- THE WILD ROBOT
- Starring the voices of: Lupita Nyongo, Pedro Pascal and Mark Hamill
- Directed by: Chris Sanders
- Rated: PG
- Running time: 1 hr 41 mins
- Universal Pictures
Writer/director Chris Sanders has been involved, in one way or another, with some of the greatest animated feature films of all time. “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Lilo and Stitch,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and “The Croods” are only a few of the classic films he had a part of. This week he adds another title to his list of classics with the release of “The Wild Robot.”
Meet ROSSLUM unit 7134, the latest AI robot invented to help mankind and all of its tasks who finds itself stranded on a lonely island full of pretty much every species of animal you can think of. Attempting to speak to the creatures, the robot – “Roz” for short – soon learns that nothing on the island, with the exception of herself, speaks English. Built to learn she shuts down as she slowly learns to communicate with all the animals, learning each of their “languages.” Enter Brightbill (Kit Connor), a gosling who thinks Roz is his mother. And the adventure begins.
The story is a cross between “The Iron Giant” and “E.T.,” with love for others over oneself the message that is being delivered. And it is one that should resonate with everyone.
Not sure if animated films are eligible for the Best Cinematography Academy Award or not, but if they are “The Wild Robot” would be a worthy contender. The film is beautifully rendered, presenting images that could surely pass as post cards, and the accompanying music score, composed by Oscar winner Kris Bowers, is a perfect partner to the beautiful images on screen.
The vocal cast is at the top of their game, with Oscar winner Nyongo giving Roz not only a voice but a heart. She is joined by Pascal as Fink, a mischievous fox, Bill Nighy as Longneck, the leader of the geese and Hamill as Thorn the Bear.
As noted above, the animation is spectacular, though I’d expect nothing less from Mr. Sanders and company.
On a scale of zero to five I give “The Wild Robot” ★★★★★
