Title: The Wild Robot
MPA Rating: PG
Director: Chris Sanders
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins

What It Is: A robot, who eventually names herself Roz (Nyong’o), finds herself lost in a forest full of animals. She doesn’t know or understand her purpose. When she accidentally crushes a goose nest, only one tiny egg survives. Roz takes it upon herself to raise the baby goose, whom she names Brightbill (Connor). With the help of a clever little fox named Fink (Pascal), she might just succeed—despite her robotic nature.

What We Think: The emotional punch this film delivers is unlike anything DreamWorks has made since How to Train Your Dragon. I’m seated in a theater at a festival surrounded by films about murder, gore, and other horrific themes, yet this one stands out for its pure passion and excellent filmmaking. From top to bottom, there’s a palpable love in the creation of this film. Every voice actor brings genuine personality and life to the pixels on-screen, transforming the characters into far more than just one-dimensional figures. Visually, it’s a stunning mix of different mediums—some stop motion, some hand-drawn—all breathtaking in execution and gorgeous in delivery.

Our Grade: A+, This film absolutely delivers on everything it should. The characters face enough hardships and consequences to keep adults intrigued, while the vibrant visuals and sharp characters will captivate younger audiences. It might just be the best animated film of 2024. That said, it faces a lot of competition this year. Disney will likely enter the race (perhaps with two contenders), and Netflix has Orion and the Dark. Arenamedia also offers another brilliant piece of Australian animation (we’ll get to that), and let’s not forget Legomedia’s contribution. It’s a tough year for animation, and I hope this beautiful film doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

See this film—it deserves your money and success. It’s a brilliant, emotional, and visually stunning work.