From October 21, 'Ron's Gone Wrong' is in theaters, a charming animated film about friendship with robots and self-acceptance. We tell you what this work resembles and who will enjoy it.

The animated film 'Ron's Gone Wrong' offers a story set in the not-so-distant future (or the present?!), where every child has a best friend. And no, it's not another child, not even a dog. It's a 'B-bot' — an ideal friend in 5 seconds, who knows its owner better than they know themselves, can keep a conversation going, and stays active on social media. Plus, it looks cool and trendy, like a living Apple HomePod speaker.

Everyone has such a robot, except for shy Barney (voiced in the original by Jack Dylan Grazer from 'It'). So the boy feels like an outcast. That is, until his father gives him a 'B-bot' for his birthday. There's just one catch — the robot is defective. And it doesn't know how to be friends 'by default.' But it does know how to start a fire with underwear, beat up the local bully, and sing Barney's grandmother's favorite song.

Friendship Beyond Social Networks

The key idea embedded by the creators in the animated film 'Ron's Gone Wrong' is that children have stopped communicating in real life. For them, the number of likes and followers is more important than having real friends. It's easier to interact with those whose algorithms find common interests. And happiness, of course, lies in the number of views of yet another video on social media, not in the ability to be oneself.

It's a different story with Barney and his 'B-bot,' whom he names Ron (voiced by Zach Galifianakis in the original). At first glance, they have nothing in common (except for issues with adequate communication). One loves rocks, the other loves electricity. One finds it hard to start a conversation, the other can strike up a chat with any random old lady. But that's the beauty of friendship — opposites attract. And soon, Ron gets to know the real Barney the old-fashioned way — through conversations, disagreements, and having a great time together.

Interestingly, 'Ron's Gone Wrong' speaks to both adults and children simultaneously. It immerses the former more deeply into the world of modern teenagers and their problems, while engaging the latter in a dialogue about the importance of accepting oneself and shedding the labels imposed by society.

The same goes for the humor. The film is full of jokes for an adult audience, but it doesn't skimp on gags for younger viewers either. And the balance is quite well-maintained. No particularly scandalous jokes are to be found.

Overall Derivative Nature

'Ron's Gone Wrong' is the debut work of the studio Locksmith Animation under the wing of 20th Century Studios. And for a debut, it turned out quite decently. There are moments to laugh at and things to ponder. The graphics are nice, though not at Pixar's level.

But throughout the entire film, a feeling of derivative nature and excessive predictability persists.

For example, Barney hides Ron from the 'government' in the shed, just as Elliot once hid E.T. in Steven Spielberg's legendary film.

And the parallels to the recent animated hit 'The Mitchells vs. the Machines' are clearly not in the newcomer's favor. Sony Pictures Animation's work excelled both in terms of graphics with a unique visual style and in terms of the conflicts and characters it depicted. Moreover, 'The Mitchells' turned out less conformist in its criticism of gadget dependence.

Roman Kovalev

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Is the Animated Film 'Ron's Gone Wrong' Worth Watching?

It's a great family movie with good ideas, pleasant humor, and unobtrusive visuals. If you don't expect any genre deconstruction or truly biting satire on social media, you can have a perfectly guilt-free evening of enjoyment.

'Ron's Gone Wrong' is in theaters from October 21.

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