Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is here for an exciting adventure to venture into and man, this has to be one of the biggest adventures of the year, and that is DreamWorks’ next animated movie, The Wild Robot!
Directed by Chris Sanders, who directed the legendary How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, and based on a book series by Peter Brown, a robot left behind at an island after a shipwreck learns to survive in her new environment with the island and its inhabitants, while also caring for an orphaned goose even though she was not programmed to be a mother.
To consider this as my most anticipated mainstream animated movie for the 2nd half of the year is an understatement. Ever since its teaser trailer came out some time back, I knew we were in for something special. Now, with it getting rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival and me getting a chance to see it early in an advance screening, will The Wild Robot live up to this hype?
Only one way to find, let’s get on with this wild adventure!
Key Information
- Director: Chris Sanders
- Animation Studio: DreamWorks Animation
- Country of Origin: United States
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 26 September 2024 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Story and Characters
Considering that this movie was recently released and there were so many moments within it that would count as spoilers, I will not discuss much about this movie. However, I can say about the technical aspects of this movie, so I will do just that.
With the writing, knowing DreamWorks had a hand in the writing department, and considering Chris Sanders, the director of the legendary How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, it is expected that the writing will be absolutely top-notch, and indeed, the writing is exactly that! The story, despite its simplicity, is a delightfully comprehensive and well-layered story that felt unpredictable, which turns the story on its head as each moment reveals something that changes the way we see this movie. It also helped that the pacing is just right such that there is not a single dull moment in the movie, even at times where the characters are not doing much.
I also feel the messaging of this movie felt very clear and relevant to this movie, but what makes the difference was how the messaging became more developed as the movie progresses. As seasons change, so do the characters’ behaviour and development and that resulted in such a beautifully crafted messaging most in the audience will resonate with.
The comedy is also effortless. Despite it not having many jokes in the movie, the jokes work for two reasons. Firstly, the jokes had great build-up and are somewhat original, which makes the jokes very fresh without taking hold of the movie. Secondly and most importantly, the jokes do not distract from the excellently driven writing, and that is important, because the jokes did not slow down the movie at all.
Talking about the characters also brings me joy, because these characters are worth highlighting for. They all have excellent character development and voice acting performances that could be among the best for any mainstream animated movie this year. Roz (Lupita Nyong’o), the robot left behind on the island, is such a relatable and empathetic robot, despite her being a robot, who has difficulty adapting to her new environment, but as the movie develops, she not only thrives in her unfamiliar environment, but with each moment, you feel her warmth and energy, not to mention having a heart and dedication to “completing her tasks” her own way.
The task at hand for Roz: Raising a recently orphaned gosling called Brightbeak (Kit Connor), who also delivered some of the best voice acting performances of the year. His arc as he learns to growing with his robotic “mother” is hilarious, heartwarming and very genuine, and with his development, you feel how much he accepts his new environment as well. I also feel him and Roz’s guide Fink (Pedro Pascal) is a hilarious but well thought-out character that also drives this movie forward. There are other characters within this movie that are energetic, unique and well-developed, but if I continue to talk about those characters, we would be here all day.
Seriously, while I cannot spoil much about most of the movie, what I can say is that the writing is honestly… perfect. I have nothing negative to say about this movie because this movie has little to no flaws, if any, not even any minor nitpicks I have with the writing. Seriously, the writing in The Wild Robot is without the question the best for any mainstream animated movie this year and Chris Sanders and his writers should take a bow for making this movie adaptation of a book series seem effortless.
Animation
Animation can be subjective, as different moviegoers have different views on what animation style they prefer. This is why I believe there is no one correct animation style, but rather the preferred animation style they like. With the animation style and quality in The Wild Robot, however, I actually feel this is the first mainstream animated movie of this year where most moviegoers, me included, will enjoy this animation style.
Honestly, how can I describe what animation style The Wild Robot is looking for? It feels photorealistic CG animation but not so photorealistic; it feels stylised CG but not so stylised, and hand-painted but not actually so. In fact, the animators at DreamWorks might have created their own style of animation based on a cumulation of what they had done in their previous movies, and this experimental style is something rarely seen in most mainstream animated movies. This is why trying to determine what animation style The Wild Robot is going for is easier said than done, and in fairness, that is also its massive strength.
Seriously, the animation is some of the most beautiful and well-realised of any animated movie this year, especially on the wild island where you will see the strengths of its animation first hand. Each animation element is done with a lot of care, from the photorealistic feel of the animal characters and backgrounds of the wilderness without looking very uncanny, the character movements are dynamic and full of energy, the action sequences are exciting and full of detail, and most importantly, the animation is as immersive and inviting as even some of the best non-mainstream animated movies of this year such as Robot Dreams and The Missing.
Honestly, the animation in The Wild Robot can compete with the animation in the likes of the two aforementioned non-mainstream animated movies and this is why comparing it with other mainstream animated movies, even the likes of Inside Out 2 and Ultraman: Rising, does not do justice to how amazing the animation in The Wild Robot is. The fact that this movie’s animation is a step above almost every animated movie of this year is why it feels bittersweet to see that The Wild Robot is the last time DreamWorks will ever produce their animated movie in-house. Honestly, this feels like a shame because imagine the endless possibilities if DreamWorks continues to believe in doing their animated movies their own way.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
This is the very first time I had heard a movie score com posed by Kris Bowers, who had tons of experience composing for so many movies and TV shows, such as The United States vs Billie Holiday, Space Jam: A New Legacy, King Richard, Chevalier, Haunted Mansion, The Colour Purple 2023 and the Oscar Best Picture winner Green Book. However, after hearing that score, even if I have never listened to any scores by him prior to The Wild Robot, I honestly feel Bowers might have delivered a career best with this one.
I honestly cannot describe how amazing the score was, as Bowers turn the soul of the wilderness into the foundation of his music score, thus creating an atmospheric, deep-rooted and even euphoric masterpiece that breaths new life into the movie itself, even if the excellent writing and animation is already more than enough to carry this movie forward.
Speaking of sound, the sound design is also excellent, as you can sense the various environments with different sound cues that bring something new to the movie’s moments. I would have imagined the sound design to be more front and centre with the IMAX version, but even in the regular format, the sound design in The Wild Robot is nothing like I have heard in most mainstream animated movies.
As for my level of enjoyment, considering I am enjoying writing this review, even if I cannot reveal much about the movie itself, is this no surprise that I genuinely loved The Wild Robot? The fact that this movie can compete with some of the best non-mainstream animated movies from this year, such as Robot Dreams, The Missing and most recently Look Back, shows that this movie is already far and beyond other mainstream animated movies this year.
Not only that, but The Wild Robot captures the imagination and heart that I was looking for, and even in the middle of the movie, I was crying over how amazing this movie was, and by the end, as the credits roll, I was crying even more. Honestly, The Wild Robot needs to be in the conversation for Best Picture, because I cannot honestly fathom how this movie managed to touch my heart, even more than Robot Dreams, which has to be an achievement of sorts.
Conclusion
After seeing this movie for myself, The Wild Robot felt like a bittersweet moment. On one hand, The Wild Robot will be the last time DreamWorks will ever produce their animated movie in-house, which felt like the end of a chapter for this legendary animation studio. On the other hand, The Wild Robot is without a question the best way to end this chapter for this legendary studio.
Even with its simplistic concept on the surface, The Wild Robot blossoms into a multi-layered, emotionally powerful and important masterpiece that showcase why DreamWorks is so well-loved. The writing is so well-crafted with some of the best messaging of the year, effortless comedy that does not distract from the story, some of the most well-developed and memorable characters of any mainstream animated movie this year and some of the best voice acting performance of any animated movie this year from the likes of Lupita Nyong’o and Kit Connor.
The animation is something not seen in any mainstream animated movie before, even from DreamWorks’ best of the best, with animation sequences that felt like it came out of a painting and done with so much care and detail. The music score is excellent, and I had a blast with this movie.
Honestly, I don’t know what else to say about The Wild Robot other than what has been said, and I am still processing over how much I absolutely adore it. That must be a really good sign after all, given that ironically, the animated movie with no human characters turns out to be the most human-feeling animated movie of the year along with Robot Dreams. Hence, The Wild Robot is now my most favourite animated movie of the year so far taking the throne from Robot Dreams, ironic that an animated movie starring a robot has dethroned another animated movie that starred a robot.
Thank you so much for joining me on this epic adventure, but next time, we are heading back to the usual schedule of covering more non-mainstream animated movies from across the world, and this might be an interesting sight too. Until next time, see you on the next adventure!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
