catherine ohara

When a storm at sea dislodges a shipping container from a cargo ship, a large box washes ashore on a faraway island inhabited only by animals. Battered and bruised but incredibly resilient, the sole occupant of the box is a Rozzum 7134 android assistant (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) that can walk, talk, assimilate information and help around the house. She’s designed to serve. Confused about her kindly nature, the animals (beavers, possums, porcupines, deer, bears) view Roz as a monster and try to kill her – until by accident she accidentally crushes all but one goose egg in a nest.

While the animation is stunning, the beauty of this movie is the simplicity. Director Chris Sanders has taken Peter Brown’s story and effectively touched on the current state of humanity, the impacts of global warming, and most importantly, the significance of compassion and motherhood. It may sound like a basic or familiar plot, but through its characters, visuals, and subtly it’s a surprisingly refreshing tale. Lupita Nyong’o and Kit Connor’s mother-son relationship is breath-taking and will likely make you want to immediately hug your own mother or parental figure in your life. It also reminds us; you don’t have to give birth to a child to give them life.

What would an intelligent robot do in the wilderness? Find out in DreamWorks’ computer animated sci-fi adventure, The Wild Robot, based on the New York Times bestselling children’s book series by Peter Brown. We get to know Roz (ROZZUM unit 7134) after the utilitarian android is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings while building relationships with the variety of animals living there plus taking care of an orphaned baby goose. It’s Castaway meets Wall-E meets Migration.

I’ve long had a weakness for robots that burst with personality, from R2-D2 to The Iron Giant to WALL-E. The Wild Robot, while not as transcendent as 2008’s WALL-E, is nevertheless a gorgeous and gratifying animated film about discovering where you fit. Through a robot that experiences empathy, it encourages an audience’s compassion, celebrating kindness as a survival skill.