On October 15, the new DreamWorks Animation film 'The Wild Robot,' based on the eponymous fairy-tale book by Peter Brown, was released digitally. We tell you how this simple story touches the soul and why its adaptation to the screen is a real holida...
This year, DreamWorks celebrates its 30th anniversary, and in honor of such a momentous occasion, it's as if the universe itself has given the company a gift — the total box office of all the studio's theatrical releases exceeded $17.3 billion (at the time of writing), helping to leave behind competitors like Pixar ($17 billion), Walt Disney Animation Studios ($11 billion), and Illumination ($10.6 billion). And this festive slice of cake was adorned with a delicious cherry by director Chris Sanders and his 'The Wild Robot,' which has won the love of both critics (98% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing) and audiences (8.4/10 on IMDB and Kinopoisk at the time of writing).
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What's the Plot?
Due to a typhoon, several helper robots produced by Universal Dynamics are lost near a wild island. The ROZZUM-7134 model is luckier than the rest, ending up intact and functional. Accidentally activated, Roz (short for her name) immediately tries to get to her direct duties: in search of a customer, she (yes, she's female) offers help to every forest dweller she meets. However, it's hard to understand anyone without knowing the language, so the robotess (is that even a word, or do robots not have feminism?) goes into deep learning through observation. Having figured out the universal interspecies language of animals, Roz is still rejected by everyone.
So, trying to find a task and wandering through the forest, she stumbles upon a fearsome bear and has to flee. As a result of the escape, the complex mechanism from Universal Dynamics crashes into an ordinary tree, where the main impact is taken by a goose's nest. This collision proves fatal for the goose and all her eggs except one, which manages to survive. The first thing the hatched chick sees in his life is the face of the mechanical helper, so he immediately becomes attached to her.
Thus, ROZZUM-7134 receives an important task: the gosling must be fed, taught to swim and fly by autumn, so he can migrate. In short — motherhood. And an outcast fox named Fink, who initially tried to steal and eat the egg, volunteers to help Roz with this difficult task. Now this unusual company unites, not even realizing what a wonderful time together awaits them.
Official Representative of the 'Forest' Group
The director of 'The Wild Robot' is Chris Sanders, who, together with Dean DeBlois, gave the world the first parts of 'Lilo & Stitch' and 'How to Train Your Dragon.' The filmmaker approached his new work with all his love but decided not to adhere to a strict 3D style (where Pixar still has no equal), adding classic 2D drawing with rough brush strokes to the film. The result is something truly magical and mesmerizing, where every frame is a vivid spectacle that brings visual pleasure.
Imagine adding high-quality computer animation to magical worlds that fits in very well — that's roughly the trick 'The Wild Robot' pulls off. And even though the design of ROZZUM-7134 is quite recognizable, it is more than compensated by the meticulously detailed flora and fauna, where every character can be memorable. Moreover, the film does not deliberately focus on any one cute animal that would provide viewers with 'aww' fuel to keep the movie going, covering up weak points and plot dips. That's definitely a plus.
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Open materialI'd also like to highlight the excellent post-apocalyptic setting. The film does not shift the focus from the story to the planet's metamorphoses, but the viewer clearly understands that Mother Nature on Earth has clearly taken matters into her own hands. Or maybe people themselves flooded cities with water so that whales could swim beautifully both under and over the Golden Gate Bridge, while they live in isolated cities where robots do farming and other household chores. There is no exact information, but one thing is clear: in the future, humanity is clearly not having an easy time, even with high-tech helpers.
To be honest, it's very gratifying that big animation doesn't focus only on technological 3D and continues to experiment from time to time. Without this, perhaps the animated film or the sequel 'Puss in Boots' would have lost an important part of their uniqueness. Visual individuality definitely helps to advantageously highlight all the film's strengths and stand out from the crowd, and 'The Wild Robot' is another confirmation of that.
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The bright visuals are complemented by excellent music and a magnificent sound design. First, the robot sounds are very pleasant to the ear and instill a sense of safety when near Roz. They lack the unpleasant squeaky note characteristic of many cyborg mechanisms shown in cinema. Second, if you watch in the original, it's really cool to observe how Lupita Nyong'o's initially robotic voice becomes more and more 'alive' as the plot progresses and the character develops feelings and emotions. Such details make the viewing even more enjoyable. By the way, besides Nyong'o, the original version features the voices of a whole host of famous actors, such as Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Mark Hamill, and Catherine O'Hara.
Love, Death & Robot
If you think about it, 'The Wild Robot' is a mix of 'The Iron Giant,' 'WALL-E,' 'Big Hero 6,' and 'The Ugly Duckling' (here it's just a slightly different bird). That is, the film's plot is obviously not new, but that doesn't hinder it in any way, because the project's main task is to hit the viewer on an emotional level. And the film does this perfectly, combining a bunch of themes where everyone can find something for themselves. It's such a sensual and delicate work that knows exactly when to joke and when to make the viewer cry. But most importantly, you willingly give yourself over to the viewing process, obediently allowing the creators to play on your emotions.
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The cocktail of themes the project discusses with the viewer is incredibly diverse: ecology, finding one's place in the world, accepting oneself and one's otherness, talking about personal feelings, the value of true friendship, loneliness, bullying, and even death (and it's both cruel and humane at the same time). But the central motif, of course, is raising a child. Motherhood here is presented not as a joyful and wonderful event, but as hard work that requires self-sacrifice, as well as a lot of time, patience, and effort. At the same time, the film makes it clear that no one is perfect, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot become an impeccable parent who will protect your child from all adversity.
As they say, 'the world is not all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place.' And the sooner you can convey this monologue from Rocky to a child, the easier it will be for them in life. It's amazing that 'The Wild Robot' facilitates such a dialogue and instills confidence not only in the young audience but also in the adult one. It's not every day that a movie tells you that mistakes in the parenting process are normal, because there is no specific program and you have to figure things out on the fly, often improvising and adapting to the situation. Sometimes it's very important to understand that you are not alone in your mistakes.
Even though 'The Wild Robot' doesn't offer unexpected plot twists and isn't afraid to use templates, the second one also didn't shy away from self-repetition, which didn't stop Pixar from making a good film. Moreover, the DreamWorks project isn't even a sequel or part of some popular franchise, and in the 'era of sequels,' such a release is a real treat for viewers. Of course, both works will likely receive Oscar nominations, but the story of unexpected adoptive robot motherhood seems to slightly outpace the story of teenage maturation. And not least because of its originality. But soon this film will become part of at least a duology, as a sequel is already in development.
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Open materialWhat's the Verdict?
'The Wild Robot' is a brilliantly crafted and very emotional work, demonstrating that DreamWorks is still very competitive in the field of big animation and still has something to show. It's a pity, of course, that Chris Sanders' film failed to reach the box office heights of the 'Inside Out' sequel or the 'Despicable Me' quadriquel (and the film definitely deserves it). And although the studio, for commercial reasons, does not leave its own franchises alone and, having released the fourth 'Kung Fu Panda,' is already preparing the fifth 'Shrek' for viewers, they have clearly learned well that sometimes you need to step outside your comfort zone. Otherwise, instead of the release of 'The Wild Robot' or January's 'Dog Man,' viewers would have seen 'Madagascar 4' (although it will probably get its turn one day).
P.S. The animated film 'The Wild Robot' has a post-credits scene, so don't rush to leave the cinema or turn off the movie if you're watching it digitally.
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