Robot Dreams – A Charming and Original Animated Feature

Do robots dream of anamorphic dogs? Sara Varon originally asked the question with her 2007 comic Robot Dreams, and now seventeen years later, Pablo Berger has adapted the comic and brought the question, along with Varon’s animation style, to film. The result is a wonderful tragicomedy featuring no dialogue and a story about a dog and his robot partner being forced to separate, boasting a charming, vivid animation style; endearing characters with distinct personalities through clothing, choices of animals, music introductions, etc.; consistently engaging visual storytelling; and a thorough examination of what it means to be human.

Based in an anamorphic version of New York in the 1980s, Robot Dreams follows the story of a lonely Labrador named Dog. One day, Dog is scrolling through his TV channels when he comes across an advertisement for a robot friend and decides to order himself a companion. Shortly after, Robot arrives in the mail, is constructed by Dog, and the two hit the city. The pair connect very quickly, and soon the relationship evolves into perhaps the cutest, most unorthodox friendship (romance?) put to screen this year: Manhattan Labrador, steel robot. Love has no bounds. However, their time together is cut short after Dog brings Robot to the beach, where too much exposure to the sun causes a malfunction that renders Robot immobile. Desperate and unable to move Robot, Robot convinces Dog to leave him for the night and try again in the morning, but when Dog returns the next day, he discovers the beach has been closed for the rest of the year while Robot sits on the other side of the fence, forgotten in the sand.

Any parent curious if their child would enjoy Robot Dreams should be given a fair warning that despite the cute animals, vibrant colours, and the feel-good opening, what proceeds next is more adult-oriented and filled with heartbreak. The title Robot Dreams comes from the many dream sequences Robot has about his escape from the beach and matched with the film having no dialogue, there’s truly an unpredictability in where the story will land right up until the last frame. Throughout the troubles Robot faces, the film becomes a silent, touching plea for help—a plea to acknowledge that simple acts of kindness can create profound impacts on people’s lives. However, instead, we frequently ignore others’ feelings and choose to benefit ourselves, even if it leads to cruelty.

Without spoiling too much, the film approaches this central theme extremely effectively, from brief commentaries on the failings of the US justice system to pollution to common bullying to its bold ending—which is very strong, exciting, and unorthodox but it will leave some feeling a bit cold as a narrative conclusion. After spending a long time dwelling on the emotions of separation, loss, grief, and the inability to connect, the endpoint plays somewhat cruelly when taken on a literal level. Perhaps the film can be blunt in its declaration of themes, but the commitment to having no dialogue helps make it all feel organic while maintaining a tight focus on the character’s emotions – in one scene, the camera pans by some pollution underwater while the two are swimming, yet the film still concentrates on the characters together.

Overall, Robot Dreams is a total knock-out and a welcome change of pace in the current world of animation. There’s nothing wrong with the grander 3D animation seen in last year’s Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse or The Super Mario Bros Movie, but it’s unfortunate how many beautifully crafted hand-drawn 2D films continue to fly under the radar.

Despite being wrought in heavy emotions, Robot Dreams is a total crowd-pleaser: simple, familiar, completely original, charming one second, and capable of breaking one’s heart the next.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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J.A. Birney

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