In a sad twist of fate for animation fans, Netflix is losing one of the best animated movies in recent history, one based on a beloved series of novels by Peter Brown. Not only does it boast an all-star cast, but its story, while a simple one about embracing the differences in ourselves and others, is entirely heartwarming and sure to leave its mark on kids and adults alike, thanks to its beautiful animation and art direction.
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Starring Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Conner, and Bill Nighy, The Wild Robot, which currently holds a 97% score with critics and a 98% with audiences, is a beautifully animated film full of lush art and moments sure to tug at your heartstrings. It follows the epic adventure of a robot named ROZZUM unit 7134, or, more fondly, Roz, who accidentally crash-lands on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the unknown surroundings as she slowly builds relationships with the island’s animals and becomes the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling named Brightbill.
It Perfectly Captures the Joy of Being Alive
The Wild Robot shows us that not all tried-and-true tropes have been done to death, and that there is still originality to be had in storytelling—especially animated storytelling. It doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities that come along with the lives these characters live, especially those centering around life and death, but at no point does it feel gratuitous or unfeeling; death is simply a part of life, and we must all learn to cope with that, while not giving into despair. Marta Medina Pérez of mundoCine, who rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, says, “The Wild Robot proves that there’s still room for original stories with emotional resonance in a genre that, sadly, seems to have strayed from its creative roots in recent years.”
Critic Ester Zuckerman says about the film, “The lessons of The Wild Robot are simple, but the artistry it uses to get there is anything but. It’s the kind of kids movie that feels all too rare with its painterly backdrops and genuine earnestness.” The Wild Robot is a movie that so guilelessly tells a story that we’ve all heard before, its message bolstered by the obvious care that went into animating a film that looks almost more like a page from a storybook than something we expect to see on our screens.
Do you have a favorite moment from The Wild Robot? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to head over to the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
A photo of the Retrovolt Arcade taken in 2017, showing several classic arcade cabinets and stools. -
Courtesy of Saber Interactive -
Courtesy of TOHO Animation
