The Wild Robot

Based on a book series of the same name, The Wild Robot takes place on an island in the distant future. On it, a shipwrecked robot takes on a task that will forever change her life and the lives of all those around her.

The Wild Robot Review

Despite what some might tell you, The Wild Robot is not the next Iron Giant or even Wall-E. However, it is a very competently filmed piece of animation that benefits from more than solid direction and some very nice vocal performances.

                   

The story is somewhat messy, with an underdeveloped central narrative muddled by time-filling subplots. While each tangent is mildly entertaining in its own right, rather than enhancing the core story, they eat up time that would have been better spent developing the relationships between the main trio, thus magnifying the emotional impact of their story.

The needlessly truncated central plot also robs the talented voice actors of the width and breadth needed to express much dynamism. The result is a lot of competence with little room for excellence.

However, thanks to a core message that is as primal and vital to a functioning and healthy society as it is shocking to see in a theatrical release from a major studio, the unneeded accouterment and poorly developed characters are outshone and forgivable. Only the coldest viewer will remain untouched as they are reminded of their own mother or as their little one thrills at the onscreen action in the theater seat next to them.

Being a parent is an incredible blessing and a solemn responsibility, and the world needs far more movies that help us all remember that.

Role Models – Women

A Mother’s Love

• The main narrative is that of a female-voiced robot that overwrites its core corporate directive (essentially her career) as it discovers that being a loving and nurturing mother is far more fulfilling and vastly more important than doing what her programmers (re: society) have programmed her to do and be.

PARENTAL NOTES: THE WILD ROBOT

Dog Eat Dog

• The first ten or so minutes are incredibly violent, with prey animals being snatched away and eaten remorselessly.
• While a mother possum dispenses maternal wisdom to the lead character, we hear one of her seven children scream in terror only to be suddenly silenced by what sounds like a predator. Instead of being alarmed at the loss, the mother makes a comedic quip about the loss.
  • When it turns out that the little one didn’t die, the mother responds with less than enthusiasm.
• An animal character mentions murder once.
• A fox callously knocks a crab into boiling water, and we hear it scream as it dies. In the very next shot, the fox is eating the dead crab.

Domo Arigato Warrior Robotos

• The final act contains some intense fighting scenes. They’re PG-level but intense.

WOKE REPORT

What’s Not Woke

• The core theme is that selfless motherhood is more rewarding and meaningful than any other career path.
• Compassionate but tough parenting is the key to producing mature and successful offspring.
• Hard work overcomes most deficiencies.
• Few characters are little more than one-dimensional comic relief. However, one of the only males who is is portrayed as a smart and wise leader whose dedication and self-sacrifice are key to the film’s progression.

A Hint of Climate Change

• The movie is set in the far future, and the sea level has risen enough to submerge the Golden Gate Bridge. However, nothing said or shown specifies or even hints at the cause. It’s pure speculation on my part.