'THE WILD ROBOT' REVIEW: Activate Review Mode [4/5]
Occasional Sly Humour and Kind Curiosity Make This Fun for Everyone
[Rating 4/5] - dir. Chris Sanders - 2024 - United States - G - 1h 42m - Animated / Family
I’m going to begin my review of Chris Sanders’ wondrous The Wild Robot with my only criticism, because the rest is positive.
Not too sure about this animation style. Looks like what I saw in the early 2000s in video games. Not bad by any means, but choppy and textured, ugly in a uniquely digital way. If it’s not some sort of stylistic attempt and failure, and is instead executed exactly how the Sanders wanted, then what can I say?
That’s it. That’s my criticism.
The premise: A robot wakes up, shipwrecked, on the edge of expansive nature and must learn to survive. The robot develops relationships with multiple animals along the way and in addition to gaining life skills, it learns, about friendship.
The ingenuity in the story — namely deciding a robot has the ability to decipher animal languages — is simple but transforms what could have been a sweet if meek, mostly silent relationship into something far more rambunctious, and lively, ripe for setpieces, well-placed physical comedy, and one-liners.
If your kids don’t like it, that’s on them.
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‘The Wild Robot’ is now streaming.
Selected Movie Quote: “Aggression detected.”
[Rating 4/5] - dir. Chris Sanders - 2024 - United States - G - 1h 42m - Animated / Family