KSL Movie Show Review: ‘The Wild Robot’ is a must-see

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SALT LAKE CITY — I’m not going to beat around the bush, mainly because I’m not a medieval hunter (see idiom’s origin) and because “The Wild Robot” is one of the best movies, animated or otherwise, to come out this year. To be more direct, I love this movie!

Any questions? Yes? Okay, here we go.

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“The Wild Robot” is based on the first of a series of three YA novels by Peter Brown. It’s won a slew of literary awards. DreamWorks Animation picked it up for a film adaptation, ironically just as the studio announced it was getting out of the animation business. It may want to reconsider.

“The Wild Robot” is set on future Earth

The story is set on a future Earth, where a cargo shipwreck leaves a ROZZUM unit 7134 (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) on an uninhabited, forest island. Roz for short, tries to find a human to serve, since that is her mandate, but realizes only animals exist here, so she adapts her programming to try to serve them, but they think she’s a monster.

That is until she inadvertently is imprinted on by a goose egg turned gosling to be its mother. By now, she has adapted to learn the different animal languages and discovers that she is technically now something called a “mother” and now is responsible for this runt Barnacle goose she eventually names Brightbill (Kit Connor).

At this point, she gets advice from a variety of creatures, from a self-serving red fox called Fink (Pedro Pascal) to a frazzled opossum Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara) with a passel of frantic little offspring to a wise, elderly goose, Longneck (Bill Nighy) and others.

From monster to mentor

Gradually, Roz accepts her new mantle. She is to protect and teach little Brightbill the ways of the goose, ala swimming and flying. But she also develops a determination to protect the other forestland critters – molting her persona from monster to mentor.

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In the meantime, part of her programming requires her to turn on an internal beacon. It sends a recovery message back to the home office at Universal Dynamics so they can come pick her up. But something inside her suggests that this island might actually be her true home.

Prepare to experience a wide range of emotions, as the WEP factor (wet eye potential) is always lingering nearby. But don’t discount the humor, the suspense, and the action that’s also a big part of this wonderfully heartfelt adventure.

It’s simply a masterclass in great storytelling for all ages and I believe it’s a must see.

The Wild Robot (A) Rated PG for action/peril and thematic elements. Featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill and Catherine O’Hara. Co-written and directed by Chris Sanders (“The Croods” “How to Train Your Dragon”) – last film animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks. Running time: 102 minutes.

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.