The Wild Robot receives glowing reviews following its debut at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Based on the bestselling children’s book by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot sees the robot ROZZUM unit 7134, referred to as Roz, becoming stranded in the wilderness, where she adapts to her new environment and becomes an integral member of the community while raising a baby goose. The new DreamWorks film features a star-studded voice cast, including Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, and Mark Hamill.
The initial reviews for The Wild Robot are overwhelmingly positive, with The Daily Beast‘s Esther Zuckerman comparing it to particularly beloved animated films, asserting that “It evokes its forebears like Wall-E and The Iron Giant, while etching out its own path through richly textured animation and a brilliant lead performance.” IndieWire‘s Kate Erbland describes it as “a warm little gem of a film that’s both a throwback and a push forward.” Deadline’s Pete Hammond declares that “Animated movies just don’t get better than this. Actually, movies just don’t get better than this.”
The Wild Robot May Be DreamWorks’ Best-Received Movie Since Puss In Boots: The Last Wish
More Recent DreamWorks Projects Have Not Resonated With Both Critics And General Audiences
The praise for The Wild Robot bodes well for the film and for DreamWorks. Not since 2022’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has DreamWorks had a film that was well-received by both critics and general audiences. Kung Fu Panda 4, Trolls Band Together, and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken all fared much better with general audiences than with critics. DreamWorks’ and Netflix’s uplifting Orion and the Dark had the opposite reaction, with critics responding well and audiences left unimpressed.
|
Movie |
Tomatometer Score |
Popcornmeter Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) |
71% |
86% |
|
Orion and the Dark (2024) |
91% |
61% |
|
Trolls Band Together (2023) |
63% |
92% |
|
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) |
65% |
81% |
|
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) |
95% |
94% |
The beloved animated films The Wild Robot is being compared to, Wall-E and The Iron Giant, were adored by critics and general audiences, receiving respective Tomatometer scores of 95% and 96% and both having Popcornmeter scores of 90%. With stunning animation, a deeply emotional story, and strong voice performances, The Wild Robot is poised to follow in the footsteps of Wall-E and The Iron Giant. Positive reception from critics and general audiences can also help generate more box office success.
If The Wild Robot truly is the next Wall-E, it is the perfect successor for families and individuals of all ages to see following Inside Out 2, and could be DreamWorks’ best-received film since Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Inside Out 2‘s record-breaking box office proves that there is still significant interest in quality animated films. As Inside Out 2‘s theatrical run winds down and the Pixar sequel becomes available to stream on Disney+, Transformers One and The Wild Robot are the next animated films to see in theaters. If The Wild Robot truly is the next Wall-E, it is the perfect successor for families and individuals of all ages to see following Inside Out 2, and could be DreamWorks’ best-received film since Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Source: Various (see above)
