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'The Wild Robot' Film Differs From The Novel — And Its Message Is As Bold And Timely As Ever
Parenthood is an act often taken for granted. I know this personally as the mom of a 6-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. I also understand it as a daughter; my mom died before I had the perspective to thank her for everything she had given to me.
Apparently, the unappreciated steadfastness demanded in parenting will also apply to robots — or at least one named Rozzum 7143 (Lupita Nyong'o) — in the far distant future, as seen in the new animated children's film "The Wild Robot," which is based off author Peter Brown's book of the same name published back in 2016.
When I entered the theater Friday afternoon with two other moms and a gaggle of seven children (not all ours), I was barely holding it together. My husband was traveling for work, and I was trying to balance the needs of my ill son, who had been sick all week, with those of my daughter, while also trying to work multiple jobs. When my husband cut his work trip short to fly home early Friday afternoon, I wanted to cry in gratitude, but I didn't have the time.
He landed as school was letting out, which meant that I could take my daughter to see "The Wild Robot" with her friends after promising my son that I would take him as soon as he was better. Again, like everything in parenting, nothing was perfect. But I was trying to do my best.
Once we made it to the theater and the seven kids were settled with their popcorn trays and candy (myself and the other parents were seated in the row behind them), the lights began to dim, and I felt my body finally exhale the way it always does when a film begins. Like the novel, the movie opens with a storm that leaves a robot stranded on an island inhabited by animals. Rozzum 7143, or Roz for short, is accidentally activated by a group of curious otters.
Because my kids loved the audiobook (the three of us had also read through its beautifully illustrated paperback version), I had expectations that the adaptation would align with the premise of Brown's story in both plot and theme. However, as the story progressed, it became clear that Roz's learning to adapt to the island was less about her trying to survive and more about her learning to live.
Brown has said that the question that drove him while writing the book was, "What would an intelligent robot do in the wilderness?" The answer he discovered was that "she'd make the wilderness her home." In contrast, the question that underpins the movie seems to be: What would an intelligent robot do when she finds a gosling egg? The eventual answer — she'd become the gosling's mother — isn't obvious, especially to Roz because she doesn't "have the programming."
But as Roz learns from Pinktail the opossum (Catherine O'Hara) and her seven children, no one has the programming. Goslings attach to the first thing they see, so, for better or worse, Roz will need to become a mother to the baby goose, Brightbill (Kit Connor). To do this, she elicits the help of a sly but ultimately big-hearted fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), who features much more heavily in the movie than he does in the book. Together, the three form an unnatural family because the animals are from different species and Roz is a "monster."
At least, that's how many of the animals on the island, especially the other geese, feel at first. The movie alludes to social issues in today's world, including bigoted criticism and legislation against family structures that are "different" or "other," but those parallels aren't blatant or forced. Instead, the film is primarily focused on turning the story of a man-made robot overriding her program to survive in the natural world into a robot taking on the unnatural role of parent. Really, Roz could be any of us.
Pinktail imparts this wisdom, telling Roz that no parent has the code for what they are doing. Just like an opossum playing dead, parenting is often a practiced performance necessary for survival. Any parent who has risen in the middle of a sleep cycle to feed or change a crying baby, held back the hair of a vomiting child while wanting to gag themselves, or stepped away to take a deep breath instead of yelling while a kid is throwing a massive tantrum knows that advice is true. Parenting is often an overriding or repression of our base impulses — of our selfish desires to sleep, leave or scream.
This is why the way Roz overrides her programming differs in its purpose from the book. In the novel, she is made to survive, but in the movie, she is made to help — to increase human leisure time by an average of 40%. Roz is basically an amped-up Alexa or Siri.
The irony is that mothering goes against this goal. Brightbill follows Roz everywhere and slows her down, leading Roz to complain about it in the movie. Pinktail acknowledges this truth, but it doesn't change the fact that Roz is still responsible for Brightbill, and this responsibility gives her purpose and a task. However, parenting is something that is not so easily (or ever) completed, and it is made more difficult because there is no one right code for accomplishing it.
Despite its obviousness, this message still feels like a bold and revelatory statement for a children's movie (or any movie) to make. It's also a much-needed perspective shift, and, like the best children's entertainment, it enables the film to function on two planes: one for kids and one for adults. The difference is that "The Wild Robot" accomplishes this feat with an intention that is rare and a humor that is drawn from perceptive insight instead of plucked low-hanging fruit.
The result is that "The Wild Robot" exudes sincerity while still being funny, and as the story of Roz and Brightbill progresses, she teaches him to become independent. It's a big undertaking for Roz as she helps Brightbill learn to swim and fly so he can migrate south with the rest of the flock for winter. She becomes the mechanical wind under Brightbill's wings, and he accepts her support — even at times when he doesn't want to. For example, there's a portion of the movie where Roz continues to help others while Brightbill struggles with his identity, leading him to resent hereven though he knows she is the reason he can fly. The moment led to myself and two other moms crying multiple times because we could relate to Roz and felt seen as mothers.
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I wasn't expecting to feel understood when I entered the theater to watch a children's animated movie at the end of a long week of parenting. And I wasn't expecting the film to ruminate on the illusion of maternal instincts, burden of self-sacrifice, or joy that can still be found in overriding one's code to caretake.
However, this complex portrayal of parenthood within a beautifully cinematic, engaging world is the real achievement of "The Wild Robot." It reveals the intricacies of modern motherhood — the "unnatural" and thankless sacrifices required in the act of parenting that are not promised to add up to anything, but maybe — just maybe — can and will. It shows the way neither parents nor children are coded for their roles, but the bonds of family can bridge the parts of the program that are missing.
"The Wild Robot" is both about a robot who goes wild and the wildness of life itself, and it is an animated movie that everyone — both kids and parents — should see.
"The Wild Robot" is now playing in theaters.
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The Wild Robot Opens At The Top Of The Box Office
Family-friendly movies continue to save the box office this year. After the massive mega-hit that was Inside Out 2, this weekend's number one film is another animated kids' movie, The Wild Robot. The DreamWorks flick, which stars Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames, raked in $35 million in its opening weekend.
It's not the massive haul ($62 million) that Inside Out 2 made in its debut, but The Wild Robot deserves a little credit after a summer where most of the biggest hits were so-called "established IP." (Per Box Office Mojo, nine out of the 10 most lucrative films of 2024 so far were sequels or series.) Deadline, always good for an esoteric fun fact, reports that The Wild Robot achieved "the third best opening for an animated movie in September." Another fun fact: with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice bumped to number two, Catherine O'Hara currently has the two biggest movies at the box office, which feels truly right and just.
Elsewhere in the weekend's debuts, the Indian action drama Deavara Part One (starring RRR's N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) debuted at number four at the box office with $5.6 million. This is particularly notable because it came out way ahead of Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, which opened to $4 million. According to Variety, Megalopolis played in 1,854 North American theaters, while Deavara Part One was showing at just 1,040. Unfortunately, whatever morbid curiosity exists surrounding Coppola's bizarre self-funded epic didn't translate to ticket sales, despite the auteur's big push for IMAX theaters. See below for the weekend's top 10 at the box office, via Box Office Mojo.
Prime Day Before Prime Day: This Alexa-Enabled Roomba Robot Vacuum And Mop Will Clean Up Your Home And Its Already Almost Half Off
It's hard work being a grown up. Every hour of our day is jam-packed. We're working our jobs for eight of those hours, can find ourselves commuting to and from work for another two hours or more. Then throw in the time it takes to prepare meals and run errands. For many of us, we have kids to take care of which cuts down on our free time even further. With all that in mind, it's not crazy if you fall behind on vacuuming around the house.
So why not delegate that work to a robot who knows nothing but vacuuming. Well, vacuuming and mopping. The iRobot Roomba combination robot vacuum and mop does exactly that and right now it's 42% off as part of an early Prime Day deal. You can get it for just $160.
See at Amazon
Ready to Take on the Dirty WorkCleaning your house or apartment isn't an easy thing to do when your schedule is filled to the brim. A Roomba can take the load off for you with its complete four-stage cleaning system. It will vacuum and mop in just one pass, using a special brush to get in those tight corners so dust won't gather. It's small height let's it easily get under couches and coffee tables for a more thorough cleaning of your home.
The Roomba uses a smart navigation system so, learning your home's layout so it can optimally do its job. It'll clean in neat rows and sensors help it find it's way through and around furniture. It can sense when it's approaching stairs so you'll always come home to a clean home and not an upside down robot at the base of your steps.
The iRobot Home app lets you set and forget, allowing you to have your Roomba clean while you're away from the house. The app can suggest cleaning schedules and provide a clean map report so you can see exactly how well it covered every exposed surface on the floor of your home.
The robot vacuum and mop can clean for up to two hours on a single charge. It will recognize on its own when its battery has gotten low and return to its charging station by itself.
The mop uses a micro pump to control water flow so the pad stays uniformly moist throughout the entire cleaning. The mop pad is washable and reusable for up to 30 uses before needing replacement.
So stop stressing when you get home about having to mop and vacuum. You should be treated to a clean home when you get back from a long day, and the iRobot Roomba combination mop and vacuum can make that happen for just $160 — a 42% discount.
See at Amazon
This article is part of Gizmodo Deals, produced separately from the editorial team. Gizmodo may earn a commission when you buy through links on the site.
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