“Wild Robot:” Opinion piece

This is an op-ed piece and may contain spoilers for “The Wild Robot.”

By Meghan Boucher

“The Wild Robot,” released on September 27, is a rich exploration of friendship, acceptance, resilience, and the convergence of nature and technology. The movie centers around Roz, a robot, washing ashore on a deserted island.

As she tries to adapt to her new environment she becomes friends with the animals who inhabit the island and also becomes the unlikely protector of an orphaned gosling named Brightbill. What follows is a visually entrancing and heartwarming story of what it means to find our place. 

The movie begins with Roz washing up on the island. Immediately, through the visuals of the waves crashing and the juxtaposition of Roz’s technology versus the lush depiction of the island’s nature, you’re sucked in. Throughout the run time, I often forgot I was watching an animated movie because the details were so intricate.

Movies have a way of pulling you in, often with the story, and while this story was incredibly compelling, the stunning animation is what kept my eyes glued to the screen. As the story continues the development of Roz and Brightbil’s relationship is beautifully tender and raw. It left me very self-reflective of my own relationships, which I did not expect when I first sat down to watch a movie about a robot. 

The hour and 42 minute film is perhaps the best animated movie from the Dreamworks Production company in recent memory. Although it is a cartoon geared toward children, the story is full of meaningful messages that will resonate with a wide range of audiences. That ability is precisely what makes this movie such a standout in my mind.

The ability to connect, to impact someone, and make them feel something is exactly why we go to the cinema. From the sound design, to the animation, voice acting and writing, “The Wild Robot” fulfills every purpose a movie has.

In an industry that is oversaturated with subpar money grabbers, this film rises above it all and is truly an excellent piece of art. It’s almost ironic that a robot and some woodland animals can teach us so much about what it means to be human, and yet in this movie they do just that.

To me that is really the deciding factor of what makes a movie standout; is there some sort of commentary that resonates deep within the human soul? “The Wild Robot” accomplishes this and is an excellent example of how art can teach us about the world we live in.