Collection Review: The Wild Robot

Adapted from the beloved children’s story by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot is a what I’d like to call a rare thing. It tells the story of Roz, a service robot who is accidentally stranded on a remote island, who gradually learns what it means to care, connect, and become a part of a loving community.

At its centre, The Wild Robot is a family film, but it’s also not afraid to tackle being a grand adventure, a heartfelt study of character, and lastly a quiet meditation on belonging. What follows is a surprisingly emotional journey; one that proves family isn’t always something you’re born with, but perhaps something you build.

The Story 📖 9/10

At its heart, I think The Wild Robot is a story about family, identity and motherhood.

Rozum 7134 (Roz) arrives on this island as a machine, designed to undertake and complete tasks. She doesn’t understand emotion, relationships, or even the animals around her, but through a series of unexpected events, she finds herself caring for an orphaned gosling, Brightbill, with the help of a sly fox called Fink.

Tasked with feeding Brightbill, teaching him to swim and then ultimately to fly so he can migrate with his fellow geese, the film slowly transforms into a touching story about parenthood, sacrifice and finding your place in the world.

This film has confidence in those quieter moments. It has jokes and comedic moments, yes, but it doesn’t rush between them, only keeping the audience entertained via comedy. It just allows scenes to breathe; the relationships develop naturally, which means the emotional beats you’re struck with feel earned, as opposed to set up. Packed with some emotional punches, younger viewers will enjoy the sense of adventure, for both Roz and Brightbill, as well as the humour, but there is still plenty here for older audiences too. On both of my cinema screenings, there wasn’t a child in sight.

It’s a kind of human tale, without any actual human characters, and those themes of acceptance, community, and what it truly means to be alive, run throughout this story. The film trusts its audience, and it isn’t afraid to add that emotional weight; it’s not afraid of the sadness, uncertainty or change, which is why this film has been so successful

I know I’m a person who always cries in films, but I’m usually okay when it comes to animation. I certainly wasn’t expecting to cry 3 times though. I don’t think anyone was. The sacrifices Roz makes for Brightbill, for his ultimate survival, humanises (or animalises) her in such a way that, despite not being initially accepted, the animals fight and rally together to protect her when she’s in danger.

The film is left vaguely open-ended, given there are 2 more books in the series, and I’ve also seen that the sequel is in development at DreamWorks, so we're probably due for release in 2027 or 2028. I sincerely hope it is!

The Craft 🎨 9/10

Visually, this film is absolutely stunning, as all DreamWorks films have been.

Rather than following a Shrek or How To Train Your Dragon line, aiming for any kind of strict realism, the animation embraces a kind of painted quality, which I think kind of resembles concept art, which has been perfectly brought to life. The forests are absolutely beautiful, glowing with colour, with the storms feeling immense as they torment the shores of the island from the beginning. From the hawk nest on the cliffs, to Roz’s beaver dam, from the Giant’s Causeway-esque rock on the coast, to the clouds up in the sky, each vista and backdrop carries a sense of wonder.

Each tiny detail in each of the animals as well, emotion in their eyes as well as the voices who embody them, is so well done - I also love the amount of emotion you see in Roz as well (see picture above!) and she somehow sounds mechanical without becoming cold, with the supporting cast bringing warmth and personalities to all the island’s animal inhabitants. With the leading trio of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal and Kit Connor, you also have supporting in the form of Catherine O’Hara as a maternal possum, Mark Hamill as a solitary bear and Bill Nighy as Brightbill’s number 1 fan, Longneck. Arguably a massive cast, but each animal, each voice, has a different air to it, a different personality, and they are all very well done.

To encapsulate such amazing backdrops, well-casted voices, as well as the large action sequences, the direction shows remarkable restraint. It could go so much harder, and yet the filmmakers understand when to dial up the excitement and the emotion. I think the strength in this film lies in its wonderful array of different animal characters and emotional storytelling, and the direction hits that perfect line all the way through to the end of the credits.

Ultimately, what stands out most to me is how cohesive everything feels. The visuals, character performances and storytelling all serve that same purpose throughout: immersing the audience in Roz’s incredible journey.

The Sound 🔊 10/10

You all know by now how important a soundtrack is to me, and I think, for this film, if the visuals provide it’s heart, then the music provides its soul.

Kris Bowers, most notable in recent years for Bridgerton, (and new Spider-Noir which I haven’t watched yet) understood the assignment. Rather than overwhelmingly emotional scores that hit too hard, the score often feels gentle and observational, piquing in those huge moments, growing alongside Roz as she learns more about the world around her.

The opening chords establish a sense of both mystery and discovery, even a hint of loneliness, which reflects Roz arriving in an unfamiliar and instantly having to adapt. But as the film progresses, and as she makes the connections with the animals of the island, the themes start to evolve.

What begun as something tentative and questioning becomes warmer, richer and more emotional, and as that bond between Roz and Brightbill grows, so does their theme. It builds when he’s growing up, it punches again when he needs a boost before flying off for his migration (incidentally one of the most emotional scenes of the film) and then finally, when the animals and Roz bond together in Robots vs The Wild, as she is truly accepted, it hits again. By the final act, after she’s chosen to return herself back to civilisation, because she knows she’ll always find her way back to Brightbill, that enormous emotional weight is because that theme has grown with the two characters.

Kiss The Sky, performed by Maren Morris, is stunning. The soundtrack on Spotify doesn’t do the scene justice, as in the film it’s longer, and interjected with the score, as Roz and Fink work on getting Brightbill able to fly. It’s not just the song on its own. Maren Morris’ voice is so beautiful too, and Kris Bowers uses it in points throughout the score, adding that extra punch that doesn’t fail to bring up those goosebumps. Pun intended!

This film is one of those rare animations where the music feels completely inseparable from the experience. Remove the score, and maybe some scenes would work, drawing on that emotion from the animation itself pulls through, but kept in place, the music helps make those scenes become unforgettable.

As someone who pays really close attention to a score and soundtrack, I think The Wild Robot is a wonderful example of how a score can quietly shape an audience’s emotional journey without demanding any attention for itself.

The Legacy 🎞️ 10/10

The question I always ask myself after any film ends is simple: how long will I carry this film with me?

For The Wild Robot, the answer is simple too: quite a while.

It’s easy to praise the animation, or the storytelling, but what lingers for me is the film’s sincerity. In an era where so many family films lean heavily on irony, or rapid-fire humour, The Wild Robot chooses kindness. It believes in empathy, connection and community, without feeling like you’re being preached on it.

The overall lasting result is that the film feels timeless. Children will see an adventure about a robot learning to survive in the wilderness. Then, as they grow up, when they become adults like me, they may find themselves reflecting on parenthood, belonging, and those relationships that shape us into who we are. I think that’s difficult to achieve, and yet The Wild Robot manages it beautifully.

It’s a film I can see myself revisiting over and over again in the years to come. Nothing beats the power of a great film, and the reason I’ll be revisiting is not simply because it’s good or entertaining, but because it has something meaningful to say, and it does it in such a beautiful way, I can’t help but cry in awe.

I’d also like to point out that I put it on this morning thinking my sister would come downstairs and immediately ask me to turn it off. But how wrong I was! Our 2 house guests, my sister and I, ended up finishing the whole thing because all parties were fully enraptured, engaged, and absolutely loved it. A great way to start off any morning if you ask me!

***

Maybe starting off the Collection Reviews with an extremely high bar probably wasn’t the best idea, but I can’t not give it that high a score. It deserves every single point.

Overall score: 38/40 🍿

Format: Blu-ray

Date of watch: 7/6/26

See you next time… the next post is a complete mystery! Even to me 🥹😂