Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Dreamworks Animation has quite an up-and-down portfolio of films under its belt. For every “Shrek 2” and “Kung Fu Panda,” there is a “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” and “The Boss Baby.” You never know what the quality will be for a Dreamworks film. In the case of “The Wild Robot,” it aims to be a Disney-like storybook movie, which succeeds in some areas but struggles in others.

“The Wild Robot,” based on the novel series of the same name, centers on a robot that shipwrecks on an uninhabited island filled with animals and must adapt to her surroundings to the local wildlife while becoming an adoptive mother for an orphaned gosling. The story sounds fairly by the books and plays out as such. The writing is decent with some humor spliced in between that works to the lighthearted tone, but only to a certain extent. This is largely what brought the film down. For a movie as strikingly gorgeous and passionately acted as “The Wild Robot,” it oddly feels generic and lacking in originality in terms of storytelling. It does not help that the film had trouble trying to stick an impactful ending with the narrative dragging on as it did. The messages and themes present are important and well-intent, they just could have been told in a more fresh and compelling way.

However, “The Wild Robot” has some great strengths. The animation has a hand-painted art style and works off the visual look of previous Dreamworks films “The Bad Guys” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” The colors and general art direction are a sight to behold in this film and work in tandem with the book it is adopting while also standing on its own as a pleasant, yet striking choice. 

The voice acting features the likes of Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years A Slave”), Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian”), Bill Nighy (“Living”), Stephanie Hsu (“Joy Ride”), Mark Hamill (“Star Wars”) and Catherine O’Hara (“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”), all of whom are excellent and barely recognizable in their roles, especially Nyong’o, who voices the robot Roz. The way she can shift her voice from super robotic to increasingly human as the film progresses will amaze even the most critical movie fans. Pascal might be the most recognizable of the main cast, but the charismatic and mischievous nature he puts into Fink The Fox cannot be ignored. The overall vibe the film evokes charm, has a ton of wholesome moments and is so sweet to take in. That in part is due to the sweeping, elegant score that carries the emotional beats throughout the story.

In terms of story and writing, feels lacking in originality and slightly derivative of other animated films from the past. Despite that, the quality and passion are there and if you are looking for a nice feel-good watch at the theater, “The Wild Robot” will please both kids and adults with gorgeous animation, well-done voice acting and valuable messages sprinkled throughout.

Image via Universal Pictures via YouTube