“The Wild Robot,” released Friday, Sept. 27, is an animated film which stars actors Lupita Nyong’o, Kit Connor and Pedro Pascal. The movie was directed by Chris Sanders and is an adaptation of the original book series of the same name written by Peter Brown.
The movie begins in a futuristic society in which a robot model, the ROZZUM unit, is developed as a personal assistant to humans. Society no longer has to make decisions, work or engage in taxing activities–these will all be taken care of by the ROZZUM unit. One shipping container of these robots is lost in a storm and washes up on an island void of human life.

Roz, the only surviving robot, attempts to find the human she was assigned to on the island, but only finds animals who are shocked and angered by her presence. She makes changes to her programming in order to communicate with them and makes friends with a fox, a local outcast named Fink. Fink assigns her the task of caring for the runt Brightbill, a gosling whose family she killed in an accident on the island.

Roz spends the movie attempting to care for Brightbill and prepare him for migration, although his chances are slim due to his small stature.

“The Wild Robot” is a heartwarming film which encapsulates themes of found family and accepting others for their differences. Everyone in the trio, Fink, Roz and Brightbill, are outcasts on the island in some way or another. They come together to form their own family and end up showing the rest of the animals that persevering through isolation is not as effective as persevering through community.

Unlike many science fiction movies, in which reading the book is often necessary to understand the context of the world that the movie takes place in, “The Wild Robot” contains a science fiction element that is easily digestible, while maintaining a beautiful scenery and an interesting premise. The worldbuilding that exists on the island as well as the character development makes the story incredibly compelling and worth the watch.

What was most surprising about “The Wild Robot” was the reception of it by the public following its release. This became one of Dreamworks’ most highly rated movies, just under “How To Train Your Dragon” at a 9.8/10 on the IMDB scale. In the wake of Pixar’s recent movie release, “Inside Out 2,” which was extremely well-received, this marks a large success for Dreamworks and Universal Pictures.

Chris Sanders, its director, co-directed the “How to Train Your Dragon” movies and “Lilo & Stitch,” among others. It is no wonder that the quality of this new release was just as good as his prior films.

Peter Brown was incredibly happy with the adaptation of his book into a movie. On his website, The Wild Robot Movie, he shares his beginnings and enjoyment of the art.

“My love of animation is what first made me want to go to art school,” Brown said on his website. “I grew up watching classic Disney animation and going to animation festivals and pouring over the pages of books about the making of animated movies. So, to see one of my books come to life as a feature animated film is a dream come true.”

This movie is great for families looking for a new original film to watch, or for anyone who misses the nostalgia and magic of Dreamworks films. There is some violence and very little obscene language, making it ideal for families with younger children. The animated visuals and interesting characters will also be appealing to everyone. However, considering the multitude of wry jokes and older themes, this can be suited towards older children and adults as well.