The first time I saw the poster of The Wild Robot, it somehow reminded me of Wall-E. Both stories have a robot at the centre. While similarities remain, this one is possibly closer to The Iron Giant. And yet, The Wild Robot certainly charts its own course.

Based on famous writer Peter Brown’s sci-fi trilogy of the same name, The Wild Robot is about Rozzum Unit 7134, a robot made by Universal Dynamics, which crash lands on an uninhabited island after a mishap in the plane it was being carried in. It is understood that it is part of a robot line intended to be a companion in families and assist with household activities. As she sparks to life, she tries to understand who her ‘customer’ might be so that she can attain her first task. What she gets instead is an existential crisis, as she realises that there may not be anyone who could actually provide her with a task to accomplish. That’s until she gets a task that she was not programmed to execute – something that needs her to be reprogrammed. After all, human or robot, one has to completely transform to carry out the task called ‘parenthood’.

Director Chris Sanders, the man behind How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods, delves into familiar territory – the universality of connection and love. With The Wild Robot, Sanders returns with yet another movie that cuts through all ages.

Among the multitude of positives include the voices. Lupita Nyong’o is extraordinary as she makes the humanised robot believable. From a robot just trying to figure out her surroundings, to an unsure parent, to the wild robot, she gives everything and more. She is ably supported by Pedro Pascal as Fink the fox and Catherine O’Hara as Pinktail the possum, as much as the characters in the film.

Beyond the entertainment, The Wild Robot deals with multiple subplots. It talks about the ability of a being to become something completely different from what they have always known to be. A sly fox could become the best friend, an emotionless robot could become a nurturer… It talks about standing together in the hour of crisis, or trust and courage.

It is all heart, this one. Roz will go on to be one of the most memorable characters I have seen on screen, right at the top with the likes of Woody from Toy Story. Do yourself a favour. Watch this one. Not alone, with your loved ones.

The Wild Robot is now available in India on JioHotstar, as a part of its Peacock catalogue.

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• Director: Chris Sanders
• Writer: Chris Sanders (screenplay), based on the novel by Peter Brown
• Producer: Jeff Hermann
• Cast (Voice): 
  • Lupita Nyong’o
  • Pedro Pascal
  • Kit Connor
  • Bill Nighy
  • Stephanie Hsu
  • Matt Berry
  • Ving Rhames
  • Mark Hamill
  • Catherine O’Hara
• Run time: 102 minutes
• Year of release: 2024

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