Review: The Wild Robot

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Official Synopsis: After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.

After ages of pestering my son to go to this with me, and him blowing me off because "the book was meh" I finally caught up with Dream Work's newest animated creation. Visually, it's stunning. The world around Roz comes to life and it's easily some of the best animation the studio has done. 

Roz would not be nearly as compelling of a character if not for Lupita Nyong'o's lovely voice. What starts as normal robot speak grows more natural as time progresses and Roz changes. Being a mother to a son, I loved that part of this film the most. Pedro Pascal makes for great comic release with his fox character and friend to Roz and her son. I don't know if it was because he was also a fox, but his entire way of speaking reminded me a lot of what Jason Bateman did in Zootopia, so while it didn't feel fresh, it was still enjoyable.

I will say this film is a tad long, and if it hits the same beats as the book, I can see why my very impatient son was reluctant to see it right away. It could've used some trimming. It may not unseat The How To Train Your Dragon franchise as my favorite Dream Works project, but The Wild Robot has so much heart. I don't think I've connected with an animated film this much since Wolfwalkers. 

Grade: B

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