The Wild Robot - Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

THE spirit of both Pixar (Wall-E) and Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away) hangs over Chris Sanders' heartfelt animation The Wild Robot, an inspired yet bittersweet adaptation of Peter Brown's beloved novel. And I mean that as a high compliment.

Just as both of those animation powerhouses combine dazzling beauty and high enjoyability with thought-provoking observations on the complexity of life, so The Wild Robot displays a similarly profound ability to combine all three elements in a way that plays to audiences of all ages.

The story serves as an ode to the natural world, in all of its beauty, as well as the dangers of climate change, of AI and of being an outsider in a world dominated by the most powerful. Yet it's hopeful too. For while there's certainly a note of caution surrounding the central character being a robot (a household assistant akin to a vastly upgraded Alexa), the screenplay takes the AI's ability to learn and embrace the best of humanity as a sign of optimism (perhaps not all AI is destined to take the Terminator path to human destruction).

The central character is a robot 'named' Rozzum Unit 7134, or Roz for short (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), who becomes washed ashore on a remote island populated only by animals at the start of the movie. But while her server programming immediately kicks in and she offers assistance to any living creature she meets, the animal population is more than a little sceptical of the new arrival and either runs away, or fights back against her.

After one such scuffle, Roz inadverently kills most of the inhabitants of a group of nesting birds, leaving only the runt of the litter, a gosling named Brightbill (Kit Connor), to imprint upon her and land her with mothering responsibilities.

With the help of a sly fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), Roz must teach Brightbill to swim and fly by the autumn, in order for him to survive the flight south and see out the winter.

Later on, there's also the added threat posed by Roz's own fellow robots, who arrive to perform a rescue without realising the danger their programming poses to Roz's new friends.

It's fair to say, there's plenty going on in Sanders' film just on a visual level, which makes the writer-director's ability to juggle all of the elements so successfully all the more impressive - akin to his similarly stunning work on How To Train Your Dragon. 

For while there's undoubtedly an intelligence to proceedings, there's also a lot of knockabout fun to be had too - some of it as madcap and zany as classic Looney Toons in the mishaps that befall both Roz and Brightbill. Several of the chase sequences are extremely well staged, combining peril and humour, with a knockabout sensibility that's likely to make everyone smile.

The characters, too, are hugely likeable, with Nyong'o bringing warmth and a genuine maternal instinct to Roz that lends her journey quite an emotional heft; and Pascal's wily fox suitably scheming yet charismatic (in the same way as his Mandalorian character works). There's also a world-weary possum that's brilliantly brought to life by Catherine O'Hara and a fellow goose voiced by Bill Nighy who brings wisdom and encouragement in spades.

Visually, the film is never less than stunning too. The animation is rich in detail and quite frequently breath-taking and deserving of the biggest screen possible - never more so than when Roz comes into contact with (and disturbs) a wall of butterflies, or several flight sequences involving the geese. This truly is a love letter to the natural world.

But with that comes a responsibility to impart some kind of message, which the film also manages effortlessly.

There's plenty of rumination on the responsibility we all hold to protect the planet, as well as to preserve our humanity - whether in being tolerant of each other and working more together in the name of good, or - on a more individual level - the challenges faced by being a parent (especially a single one).

None of these are overplayed - which heightens the film's ability to feel as inspiring, at times, at it is ultimately poignant and moving. In all regards, it is a wondrous and memorable experience, showcasing the very best of what animatio has to offer.

Certificate: U
Running time: 1hr 42mins