‘The Wild Robot’ now streams on Peacock
Category: Television and Streaming
Nominated for three Academy Awards (including Best Animated Feature Film) The Wild Robot is a fun story filled with humor and heart. It is based on a book however the screenplay was written by Chris Sanders who wrote Lilo and Stitch, and there are many similarities between the two films.
The story begins when a package containing a robot crashes on a deserted island. This robot, Rozzum 7134 (now to be called Roz), is programed to help complete a task. She is intimidating to the wildlife on the island who wonder if she is there to kill them.
Roz accidentally destroys a nest of goslings however one egg survives. She takes care of the egg until it hatches then she thinks her task is completed. Wrong! The gosling attaches to the first thing it sees, and the first thing this little fellow sees is Roz.
Roz is instructed by the mother opossum that she is now the little guy’s mother. “I do not have the programming to be a mother,” she says. “No one does,” says Pinktail, the opossum mom.
Roz soon learns being a mom is “a full time thing.” She names the little guy Brightbill and sets out to help him perfect the three tools he will need to survive: eating, swimming, and flying. If he masters these he will be able to join other geese when they migrate for the winter, even though he is at a disadvantage due to his small size.
Fink the fox befriends the two and soon they are all working together to help Brightbill gain the tools he needs. Throughout this time Roz and Brightbill become a family. In Lilo and Stitch they call it “Ohana.”
Then Brightbill learns that Roz’s accident killed his real family yet she is the one who saved him. He is not keen to forgive her but they both realize they “love” each other and that together they are their own family.
Roz learns about love and all the animals on the island learn to trust each other and work together even though they are a mixture of predators. It is Roz and more so Fink who brings them all together to live happy lives.
Then – you didn’t think there wouldn’t be a “then” did you? – Universal Dynamics, the company that created Roz and all the Rozzum robots, sends a team to retrieve her and bring her back so they can find out how she deviated from her programming. They have never had a robot learn to love.
Just like in Lilo and Stitch when The Grand Councilwoman came to Earth to retrieve Stitch, Contra, a floating robot, brings her team to retrieve Roz. But Roz does not want to go back. She does not want to lose her memories of Brightbill, Fink, and all the others. She does not want to lose the love and family that is now programmed inside her.
When Roz realizes Universal Dynamics will keep coming after her, she relents and goes back. But don’t be discouraged. She found love once and that love is too strong to lose. And take heart, DreamWorks is working on the sequel to this heartfelt story of life, love, and family.
Yes, there are many similarities between Lilo and Stitch and The Wild Robot, but each movie has its own heartwarming story.
Lupita Nyong’o is the voice of Roz, Pedro Pascal voices Fink, Catherine O’Hara voices Pinktail, and Kit Connor is the voice of Brightbill.
The beautiful scenery on the island and the fun of the various characters combine to make The Wild Robot a great family film.
The Wild Robot is now streaming on Peacock. It is rated PG for action/peril and thematic elements.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.