TIFF 2024: The Wild Robot Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

The Wild Robot, the latest from Dreamworks Animation, is directed by Chris Sanders, known for such animated classics as Lilo and Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon. He has created multiple animated classics that have remained at the heart of pop culture and this time around, his latest work ranks among the best films he’s been a part of and is undoubtedly destined to become a future classic.

Based on a book series by Peter Brown, the film stars Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, a robot made for programmed to provide assistance to humans by completing simple tasks. Crash landing on a mysterious island, her programming would be thrown in a loop once she found herself taking care of a young duckling named Brightbill (Connor) after accidentally killing its family. Over her journey, Roz also runs into a fox named Fink (Pascal). The three grow together and bond as they discover what it means to grow up and experience the dangers and beauties of the world around them.

Some people may accuse The Wild Robot of treading familiar ground narratively. While simple messages of community and self actualization are at the forefront of the film, its storytelling is executed so excellently that it feels like hearing this kind of story for the first time again. In a divisive world, The Wild Robot, a film that will almost certainly appeal to a wide audience can be a valuable thing. It is capable of teaching audiences young and old how we have more in common than we might realize.

One of the highlights of the film is its technical prowess. The animation used to bring it to life features some of the best CGI animation that has ever hit the big screen. It has a style of its own, using bright hues of colors and giving its character designs a sketchbook-y look. Every frame is vibrant to the point that it looks like a painting. Meanwhile, the cinematography is given a particular focus unlike some other animated films as the framing feels intentional. Accompanying the sweeping animation is a beautiful score by Kris Bowers which adds power and emotion in every scene. Certain sequences need no dialogue, the serene nature of the aesthetic is enough to make it feel transcendent. Several sequences are goosebump inducing.

In the end, The Wild Robot is one of Dreamworks Animation’s best films to date and is truly all ages entertainment. A poignant tale about growing up and finding a sense of community juxtaposed with some of the most awe inspiring animation that has ever hit the big screen. It is easily one of the year’s very best films.

still courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

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Brett Schutt

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