‘The Wild Robot’ Review Thread

I will continue to update this post as reviews come in.

Rotten Tomatoes: Fresh

Critics Consensus: N/A

Metacritic: 84 (15 Reviews)

Sample Reviews:

Peter Debruge, Variety – There’s never been an animated movie that reflects the world in quite this way. While the animals are somewhat disappointingly designed, the expressionistic environments can take one’s breath away.

Lovia Gyarkye, Hollywood Reporter – Still, there’s a sweetness to the community effort that gives The Wild Robot some of its most poignant moments.

Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald – The result of all this could have seemed boringly grandiose but there are nice sardonic touches, along with some briskly choreographed slapstick. And the cuteness that often afflicts DreamWorks animations with animal characters is toned down. 4/5

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture – With The Wild Robot, Sanders has found another way to create a visual dissonance that almost subconsciously insinuates its way into our brains and feeds the central idea of the film. And it’s hypnotic.

Tim Grierson, Screen International – An affecting family film which recalls several classics of the genre while finding a fresh take on modern families, accepting oneself and learning to fly on your own.

Kate Erbland, indieWire – That it looks so gorgeous and homespun adds to its appeal, a warm little gem of a film that’s both a throwback and a push forward. Too early to ask for two more? B+

Kyle Turner, Slant Magazine – The film’s discernible brushstrokes serve as a reminder of the literal hands, the labor, it takes to raise someone, mold them into a survivor, and to carry love with you wherever you go. 3.5/4

Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com – One could watch “The Wild Robot” with the sound off entirely and still have a rewarding experience—turn it on and you have one of the best animated films of the decade. 3.5/4

Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict – If the story sounds like it contains the DNA of earlier films like The Iron Giant, Fly Away Home, and How to Train Your Dragon, it does, but writer-director Chris Sanders finds enough grace notes to let this story stand on its own.

Perri Nemiroff, Perri Nemiroff (YouTube) – A visual stunner with an A+ voice performance from Lupita Nyong’o. It's an all-around beautiful story about adapting and found families, one powered by an infectious celebration of life. 4.5/5

SYNOPSIS:

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

CAST:

• Lupita Nyong’o as Roz
• Pedro Pascal as Fink
• Catherine O’Hara as Pinktail
• Bill Nighy as Longneck
• Kit Connor as Brightbill
• Stephanie Hsu as Vontra
• Mark Hamill as Thorn
• Matt Berry as Paddler
• Ving Rhames as Thunderbolt

DIRECTED BY: Chris Sanders

WRITTEN BY: Chris Sanders

PRODUCED BY: Jeff Hermann

BASED ON THE WILD ROBOT BY: Peter Brown

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Dean DeBlois

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Raymond Zibach

EDITED BY: Mary Blee

MUSIC BY: Kris Bowers

CASTING BY: Christi Soper

RUNTIME: 101 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: September 27, 2024