Shipwrecked on an uninhabited island, a robot must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the native animals and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling. Based on Peter Brown’s bestselling novel, a film by Chris Sanders.

At 0300 hours, several Universal Dynamics units were lost in a typhoon, with their cargo washing up on an uninhabited island. A robot model ROZZUM is accidentally activated by an otter. The robot mistakenly identifies the otter family as its customers, introducing itself as Rozzum 7134 (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) and asking if they need anything. Suddenly, a massive wave crashes, sending the robot tumbling underwater.

As another wave, much bigger than the previous one, approaches, the robot attempts to climb up the steep cliff to escape but fails, due to slippery surface of the rocky cliff. The robot then notices a native blue crab skillfully climbing up the cliff sideways.

Quickly mimicking the crab’s movements, the robot manages to scale the cliff and reaches the top, where it finds itself at the edge of an island covered in lush green forest. Determined to find its customers, the robot decides to venture into the woods.

After multiple failed attempts to communicate with the native animals, the robot realizes it has no data on their language. The robot activates its learning mode and, several days later, awakens with the ability to decipher all animal languages. Now it can communicate with every creature inhabiting the island as if they were speaking English.

The native animals, however, are terrified of the robot, seeing it as a monster. Unable to locate its customers, the robot concludes that its delivery has failed and decides it must return to the factory. As a rainstorm approaches, it makes its way to the highest point of the island and activates its return transmitter. Suddenly, a lightning strike hits the robot, causing its system to temporarily shut down.

When the robot reboots and regains consciousness, it discovers that a group of raccoons has scavenged its parts. Although it manages to recover most of them, one raccoon snatches the return transmitter and runs away. The robot chases after the thieving raccoon, only to find itself in a bear’s cave.

A grizzly bear named Thorn (voiced by Mark Hamill) becomes agitated by the robotic intruder and charges after it. During the chase, the robot slips and tumbles down a hill, crash-landing into a goose nest. The impact kills the nest’s inhabitants, leaving only a single egg intact. The robot scans the egg and its x-ray confirms a life form inside the shell.

The robot takes the egg back to the forest, protecting it from a mischievous fox named Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal), who repeatedly attempts to steal and eat it. When the egg finally hatches, the gosling immediately imprints on the robot.

Believing its task is complete, the robot activates the return transmitter, but the gosling, attracted to the robot’s long-range transponder, accidentally breaks it with its small beak. (Interestingly, while the return transmitter isn’t mentioned in the novel, the film adaptation shows it surviving several catastrophic incidents as if indestructible, only to be easily broken by a gosling’s tiny beak.)

Written and directed by American filmmaker Chris Sanders, The WILD ROBOT is based on Peter Brown’s 2016 children’s novel of the same name about a robot who finds herself stranded on an uninhabited island after a cargo ship accident. As she awakens without any memory of how she arrived there or her purpose, she must navigate her new environment and learn how to survive in the wild.

Peter Brown is a prominent American author and illustrator, best known for his engaging children’s books. His works often explore themes of nature, identity, and friendship, resonating with both children and adults. Brown’s storytelling is complemented by his unique illustration style, which combines various mediums such as watercolor and gouache.

THE WILD ROBOT by Peter Brown is a highly acclaimed children’s novel that has gained significant popularity since its release. It is a #1 New York Times bestseller and has been recognized as one of the best middle-grade books of the year by various publications. As of October 2024, The WILD ROBOT series consists of three books: THE WILD ROBOT (2016), THE WILD ROBOT ESCAPES (2018), and THE WILD ROBOT PROTECTS (2023).

Each installment follows the journey of Roz, the robot, as she navigates challenges in both the wild and civilized worlds. The WILD ROBOT animated film is primarily based on the first book in Peter Brown’s series.

While the animated film is visually stunning, with beautiful and vibrant colors, I find its narrative lacks depth. It feels too generic and, at times, unconvincing.

The pacing is deliberately slow in some parts, and certain scenes resemble music videos, accompanied by songs that aim to evoke emotions through their lyrics.

Additionally, the final act feels rushed, with events unfolding in a domino effect that leaves little room for comprehension. Despite the story being quite predictable and straightforward, it lacks any unexpected twists that could make it memorable.

One aspect that arguably bothers me the most is Roz’s ability to learn and communicate with all the animals on the island — thanks to her magical AI brain — who all seem to speak the same language regardless of their species. Moreover, the animals exhibit behaviors fundamentally rooted in human culture; for instance, they mock and bully Brightbill for being different, learn to work together, and coexist despite being natural predators and prey.

If you want them to behave like animals, then let them be animals. Conversely, if you want them to act like humans, then create a world centered around animals, similar to Disney’s Zootopia or ROBOT DREAMS. This film also relies too heavily on animal dialogue to convey its messages.

Roz’s character seems derivative, combining elements of Disney’s Baymax (BIG HERO 6) and Pixar’s WALL-E, particularly in how she follows programmed directives until an unexplained change occurs. Essentially, there is nothing new about Roz; she is just another robot capable of overriding pre-programmed directives, much like many robots that have come before her.

Why is Vontra (splendidly voiced by Stephanie Hsu) oddly humanized in her excessive dialogue and behavior, despite being a robot capable of executing commands without human-like interactions?

While THE WILD ROBOT will entertain younger audiences despite its predictability, its emotional moments feel forced and formulaic. The film simply follows a predetermined sequence of events, using musical cues to signal appropriate emotional responses — be it happiness, sadness, or whatever emotion they aim to evoke.

The WILD ROBOT premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2024. It was theatrically released in the United States on 27 September. As of 16 October 2024, the film has grossed over $154 million worldwide against its $78 million production budget.