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The Wild Robot (2024)

Last evening, I saw this film with my mom, as well as my eldest sister and brother. At the start of the film, a bunch of Rozum helper robots from Universal Dynamics accidentally land on an island inhabited by various aquatic and woodland creatures. While most of them stop working, one of them is activated by a group of otters, and comes to life. After escaping a tide by moving on a mountain like a crab, they begin adjusting to its surroundings. The animals are scared of them, thinking they will kill them. During this time, the robot learns the language of the animals and navigates the wilderness.

Roz comes across a goose egg and takes possession of it, but is pursued by a fox named Fink soon after. The robot chases after the egg, not wanting the baby inside to perish. Eventually, Fink gives up the egg and it hatches into a gooseling. After getting some advice from an opossum named Pinktail and her six joeys, Roz decides to take care of the gooseling for their next task, even though they are unsure of how to accomplish it. The gooseling has to eat, learn to swim, and by fall, be able to fly so it can migrate to warmer territory with the rest of its species.

Throughout the process of caretaking, Roz and the gooseling develop a close bond with each-other, while also getting some assistance from Fink, who becomes a father to the gooseling. Together, Roz learns about love and how animals and robots can co-exist at the same time. The gooseling is given a name, Brightbill. He learns to eat, and gets some guidance on swimming, but as he grows up into an adolescent, he is rejected by most of his kind for his small size and unusual behavior.

In an effort to calm the flock down, Roz stand ups for Brightbill, but accidentally reveals that they killed his parents. This causes Brightbill to feel heartbroken and leave Roz and Fink behind. Devastated at their actions, Roz heads out of the forest and finds the other Rozums stranded in the water. They manage to reassemble one and it plays a video showcasing how Rozums help humans and complete tasks. Learning of this, Roz takes the transporter device and runs towards a high peak, about to send a return signal. But upon seeing a flock of geese in the sky, they decide to set things right with Brightbill before it's too late.

The geese are preparing for their migration, which is approaching rapidly. Upon seeing Roz return, Brightbill doesn't want their help because of how their last moment together went. But after learning to look at the past in a positive light, he begins to accept Roz and Fink's assistance. At first, Brightbill tries flying amongst the flock, but is unable to control his flight. He eventually gets some help from a falcon named Thunderbolt, and after a boost from Rozz, Brightbill joins the flock and is able to fly on his own. Roz completes their task, but becomes worried for Brightbill's safety upon his departure.

On the way towards warmer territory, the flock takes a rest stop in a futuristic city. However, Brightbill's clumsiness causes a bunch of Universal Dynamics robots to panic and hunt the flock down. The flock eventually make their escape, and Brightbill's bravery allows him to lead the flock to their destination. As they get closer, he asks Longneck if Roz is still thinking about him. He tells him that people have conversations with their hearts when they can't be heard by others.

Back on the island, a cold winter storm is brewing. Roz is about to return to Universal Dynamics, but soon finds Fink, who's struggling to survive in the cold. Together, they gather up the animals into their home to protect them. However, the creatures' natural instincts turn them against each-other. After a few minutes of fighting, Fink reminds the creatures that even though they might be enemies, without Roz's help, they might not survive the winter alone. This calms everyone down, and the animals hibernate in harmony until the following spring.

When spring arrives, the flock of geese return and the animals, alongside Roz, come out of hibernation. However, their reunion is cut short, as an aircraft piloted by a squid-like robot named Vontra wants to return Roz to Universal Dynamics by force, as well as erase her memories. Roz stands with the animals, not wanting to leave them behind. This causes Vontra to send her troops after the wildlife and Roz, who make their escape. The flock of geese, including Brightbill, use their swift maneuvers to distract the robots. This causes them to self-destruct, allowing a forest fire to ignite.

The animals come together to protect not only themselves, but also Roz and the island. After making a dam with a big tree, the water extinguishes the fire. In the aftermath, Roz leaves the animals, including Brightbill and Fink, not wanting their presence to cause anymore destruction. After a tearful goodbye, Roz returns to Universal Dynamics, where they get repaired and learn to live amongst the other Rozum units. The animals begin to live together peacefully on the island. During the next migration, Brightbill sees Roz at Universal Dynamics HQ and embraces them one last time.

I thought The Wild Robot was one of the most touching films I've ever seen. The art style is very beautiful, looking realistic, but also managing to have a cartoony feel without being uncanny. In some scenes, like the bedtime story, it looks almost like a picture book illustration, which is a nice touch. Roz and Brightbill's bond was quite emotional, and I almost cried a few times, especially during the climax. Overall, I would give The Wild Robot a 10/10. I recommend to any fans of Chris Sanders' previous works, as well as DreamWorks fans, and families looking for films with powerful, heartfelt stories.
 
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