TIFF 2024 Review: The Wild Robot – “a story that effortlessly shifts between heartfelt drama and humour.”

A stranded robot programmed to follow orders encounters the chaotic wildlife living on an island left untouched by humans.

A family of otters accidentally reactive a robot called Rozzum unit 7134 which has crash landed on their island.  Used to being given orders, the high-tech device struggles to comprehend and communicate with the animals that view it with great suspicion and hostility.  A tragic accident forces ‘Roz’ to overwrite the computer programming and go beyond what was originally intended by the corporate manufacturer.

Check out all of our TIFF coverageBring a box of Kleenex, especially for the parental storyline that sees a literal-minded machine adopt an outcast gosling and a trickster fox and become a selfless guardian.   The illustrative animation style definitely makes each frame look like something out of a storybook which emphasizes the tactile and messiness of nature in comparison to the sleek and geometric home of humans.  There is no shying away from dark themes which is a common trait of faerie tales, in particular the food chain aspect of the animal kingdom that is played to great comedic affect.

Everyone involved in the production, including the voice cast led by Lupita Nyong’o have taken great care with the creative and technical choices but also seems to be having fun.  So much is going on that it will require multiple viewings to completely digest and appreciate what is happening, however, this does not distract from the storytelling.  No doubt that the Pixar box office juggernaut known as Inside Out 2 will have some serious awards competition as filmmaker Chris Sanders has a deep understanding of human emotions and has created story that effortlessly shifts between heartfelt drama and humour.

The 49th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5-15, 2024, and for more information visit tiff.net.    

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.

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