.