The Wild Robot: A Hauntingly Beautiful Story of a Robot and a Gosling That Will Bring You to Tears

The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot is a once-in-a-generation story that everyone needs to experience.

Ever since I watched the trailer of The Wild Robot, I was instantly reduced to tears. After the tears, it was awe, excitement, and empathy.

The feelings that the trailer provokes are palpable, and witnessing how a robot can react outside its original purpose made my heart beat faster.

It isn’t often that a film comes along that truly lives up to the hype, but, this is one of them.

The Wild Robot delivers on its trailer’s promise by a thousandfold.

We had the opportunity to be invited to watch The Wild Robot before it hits theaters and can attest that it will captivate audiences of all ages.

The Story of The Wild Robot

From DreamWorks Animation comes a new adaptation of a literary sensation, Peter Brown’s beloved, award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, The Wild Robot.

The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.

A powerful story about the discovery of self, a thrilling examination of the bridge between technology and nature and a moving exploration of what it means to be alive and connected to all living things, The Wild Robot is written and directed by three-time Oscar® nominee Chris Sanders—the writer-director of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, and Disney’s Lilo & Stitch—and is produced by Jeff Hermann (DreamWorks Animation’s The Boss Baby 2: Family Business; co-producer, Kung Fu Panda franchise)

Roz begins to explore the island, and she asks every animal she encounters, “Do you need assistance?” She tramples through the forest, trying to fulfill her programming to find tasks to complete amongst the wild animals of the island.

While some encounters cracked me up, every encounter solidified that she was seen as a “monster,” “misfit,” and, “intruder.”

Even when she mimicked their movements, and learned their language, she didn’t quite yet understand their needs. My bottom lip trembled and eyes watered when she asks out loud, “Did anyone order me?”

Roz interacts with curious otters, mischievous raccoons, and even outruns a bear. The last particular event led to the accident that forever linked Roz and that little gosling.

By causing the accident, Roz rescued the last surviving egg, and when it hatches, it imprints on her.

Let me tell you, the moment that young gosling imprints on Roz, tears welled up in my eyes and I felt their warmth course down my cheeks.

It is such a touching moment, even though Roz doesn’t understand it at the moment.

Discovering Friendship

Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal) haphazardly wanders into Roz’ path and while they don’t see eye to eye immediately, Fink sees her kindness, and almost feels bad for her. He decides to stick around as a “goose expert.”

His first piece of advice is that geese need to learn to eat, swim, and fly before the next migration.

Soon enough, she encounters Pinktail (voiced by Catherine O’ Hara) and through her straightforward remarks about motherhood, Roz discovers her tasks at hand.

Pinktail is kind, pragmatic, and hilarious. She is a seasoned mother and lets Roz in on something she had no idea about, she was now a Mom to the little gosling.

The process of getting Brightbill ready for migration is not an easy task, and Roz finds herself experiencing feelings and thoughts that surpass her programming.

While they are merely robot and goose, the reason I was so emotional is that I can see the bond between a child and its mother. They both experience moments that are synonymous with a mother-child relationship.

Roz experiences worry about Brightbill getting to where he needs to be. While at the same time, she learns that as a parent, you are just making things up as you go and learning as you go.

Both Roz and Brightbill are outcasts and don’t quite “fit in” where they’re supposed to. Which forms their bond even deeper.

Brightbill questions how things will be when he leaves Roz as well as wrestles with the the anger and truth behind his past.

Just like any child and mother relationship, they don’t always get along, but deep down lies true love and appreciation for one another.

Learning to Love and Let Go

I also saw and profoundly felt the love and heartache of a mother when you have to let go, and how far you will go to see your children take that final leap into independence.

When they don’t need you as much as they did before. It reminded me of my own journey with my own mother, too.

She always taught me that you never stop being a parent, not until the last breath leaves your lungs. I was happy to be able to share this movie with her and our girls.

It’s a memory that I will keep for the rest of my days.

When she finally lets him go, things aren’t well between them, and he flies into the sky.

I saw her shake her head slightly, I felt what she felt. I knew she wasn’t going to just let him fly away, she was going to see him off until he disappeared into the horizon.

Her eyes held such hope and sadness, and her emotions gave way as Brightbill’s feather descended into her hand.

It pulled on my heart strings in the most profound way.

Winter falls, and Roz makes the decision to see her task through until the end. To see if Brightbill makes it with the help they provided him and with the guidance of Longneck, a goose who admired their dedication.

Longneck tells Brightbill that the migration he would embark on was truly a gift from Roz. He regretted leaving things unsaid. Longneck reminds him that sometimes words are heard in different ways.

Finding Community

Another touching relationship that is formed is with the sly fox, Fink and how he has always lived by the rule that on the island, you eat, or you are eaten.

Their friendship unfolds during the winter after Brightbill leaves. You can see Roz learning when she tells Fink that even though she and him are hated by the animals, they’re their only chance to survive the winter.

With his help, she uses almost all her strength and rescues every animal. Her last wish before powering down is that they would all be kind to one another, come together, and survive together as an island.

Just as much as she is impacted by the island’s inhabitants, she is impacting them too. This very sentiment is seen right through to the end.

A Cinematic Masterpiece

From the animation design to the voice casting and musical scores. All are done to perfection. For example, you can both hear and see Roz’ transformation as the film progresses.

She goes from a pristine, perfectly painted robot to having scratches and even organic build up.

At one point, with the help of Paddler (voiced by Matt Berry) she even merges with nature.

You can hear her voice change as she goes through emotional growth. From upbeat and robotic to emoting sadness, frustration, and uncertainty.

Each character is perfectly cast and has a role to play in the film. I usually have a favorite among characters in films, but, I loved every single one of them.

The musical scores and themes for the characters also evoke emotion as a viewer. Even in the moments without dialogue, different themes helped to feel more profoundly.

The soul-stirring song “Kiss the Sky” was crafted specifically for the film, and it was the perfect backdrop for the migration scene.

Sanders chose to start with bright water colors that were captivating. From the beautiful trees in the forest to the turquoise waters of the tidal pools. You can see the colors evolve as the emotions shift in the storytelling.

Even Roz’ lights and eyes are so expressive, it really is spectacular.

The Must-See Film of the Year

It’s no surprise that The Wild Robot has such raving reviews. It is one of the best films I have seen in quite a long time.

You never encounter a dull moment. It was an emotional and visual experience, and that can’t be said about films often.

There is laughter, joy, elation, uncertainty, a sense of responsibility and community, friendship, and love.

For us, it’s a film that we will watch over and over again. With just one watch, we know that it will be in our collection forever.

It truly is a once-in-a-generation story that must be shared and experienced.

So grab your tissues, and head to your nearest theater to watch The Wild Robot.

The movie premieres September 27th, 2024.

Will you be catching The Wild Robot this Friday?

Let me know, til then—cheers m’deres!

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