David VanLaningham

The Wild Robot is an example of how DreamWorks' animation and casting still outpace the writer's room. Starting with the good, The Wild Robot is a visually stunning film with an emotional punch. The animals and robots are cute, and the depiction of (what I assume is) the Pacific Northwest scenery is epic and beautiful. The characters form touching emotional relationships in the movie and at times you will feel tugs on your heartstrings. That said, it feels like they decided to make a movie "about a robot in the forest" and forged a somewhat unbelievable plot to make that work. It can be viewed as a work of fantasy more than science fiction. The writers missed an opportunity to explore a more believable character arc and relied on cliches like "a robot looking for a heart". The ending was somewhat satisfying but felt a little tacked on. Still, it's a kids' movie and I think anyone will be entertained for its super reasonable run time.