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The Wild Robot

Farhad Dalal Founder
By-
Farhad Dalal
Rating
4.5 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

My heart is full, it really is! In a scene at about the halfway mark in the new English film The Wild Robot, you see the character of Roz interacting with another robot, similar to his type while exclaiming on how could his core programme be overridden by something in his chest (implied given how he pointed at it). Such is the power of love that is implied so beautifully through a character who is nothing but object of metals. Meet Roz, The Wild Robot who finds himself in the middle of a jungle fazed with his surroundings that is seemingly unkind to him. Here the instinct of fear is equated with hate given that major characters are animals who do not necessarily come to terms with the appearance of an unidentified object, which doesn’t look and speak like them, neither are his mannerisms like them. But Roz is programmed to complete tasks without causing any harm in the vicinity. In other words, kindness is his skill for survival in this incredibly good drama that left me teared eyed while embracing me with a warm hug long after the film had ended.

Story & Screenplay

At the face of it, the premise of The Wild Robot is real simple – the protagonist that happens to be an object of metal finds a purpose to take care of a little baby goose, whose nest was accidently destroyed by him during a chase. But this simple premise is so beautifully woven into a drama that touches upon the concepts of motherhood and the love spreading in the form of universal brotherhood. It is literally a deconstruction of motherwood through the gaze of a robot that is not programmed to love, yet treating the baby as his priority that invariably results in attachment, a strong byproduct of unconditional love. The writing also uses perception as a virtue beautifully – for instance, you see the character of a fox named Fink early on in the drama, almost wanting snack the last remaining egg in a goose nest that was unintentionally destroyed by Roz during a chase. Yet, a small good deed of plucking the thorns from the body of Fink does gravitate his love towards Roz and the newly born Brightbill, even though his nature of being ‘foxy’ is well established. There is an arc within an arc with respect to Fink that beautifully plays a foil of support for Brightbill and Roz in the coming days.

Just like mothers learn things from their children, even while learning to take care of their young ones, you are witness to Roz taking Brightbill under his wings, oddly figuratively while giving itself three major tasks – to teach Brightbill to eat, to teach Brightbill to swim, and to teach Brightbill to fly. And while the first two are relatively simpler tasks, the major challenge for Roz is with the third task given its inability to fly, and the condensed shape of Brightbill given that it was hatched prematurely, without getting proper nourishment from its mother. The same is a driving point for most geese to distance themselves from Brightbill, that actually breaks your heart bit by bit.

The proceedings are heartfelt with real emotions, mostly that originate in the form of the motherly care that Roz showcases towards Brightbill, despite the latter getting to know of the deed resulting in him actually being an ‘orphan’. If this is not unconditional love, then what is? The writers do not dwell in this little budding conflict while remaining committed to the sole purpose of Roz to make Brightbill fly at any cost, whether it is exposing Brightbill to unusual antics or even resorting to taking up ‘flying classes’. It was reminescent of my own mother pushing me on various instances – with simple tasks like getting something from the market which was a big deal for me given that I had zero confidence in talking to people. Or even enrolling me in classes for studies or dancing, in order for me to excel in the respective fields. All but wanting nothing in return!

The drama can also be looked upon as a metaphor for life in general. From a mother’s gaze, you put all your effort in inculcating values in your children, only for them to grow up and eventually leave home, something that was so beautifully explored through the drama. The same was reflective in the drama with respect to Roz whose sole purpose was about to be fulfilled by Brightbill, thereby being left with no purpose at all. And hence, it turned its gaze to community work while spear-heading a rescue operation while bringing all animals together under a single roof. The little fight was similar to that of humans before infusing the message of universal brotherhood in the most touching manner possible. The final act of the drama was slightly deviated from its original tone of love and togetherness while the shift being towards survival even while keeping togetherness intact. That was the only little flaw that I experienced in an otherwise brilliant screenplay that had so much heart, enough to make this grown up man cry with its final act. The idea of separation is always hard but if done with a promise to meet again in the same capacity, then it does sooth that pain just a little, like shown in a teary finale. The screenplay is just brilliantly penned, and makes for a supremely heartfelt watch.

Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues are so simplified that its underlying emotions scale to people from different age demographics. In other words, a 5 year old child will enjoy the drama as much as a 70 year old person while absorbing the emotions in every which way. The music is just beautiful so that so that the finale song had me shedding buckets of tears even as the heartfelt lyrics played on… – 

I am gonna live in you,     
Long as the skies and oceans are blue,     
I’ll always love you and I’ll never stop,     
I’ll always be there, even when I am not…

The BGM may seem manipulative with its emotions, but it does such a staggering job in riling up the emotional core of the drama that was so important with respect to the drama. The animation is lovely with a sense of cuteness and innocence being used as a thread to shape the characters, most of whom are just so affable. The editing is crisp for most parts of the runtime with a little technical error towards the end – the shift in the tone of the drama felt sudden and didn’t feel seamless. But this is just me nitpicking a few flaws in an otherwise brilliant outing on offer! Director Chris Sanders does such a wonderful job in deconstructing the more complex forms of love into something simpler and palatable while infusing the proceedings with such pure emotions of motherhood amidst a sea of love. His direction also highlights a universal fact that the world maybe against you, but you will always find your mother (or her love) beside you at any given point of time. The director adds such affable characters to the mix and leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling as long after the film has ended. The direction is spectacular here.

Voiceovers

The voiceovers are just brilliant and synonymous to the characters that they essay and accompany. The level of detailing is wonderful given how you see the character of Brightbill distort while speaking given how it has spent its entire lifetime with Roz, its motherly robot. Bill Nighy as Longneck adds some wonderful words of wisdom through his character. Stephanie Hsu as Vontra adds levels of intimidation to her voiceover. Mark Hamill as Thorn and Catherine O’Hara as Pinktail have their moments to shine too. Kit Connor as Brightbill is sincere and earnest with his voiceover and he does such a fine job here. Pedro Pascal as Fink is excellent while providing a range of emotions synonymous with the character that he essays. Lupita Nyong’o as Roz is such a heartfelt character that are are instantly invested in its world, and Lupita does a phenomenal job here with the voiceover that will leave you teary-eyed at regular junctions of the drama. She is brilliant to witness here.

Conclusion

The Wild Robot is a beautiful love letter to motherhood and universal brotherhood that will make you laugh and cry while embracing you with a long warm hug by the end of it. And this hug is such a pure feeling that lingers on long after the film has ended, while leaving you teary-eyed. This is the best testimony of the drama that is masterfully crafted and an early contender for the ‘Best Animation Film’ at the Oscars of 2025. Available in a theatre near you (in India from 18th October’24) and Highly Highly Recommended!

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