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••• The International Writers Magazine - Film Review

The Wild Robot Director Chris Sanders Voices of Lupita Nyong’o Pedro Pascal, Kit Conner, + • Sam North review Raising a kid is easy right? But what if it isn't in your programming?

Who would have thought an animation movie starring a sentient robot would prove to be the best manual for how to be a mother?

Roz is the robot in question who accidentally washes up on a remote island. She is designed to make ‘your life better’. An AI assist, but how do you assist an island full of wild animals who instantly hate her or want to eat her.
She sets herself a task to learn their language so she can help them. Unfortunately, she has an accident and falls off a cliff crushing a bird’s nest. All that is left is an egg and before she can do anything about that a wily fox called Mr Fink wants to eat it.

It’s a movie about relationships, friendship and raising a baby goose. There’s not much in Roz’s manual on child rearing, let alone goose rearing.

Roz is informed that all she has to do is make sure the goose can eat, swim and fly. It doesn’t begin too well. But with Mr Fink at her side (who always want to eat the goose) she finally figures out a plan.

The Wild Robot is a perfect kid’s movie from DreamWorks. There are lessons to be learned, dangers to be faced, a harsh winter being one of them, but the robot survives everything and pulls the whole island together. Classic life affirming stuff and real danger in the end when the factory come to ‘rescue’ her.

Does the goose learn to fly? You’ll have to watch the movie. No you don't need to take a kid with you, it's just great entertainment, you’ll love every moment.

© Sam North 11.01.24
Author of Magenta and more

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