George O’Mahony’s review published on Letterboxd:
Your move, Pixar.
Sitting in a packed cinema where small children from all around have flocked with their families to see a new animated movie on opening weekend really made me focus on The Wild Robot and realise how much these toddlers are missing out on every time their parents bring them somewhere calming for two hours. Every aspect of this film is bound to fascinate any viewer; in its story, there are 2 or 3 moments where an earlier ending could've happened, but Chris Sanders does an exceptional job at adapting Peter Brown's novel, and he justifies every extension of this story by deepening its themes or adding to the richness of every present character. The Wild Robot does so much that most quote-unquote kids films don't, and this isn't the first time that Dreamworks have proved their ability to entertain and affect viewers of all ages. The main themes of motherhood and found family are very poignant but this film also has so much of value to say about the contrast between digital technology and nature -- even the title (which is low-hanging fruit when examining a theme like this) implores the viewer to ponder the evolution of human potential, and question their satisfaction with it -- the screenplay has no fear when discussing topics such as death because it's an essential aspect to the world that this story takes place in; unlike the animals, Roz's time on Earth is not finite, but maybe that isn't a good thing, maybe immortality isn't ideal, maybe the ability to fail and be hurt is healthy; one might not expect to consider these themes on their way out of The Wild Robot, but that's what's so beautiful about the experience it provides.
What can be said about the animation in this film? Every scene has utterly breath-taking visuals that will lift the viewer's heart in a way not seen in any film this year, in the moments where the story may be predictable, the animation remains singular. The finale somehow takes the already astounding animation to another level, and the visual treat that we receive in the final half hour feels like a culmination of Dreamworks’ entire oeuvre, like some love child of Kung Fu Panda’s prologue and The Last Wish’s climax, such animation earns the IMAX format that this film boasts. There are other aspects such as the stellar cast of talented voice actors or Kris Bowers’ rapturous score that add to how beautiful and indelible this film is; discussions regarding The Wild Robot deserve to continue for the rest of the year, and for the rest of the decade; animation is headed in the right direction if the way is paved by films like this.
I could play a Wild Robot video game for hours, by the way.
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