Shipwrecked on a deserted island, ROZZUM 7134, a domesticated service robot must adapt to its surroundings, requiring it to complete the most complex task of all, raising a newly orphaned infant – a gosling called Brightbill.
From DreamWorks animation who have given us some quite varied works such as the hit and miss “Kung Fu Panda”, series of films through to the stunning “Puss In Boots – The Last Wish”, and the Oscar winning “Shrek”, for ‘Best Animated Feature’, comes a film of sheer natural beauty and wonder in a quite unusual and extraordinary package. “The Wild Robot” has been adapted from a novel of the same name by Peter Brown in 2016 which was written as a third person narration from the point of view of quite literally a robot both in and out of water struggling to make sense of the wild ‘dog eat dog’ world. Brown noticed how animals have certain robotic instincts and behaviours which gave him the idea for the story.
Directed by Chris Sanders who has overseen many well-loved animations such as “How To Train Your Dragon” and the creator of the massively successful “Lilo & Stitch”, Sanders first came upon the book through his daughter and was then asked to direct the film through DreamWorks years later. Using a beautiful hand painted impressionistic aesthetic which according to Sanders has ‘completed the circle’ of a gorgeous textured artistic style, over exhaustive realism, he sought the added depth and speed of today’s computer animation. Drawing from classics like Disney’s Bambi and from the atmospheric forests of Hayao Miyazaki films we are in the presence of one of the most amazing heartfelt stories and animated designs of the last few years.
Starring a plethora of ‘A-list’ actors whose voices seem almost unrecognisable in the best possible way including Lupita Nyong’o (A Quiet Place, Day One) as ROZZUM 7134 nicknamed “Roz”, a mechanical robot who initially has no place stranded upon an island whose only inhabitants are its wildlife from prey, through to natural predators, she must complete her unusual task which is raising a newly orphaned gosling called Brightbill voiced by Kit Connor. With Pedro Pascall (The Last Of Us) as Fink is another whose voice seems amazingly morphed into his character as the sly fox, he quickly becomes an aid to our hero who must teach the gosling to eat, swim and fly by fall. No mean or quick task.
With additional stars such as Mark Hamill, as a grizzly bear called Thorn through to Ving Rhames as Thunderbolt, a speedy peregrine falcon whose own task is to get Brightbill up to migration speed in next to no time. The cast is almost complete whilst not forgetting Catherine O’Hara who voices Pinktail, a hilarious opossum whose offspring bring some superbly timed well written lines.
The arc of the film sees an alien to the land try her best to be helpful to those who initially did not need or ask for her, they soon become reliant upon her determination and sheer will power to help those in need which in turn brings a certain Christmas winter charm to the whole story. Whilst helping, Roz become less mechanical and more a loving biological mother to her new offspring and so bringing her more into the look and feel of the island thus making her more biologically ‘wild’.
This film is set to be the last to be dealt with completely in-house at DreamWorks, California studio who will continue deal with the creative front end with new contracts in place partnering with Sony Pictures Imageworks who will deal with the behind the scenes aiding the overall financials and their future of inventive films.
The Wild Robot will become a modern classic with a new found artistic style and brave story telling that will set a precedent for the also brilliant Pixar and Illumination animation houses to step out of their comfort zone of slightly more realistically styled box office busting series of films.
Your task is to “Eat, drink and Fall in love” with The Wild Robot.
Author: Piers, Maidstone Store
