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THE WILD ROBOT - DREAMWORKS' MAGNUM OPUS

  • Writer: Avg Planet
    Avg Planet
  • Oct 7, 2024
  • 4 min read

2024 has been a notable year for animation, ranging from "Inside Out 2" (2024) and its box office record of $1.6 billion worldwide to the recent sleeper hit pseudo-prequel, "Transformers One" (2024). However, one of them quite compare to Dreamworks' latest animated feature; "The Wild Robot" (2024) is a beautifully crafted film from beginning to end that will surely tug at your heartstrings in more ways than one. Although the animation studio already has a sizeable number of beloved classics under its belt, I wholeheartedly believe that The Wild Robot is Dreamworks' Magnum Opus, a visual masterpiece that will forever stand the test of time.


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THE STORY


The Wild Robot follows ROZZUM Unit-7134, otherwise nicknamed "Roz" (Lupita Nyong'o), a hyper-versatile assistant programmed to complete any task it acquires. After a devastating typhoon maroons Roz on the shore of an unmapped island filled with lush wildlife, she struggles to find purpose in an unfamiliar environment, seeing as every other animal keeps trying to pick her apart or flee from her location. It isn't until Roz accidentally crushes a goose nest, and makes a conscious choice to take the last remaining egg with her, that she finally receives a new task to complete before she can return to her factory of origin: Teaching a newly-hatched baby Gosling to eat, swim and fly in time for winter migration.


The task immediately proves itself to be beyond Roz's understanding, and even with the help of a slightly-mischievous fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), Roz quickly realizes that her responsibility to the baby Gosling stems beyond three basic tasks; to fully complete her objective, Roz must learn what it means to be a mother. From there, the film progresses through the months that Roz spends on the island, and also presents a delightful "coming-of-age" narrative surrounding Brightbill (Kit Connor), the now-adult goose. It's evident that Brightbill doesn't fit in with his people, much like Roz's inherent disconnection to the animal life on the island, creating an internal conflict that eventually drives a harrowing wedge between the pair.


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THE ANIMATION


Every frame of The Wild Robot feels like a masterfully-crafted painting, aided by its unique style of brushstroke imagery and vivid use of bright, saturated colors. Each character in the film moves in a fluid, expressive manner, allowing for numerous high-octane action sequences and equally immersive scenes where Roz is simply traversing the environment around her. All of these aspects blend together to create what is probably Dreamworks' most breathtaking animated movie ever made, from its sprawling backgrounds to its incredibly detailed cast of characters.


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THE PERFORMANCES


An animated film is only as good as its vocal performances, and The Wild Robot delivers on every account. Lupita Nyong'o breathes a near-overabundance of depth in the character of Roz, who progresses from her naturally robotic tone to a more emotional and expressive dialogue as the narrative unfolds. Pedro Pascal is delightfully hilarious as Fink, but can also hit all the emotional beats required for the audience to fully connect with his character and his evolving relationship with Roz. Kit Connor's performance as Brightbill, although not given as much time as Nyongo'o and Pascal, is a clear standout of the film's third act, delivering a powerful, heart-felt monologue that will surely leave you teary-eyed by the time the credits roll.


The protagonists aren't the film's only highlights, however, as the Wild Robot's third act provides a refreshingly captivating performance in the form of its villain, a "morally neutral" Universal Dynamics robot named Vontra (Stephanie Hsu). Although Hsu's threateningly cheery demeanour solidifies Vontra as an entertaining antagonist, I still felt myself wanting to see just a bit more of her, as she only truly appears in the start of the film's finale. Nonetheless, there wasn't a single performance that felt lackluster in any way, and the exceptional voice work from the film's talented cast had me completely immersed in the film throughout its entirety.


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THE MESSAGE


The Wild Robot is not just a powerful representation of motherhood and the complexity of love, but also serves as a critique on environmental damage and a reminder to be "more than your programming". It invites the audience to reflect on their own aspirations in life and to chase them with every bit of passion they can, as fighting for something you love is what it truly means to be alive in a complicated, arduous world. Its a message that feels incredibly difficult to handle at times, both in real life and in other animated films, but the Wild Robot truly feels like it makes the most of the themes and ideas it delivers, improving the overall film because of it.


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VERDICT


If you're looking for an emotionally-resonant and equally gorgeous film that harkens back to the golden age of animation, The Wild Robot is the movie for you. Whether it be through its illustrious narrative, phenomenal visual palette, genuinely funny jokes or intricate character work, there is something for everyone inside Dreamworks' newest Magnum Opus.


10/10

 
 
 

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