The Wild Robot: animated adventure is 'warm, funny and wise'
'Sharply written and richly detailed' adaptation of Peter Brown's best-selling book

Those in search of wholesome half-term fare will do no better than "The Wild Robot", "which is the best animated feature since 'Inside Out 2', and is good enough to be called an 'instant classic'", said Matthew Bond in The Mail on Sunday.
"One of those films that just gets better and better", it's the story of a robot named Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o) who is washed off a cargo ship during a storm and lands up on an island populated only by animals. Roz is "sweetly determined" to find the customer she imagines must have bought her, but is distracted from her mission when she adopts a gosling (Kit Connor).
Adapted by director Chris Sanders ("How to Train Your Dragon") from a book by the American writer Peter Brown, the film features "stunning" hand-painted animation, and a screenplay that is "charming, perfectly paced and wickedly funny at times".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This "sharply written and richly detailed" film picks up "a recurring theme in animation", said Wendy Ide in The Observer: "the robot lost in hostile territory who finds that its best tool for survival is a soul". But while it does recall films such as "WALL-E" and "The Iron Giant", it "holds its own against such illustrious company". And though it's rather sentimental, its "dark humour outweighs any maudlin tendencies", and Nyong'o "fully inhabits her character's arc from synthetic, Siri-style AI perkiness to the world-weary wounded quality that bleeds from every word at the end".
This is a "joyous film – warm, wise and funny", said Tom Shone in The Sunday Times. "Anybody who has found themselves thrust into parenthood without a user's manual, which is to say, just about everybody, will feel understood. Knockouts don't come much cleaner than this."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Conspiracy theorists circle again following RFK file release
The Explainer Both RFK and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, have been the subjects of conspiracies
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
7 equestrian activities for when you feel like horsin' around
The Week Recommends These graceful animals make any experience better
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
'"Andor" examines all sides of how empires operate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Horse around across the globe with these liberating horse-centric activities
The Week Recommends These graceful animals make any experience better
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
7 tranquil hotels worth the (sometimes extreme) trek
The Week Recommends Find serenity off the beaten path
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
G20: Viola Davis stars in 'ludicrous' but fun action thriller
The Week Recommends The award-winning actress plays the 'swashbuckling American president' in this newly released Prime Video film
By The Week UK
-
6 must-see homes in Boston
Feature Featuring a factory-turned-loft in South Boston and a wraparound roof deck in South End
By The Week US
-
Cartier at the V&A: a 'dazzling' show
The Week Recommends A 'once-in-a-lifetime' display of the French jeweller's 'exquisite' objects
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK
-
What is Free Speech?: a 'meticulous' look at the evolution of freedom of expression
The Week Recommends Fara Dabhoiwala provides both history and critique while 'correcting misconceptions'
By The Week UK