Rated: PG
Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes
“The Wild Robot” is the story of ROZZUM Unit 7134, or Roz, who gets stranded on an island uninhabited by humans. At first, it runs all around asking various animals if there’s anything it can do to help; to which it gets a negative response. Roz is chased by a bear and accidently crushes a goose nest, killing everything but one egg. Roz cares for this one egg until it hatches and names it Brightbill. Once her mission with Brightbill is complete she struggles with deciding to leave the island or not – knowing Brightbill will return in the spring. Unbeknownst to Roz, her manufacturer, Universal Dynamics is searching for her. This movie was OK to decent at best; there was no want for me to find out what happened next.
A robot, ROZZUM Unit 7134 or Roz (Nyong’o) finds itself alone on an island. It starts by running around frantically asking a variety of animals if they need help, because this particular robot was programed to complete tasks.
The animals are not interested and either ignore or attack Roz. While Roz is being chased by a bear, she steps on and crushes a goose nest, leaving just one egg undamaged. Once the egg hatches, Roz takes care of this gosling, naming it Brightbill (Connor).
Roz meets a fox, Fink (Pascal) who says everyone is trying to survive. Some of the best parts of this movie are the lessons given by the various animals.
Roz begins making decisions from her head and her heart. She’s trying to teach Brightbill how to fly. Roz and Fink help teach Brightbill the survival skills needed.
As Brightbill gets bigger, he is bullied for his size and the relationship he has with the “monster” that killed his family. Angry this truth has been kept from him, Brightbill leaves Roz.
An owl, Thunderbolt (Rhames) reminds Brightbill he wasn’t supposed to make it this far. Thunderbolt helps Brightbill join the migration.
Once Brightbill leaves for the winter, Roz is sad her task is complete. Fink suggests she stay.
With winter coming, Roz activates her return transmitter. Brightbill returns to Roz before heading out and admits he forgot to say something before he left.
Fink stays by Roz’s side and helps save the animals when a major snowstorm hits the island.
When spring arrives and Brightbill returns, you get a little bit of Roz’s backstory.
Roz’s manufacturer, Universal Dynamics comes to get Roz and might not take “no” for an answer.
Since this is a DreamWorks movie, I was thinking it might fall along the lines of “Shrek,” or “Kung Fu Panda,” but there aren’t as many jokes for adults in this one. I also found it a little on the slow side, with not a whole lot happening until halfway through. On the plus side, this is a very sweet movie which showcases what love and sacrifice mean. It’s a good movie for kids that has a bunch of lessons, like the importance of kindness or trying your hardest against all odds. One of my favorite lines is “To survive, we must become more than we are programed to be.” This is not worth seeing on the big screen, wait for it to be available on streaming.
One robot thumb up.
Now playing in theaters and available to rent. <
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