The Wild Robot review: "Lupita Nyong’o is excellent in this gorgeous animation"

In the near-ish future, ROZZUM 7134 is the only surviving unit out of a cargo of server-robots washed up on an island wilderness. Crab-crawling up the cliff-face - using the first of many skills she’ll mimic from the island’s wildlife - humanoid ‘Roz’ (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) makes a home in the woodland.

The most striking thing about The Wild Robot is how it continues mainstream animation’s ongoing visually inventive streak (the Spider-Verse movies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish). This CG-animated film has a sumptuous, painterly quality that magics brushstrokes out of pixels. It’s delightful to gawp at, and makes the ideal canvas for the tech-meets-nature story.

Along the way, Roz bonds with Fink the fox (a spry Pedro Pascal) and Paddler the beaver (Matt Berry); the believable breathing, snarling life imbued into these creatures recalls writer/director Chris Sanders’ previous successes (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon). But Roz’s most special – and heartwarming – connection is with gosling Brightbill (Kit Connor), a runt she adopts after a tragic accident. Their early moments together, as Roz teaches him to fly, are where the film really takes off emotionally, thanks in no small part to Nyong’o’s excellent, cliche-swerving voicework. 

There’s a touching theme about becoming more than you’re programmed to be, so it’s a slight shame The Wild Robot can’t completely resist formula, leaning into high-tech action in its third act. This, like some of the too-modern gags elsewhere, feels at odds with the general vibe of lovingly rendered originality. But compared to the average family-friendly animation, this is very much an upgrade.

The Wild Robot is released in US theaters on September 27 and in UK cinemas on October 18. 

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