"Sometimes to survive, we must become more than we were programmed to be."

Just reading that quote in Lupita's voice triggers my tear generators and overheats my emotional batteries. As you can tell, I adored The Wild Robot. This wonderful film was one of my most anticipated of the year, and it definitely did not disappoint. My only regret is that I didn't catch it in theaters. While not exactly innovative and groundbreaking, this cute and sweet story managed to simultaneously feel like a tiny adventure and an explosive spectacle, with countless emotional beats that never failed to hit me. Chris Sanders took inspiration from the best childhood animated classics such as Bambi, WALL•E, The Iron Giant and My Neighbor Totoro, and he did what he does best — he created yet another classic of the animation medium, a brand-new comfort movie for many, children and adults alike (me included). And right now, I believe The Wild Robot is the best film that DreamWorks has ever done (I haven't seen the Shrek films since I was a baby so you can't blame me). So in a way, it was everything I could've asked for, and I loved it deeply.

The reason The Wild Robot works as well as it does is because it is a character-driven narrative rather than plot driven. Sure, there are some moments by the end where it kind of loses its way, especially with Stephanie Hsu's villain who felt a little unnecessary, but the film still doesn't focus too much on such moments nor does it dedicate a lot of time to them. And for me, it worked, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Wild Robot follows a simple yet heartwarming tale of motherhood, friendship, nature, life, death and survival. But the core message of this marvelous adaptation is that kindness is a survival skill — and this doesn't just apply to animals in the wild. Animal, human or machine, without kindness, one cannot survive. For me, this is a perfect family film because even though it's consistently hilarious, The Wild Robot still answers the questions of what it means to love, to forgive, and to be a family. The beautiful storytelling, accompanied by the breathtaking artwork and the tear-jerking theme score by Kris Bowers, graciously guided the story all the way until the action-packed yet still emotionally powerful ending, and gave each little animal the right amount of screen time for growth and development. For example, Mark Hamill's bear went from a local menace to a giant friend and protector of the island and every creature in it.

I don't know what else to say other than this film is full of heart, and it is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen in my life. Grand part of that is due to the outstanding Lupita Nyong'o, whose soothing voice work brought a machine (Roz) and this whole film to life. And I can't praise the gorgeous hand-painted animation enough. This film may as well be one of the best looking of all time. And the soundtrack... I couldn't stop tearing up every time the theme score was played, and the song 'Kiss the Sky' warmed my heart as well. The most emotional moments were also the most beautiful, and I'm at a loss for words to even attempt to describe their magic. So many of them brought me to tears and gave me full-body chills, like the first flight sequence, Fink's speech in the shelter during the Winter, the "I love you, mom" and the final group hug. But among all the mesmerizing images and beautiful quotes, there was one moment that stood out to me — "And I am a wild robot." For some reason, I burst into tears, and then the score played again and I cried some more. I feel like I'm just rambling at this point, but I really had quite the emotional reaction to The Wild Robot, which I never expected. This masterpiece (yes, masterpiece) truly warmed my heart and awakened my inner child-self. It's so cozy, so beautiful, and I love it with every inch of my soul. That's all.

"Sometimes hearts have their own conversations."

2024 | 2020s | DreamWorks | Animation | Sci-fi