Based on a sci-fi trilogy of illustrated youth novels, The Wild Robot tells the story of Roz (Lupita Nyung’o), a service robot shipwrecked on an island. After encountering local hostile wildlife, Roz accidentally smashes a bird’s nest, but one small egg remains intact, which Roz cares for. When Brightbill (Kit Connor), a runty goose is born, he imprints on Roz, who becomes his reluctant stand-in mother.
Alongside is Fink (Pedro Pascal), a fox whose motives are at first selfish and food driven. He also becomes a reluctant friend to the duo, for the first time being accepted into a group. When it comes time for Brightbill to learn to fly, the duo isn’t exactly well equipped to teach him, and the other geese are less than willing to accept him as one of their own. However, the leader of the migration, Longneck (Bill Nighy), sees something special in Brightbill and takes him under his wing.
Roz’s time is drawing short, however, and her parent company has been alerted to her location and intends to hunt her down and reset her. It’s a race against time. Incredibly animated and massively touching, The Wild Robot is not to be missed by parents and kids alike. (102 min.)
——Glen Starkey
This article appears in Feb 13-23, 2025.
