REVIEW: The Wild Robot – DreamWorks’ Latest Family Treat is a Spellbinding Cinematic Adventure

Having paid very close attention to what was recently announced at the most recent Disney Expo, I could not help but a feel a crushing sense that any creativity and originality is all but dead. Pointless cash grabs with nothing but remakes, sequels, prequels, and live-action remakes – the worst of all. How lovely it is then to see a relatively fresh (this based on a book), new animation that once again reminds you of the wonders that animated films are capable of. DreamWorks’ latest entries have been so impressive that they have been able to rival Pixar, a feat that they had not previously been able to quite accomplish. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish came out of nowhere and no one expected that to be as good as it was.

Photo credit: Universal Pictures

Now, their latest offering The Wild Robot proves once again that they are just as capable as Pixar of producing magic. The Wild Robot takes well-known tropes, themes and elements of other films yet still manages to make it its own thing; I would essentially pitch this as being somewhere between The Iron Giant meets Dr. Dolittle with a lot of other sprinklings thrown in for good measure.

The story revolves around an intelligent worker-bot called Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) who crash lands on an uninhabited island. In order to serve a purpose (being a robot) and survive in this new environment, Roz ends up connecting  and bonding with the animals, taking in and raising a young goose in the process. The stellar voice cast includes Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Matt Berry, Mark Hamill and Kit Connor.

All of the greatest animations, no matter the studio behind them, work because they have something for everyone in them. Jokes , gags and references all demographics will find funny as well as other elements the whole family can enjoy. The other side of that, however, is something such as Shark Tale (also a DreamWorks film) where all the jokes about Goodfellas, The Godfather and Jaws are so obviously crowbarred in to entertain the parents dragged along to see the film.

Not only this, but the very best of family films deal with grown up issues and life lessons – whether they be Up or Toy Story 3 – and The Wild Robot is no different. Not only are they remarkable films, but stories such as these are so important for children and young audiences to watch. The Wild Robot relies on a surprising amount of slapstick humour, all of which works an absolute treat, but none of it feels as though it has been shoved in to appeal to an older audience. Myself and everyone else in the audience laughed pretty consistently and I am confident no parent will be bored by this.

The Wild Robot and other animations animations like it appear to be departing from CGI animations and striving for more intricate, hand drawn aesthetic. This is undoubtedly one the most beautiful animations I have ever seen and one of the loveliest films you will ever come across, both visually and emotionally. Each frame is like a piece of art you wish you could pause, scene by scene, to just stare at. The level of detail in all animation is becoming terrifying.

One particular moment involving an army of birds taking flight is so absolutely breathtaking it gave me goosebumps, and – given the context- is one of the films saddest moments. As someone whose favourite form of music is film scores/ ambient music and a firm believer that this is one of the most important elements that make a film work, Kris Bower’s gorgeous and soaring soundtrack will turn you into a blubbering mess; that is if the film has not already. This has such a pure heart, leaving me smiling from minute one as you can already tell exactly what will be in store later on. Come awards season, nothing else will stand a chance. The cinematic equivalent of a nice warm cuddle.

In cinemas now.

10/10