Evie Wada

Stunning visuals fly across the screen with this amazingly well-written movie. On Sept. 27, 2024, Dreamworks Animation released “The Wild Robot,” a movie adaptation of the 2016 book, and the result was truly a beautiful spectacle.

The story follows ROZZUM unit 7134, or “Roz”, a sentient robot designed to aid humans. When Roz’s shipment is lost, she wakes up on a small wooded island. She explores the island and tries to complete her directive. Chaos ensues and causes the animals to fear her and treat her like a monster. When she accidentally destroys a goose nest, she has to learn to take care of the last surviving gosling, Brightbill, until he migrates in the winter. Throughout her journey, she meets Fink, a wily fox, and Longneck, an elderly goose who teaches her how to help Brightbill survive.

Overall, we really liked the movie; the story was absolutely adorable and wholesome with the found family dynamic. The unforgettable character design and all-ages humor lend themselves to an enjoyable film. We were both on the verge of tears on multiple occasions, as everything about the story was so cute. The characters felt real and had a complexity that was expanded on throughout the plot. Fink, for example, is seen as the tricky fox who does not need anyone; as the story progresses, however, we learn that deep down he is very lonely. His depth and that of other characters improved the storyline and deepened the messages of found family, kindness and self-love.

The only thing we did not like was the lack of similarity to the books. While the plot was similar, the characters changed drastically. For example, Fink, Pinktail, Longneck and others never existed in the original book. We believe these changes added more to the story, however, as they were brought to life with beautiful visuals and amazing voice actors. They also added a new level of enjoyment for those who have read the books, making the movie something more than just a book adaptation.

The art style was truly a highlight, as well. The animators combined 3D animation with a more traditional 2D style. This style of animation is becoming more popular with movies like “Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” A team of artists were designated to add 2-dimensional, painted elements to the existing 3D frame. They painted every scene, giving amazing texture, from weathering on ROZ’s body to individual pine cones and tree bark. This helped contribute to the whimsical, storybook feel of the movie as a whole. The lighting and colors were also beautifully put together with clear color palettes in each scene.

Overall, we would rate the movie a 9/10 because of the unique artstyle, complex characters and interesting story. We would recommend people of all ages to watch, as it has something for all people to appreciate.