The Wild Robot
The Circle of Life
The Wild Robot is based on a childrenâs novel written by Peter Brown released in 2016. Itâs animated film adaptation stars Lupita Nyongâo, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, and Mark Hamill. I was not able to place all the actorsâ voices until the end credits rolled and I was pleasantly surprised. The cast is fully stacked.
Another surprise is the animation style utilized. Itâs something that viewers have not seen for a while and isnât normally used. The animation is a painterly style that blends 2D and 3D animation with every character and surface being hand painted. All except when we are introduced to Roz at the beginning of the film.
A Lesson About Empathy & Understanding
The timing of the release of the film could not have been any better as it seems we all could use a reminder about empathy. One of the takeaways includes showing empathy and understanding when someone looks a little bit different from you. Since we are dealing with animals in the forest instead of humans, the aspect of runts is introduced and serves as an underlying theme throughout the film.
Following from the difference regarding looks, The Wild Robot also touches on understanding that others may have to complete a task in a different way that takes a little bit more time and that is okay. Especially when the ending result is the same.
With the aspect of imprinting, as ducks do with the first thing they see during the very important period after hatching, one may realize that we need to be more empathic towards parents. Mainly mothers. As Roz essentially steps into the role of âMomâ during the film, there are aspects of motherhood expressed through the completion of tasks. The completion of tasks can be linked to children reaching certain milestones from infancy to the age of 18.
In a League of Its Own
Watching the trailer, it may be easy to think of the resemblance of another animated robot movie, but the resemblance starts and stops there with the main characters being robots. The Wild Robot focuses on relationship building and understanding, not only within a species, but with between them as well.
 âI need youâŠWhat if I get lost? What if I need to tell you something and youâre not here?â
It puts an emphasis on thanking people and telling them that you love them when you can because you do not know when the time will come when you will not be able to.