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Nature and nurture collide to narrate a breathtaking tale of survival: Reviewing Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot

By Sakshi Salil Chavan

The Wild Robot

“What task could possibly overwhelm Alpha 113? The Alpha 113 processor represents the fusion of all human knowledge with the most powerful reasoning device ever developed by humankind.”

 

“Uh, I have a kid.”


A few years ago, I stumbled upon a fascinating Facebook group called “Humans Will Pack Bond With Anything”. It was here that I first encountered this unusual phenomenon of our undying empathy towards inanimate objects when assigned human-like qualities. Hundreds of posts filled with people struggling to articulate the profound connections they felt with things that could never possibly reciprocate the emotion— including Roombas (robotic vacuum cleaners) with googly-eyes, duck-shaped erasers & conjoined gummy bears nobody dared to separate.

 

Love can be taught, fostered and experienced in ways we aren’t always capable of comprehending. It’s why we gave our cars headlights resembling human eyes, our boats endearing first-names and affixed smiley faces onto our droids. Chris Sanders’ adaptation of The Wild Robot understands the love that transcends what we created and what created us.

 

Somewhere in the pristine lap of a small island in the Pacific, washed up ashore— a shabby robot is awakened by a curious family of sea otters. Rozzum 7134 (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), is a helper robot who miraculously survives a shipwreck wherein all the other robots failed to. The forest she finds herself in is stunning and full of character— saturated in vivid greens and blues, yet never overpowering. It is indeed a superlative attempt at assembling “A Monet painting in a Miyazaki forest”. The forest stands tall in its rugged wilderness welcoming Roz. However, she is quick to realise that the only chance at survival is adaptation. Despite being programmed to assist humans in their everyday tasks, Roz finds herself in the swings and throes of an untamed ecosystem whose order she doesn’t quite understand. She quickly resorts to mimicking the fauna of the forest to navigate the tumultuous terrain. The aftermath of a huge tidal wave is a heartwarming shot of Roz learning to climb a mountain by observing a crab. DreamWorks employs a remarkable vision that juxtaposes the cold, grey and mechanical Roz against the fluid, painterly textures of the jungle, strengthening the film’s fixation upon coexistence.

 

In a series of unfortunate events, Roz finds herself crashed atop a bird nest— with a singular surviving egg after tussling with Fink, the fox (voiced by Pedro Pascal). Unable to locate who ordered her, Roz is fatefully halted from returning to the factory several times as if for a greater cause. Suddenly, a gosling hatches from the egg in Roz’s hands and assumes her to be its mother. Roz is perplexed upon finding the gosling nuzzling against her.


But sometimes to survive, we need to become more than we were programmed to be

 

But sometimes to survive, we need to become more than we were programmed to be

 

We often alter our obligations, extend unconditional kindness and unlearn what is detrimental, in order to love. Motherhood and parental responsibilities aren’t Roz’s cup of tea. Yet committing to a task like raising a gosling required adapting rapidly to ensure he lives. Survival is in itself a brazen act of love. Roz reprograms herself against her nature and gains the ability to access something more akin to human empathy and expression. Pinktail (voiced by Catherine O’Hara) reassures Roz about her parenting and that we all make it up as we go. The Wild Robot is a homage to well-meaning yet lost parents navigating raising children and also the village it takes to do so. Roz names her gosling Brightbill after realising that calling someone numbers is impersonal.

 

When you grow up without something, you spend a lot of time thinking about it.

 

Love and home are foreign to both Brightbill and Roz with similar fates— waking up to their supposed families dead beside them. The Wild Robot also doesn't shy away from addressing themes like death and rejection from the community. Fink, an outcast, claims, “I’m a fox, I do foxy things, It’s in my nature”, yet evolves to go against all of his carnal instincts to protect Brightbill and guide Roz through life in the forest.

 

A relentless robot with outstretched arms teaching a gosling how to fly, over a Maren Morris song is all you need to ensure not a single dry eye in the theatre. Roz represents countless mothers of children who don't really fit in. Longneck, the oldest & wisest goose in the forest (voiced by Bill Nighy) reminds Brightbill, “This flight is a gift that Roz has given you.” nudging toward the impending realisation that we sometimes fail to show gratitude towards the technology that has enhanced our lives and quite literally helped us even fly. Brightbill’s expedition towards autonomy is a reminder of a parent’s most critical role—which, unlike Roz’s assumed idea of tasks, is never truly finished.

 

A Rozzum always completes its task

 

Emotional moments in The Wild Robot are genuinely deserved, not forced, and one can truly sense the sincerity woven into the storytelling. The scene wherein an almost frigid Roz struggles to retrieve every animal out of the winter storm into her home is deeply memorable. Despite its unforgivingness, nature has an incredible ability to restore equilibrium. Thus, Roz learns to adapt and finds herself constantly self-assigning tasks that aren't written in her programming as unintended acts of friendship and sacrifice. Universal Dynamics, the company that built Roz, makes several attempts to retrieve her. With the help of Paddler, the beaver (voiced by Matt Berry), the animals save their ablaze forest from the aftermath of the attack. The Wild Robot narrates the story of an unusual found family facing the wrath of nature & technology alike. They not only survive but also thrive in the face of adversity.


Review: The Wild Robot

 

“I forgot to tell her something”

“That’s okay, sometimes the hearts do all the talking”

 

In moments of separation and grief, this film adapts a very sophisticated approach to foster indomitable faith and to believe that connections built cordially can never be severed. What makes it truly exceptional is its sharp, thoughtfully crafted script. Every line carries significance, blending humour based on misfortune with circumstantial sincerity. The Wild Robot harmoniously balances reflective moments with exciting chase sequences. Every single character, whether it is the forest itself, the animals, people, or robots, are fully realised and celebrated on screen.

 

The Wild Robot is embellished with many complex themes including the co-existence of Nurture and Nature to prevail and making decisions from the heart instead of our pre-programmed conditioned instincts. It reflects upon the isolation caused by withdrawal from the community for being different. It also demonstrates that trust, determination, and compassion can empower even the most unanticipated individuals to take the lead.

 

Apart from the powerful and talented voice actors behind the film, one can always tell when something is made with a heart, and a lot of it. In many ways, The Wild Robot reminds me of the companion robots in an astoundingly stunning game called Stray by Blue Twelve Studios & Annapurna Interactive. Wherein a post-apocalyptic world overtaken by robots isn’t an evil one but carried on as a legacy and promise to humans whom the robots seemed to have loved. Robots in Stray emulated human traits & personalities to survive. Similar to Roz, who acquired several skills from the jungle— learning how to leap from a gazelle, climbing a mountain by observing a crab, playing the dead-possum trick to escape being taken away by Universal Dynamics, and lastly, camaraderie from Fink, Pinktail & the other animals.

 

“This is wilderness…

And I am a wild robot”

 

Roz becomes one with her chosen home— a moss-covered robot with an affixed wooden leg. In the final act, the film demonstrates the significance of staying true to oneself in a world that imposes conformity. This film boldly envisions a hopeful future wherein technology and human society coexist synergistically, driven by mutual affection rather than adversarial dynamics. As we observe Roz, Fink and Brightbill navigate life, we are compelled to think about the unlikely connections that can form in the most unexpected circumstances. In a world that depends on technology but often sees it as cold and emotionless, The Wild Robot encourages one to broaden their perspective. What truly defines humanity is our capability to realise empathy and love, not only in the things we create but also in the world that accommodates us.


 

About the Author:



Sakshi Salil Chavan

Sakshi is a Mass Communication & Filmmaking graduate from AJK MCRC Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi who discovered a newfound love for filmmaking during her degree. Specializing in Photography, Art Direction & Cinematography, she also enjoys creative writing, painting, journaling & cooking in her spare time. Sakshi co-directed their thesis documentary film “Because I Couldn’t Stop For Death” with Shefali Khan, working alongside her talented team, including Anas Arif, Mohammad Hammad, Mohammed Ayan Sayed, Shaqib Javed Chowdhury and Zaeem Ahmed Khan. With a knack for people and documentary storytelling, Sakshi is also passionate about video game narratives. You can find more of her art & work on Instagram & Behance.

 

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