After stranding on a small island, the robot ROZZUM 7134 discovers the local fauna and takes on the responsibility of raising the gosling Joli-Bec, which she orphaned despite herself.
The Wild Robotwhich we saw in the Quebec version under the title Wild robotdon’t waste time surprising.
First, the animation combines the realism to which contemporary works have accustomed us, among other things thanks to the water which seems as real as that of the St. Lawrence River, and a style which is similar to watercolor. Director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods) wanted to respect the spirit of the books by author Peter Brown.
While ROZZUM 7134, who will be called Roz (the voice of Naadei Lyonnais, Lupita Nyong’o in the original version) by her future friends, desperately searches for her bearings on the uninhabited island where she has just washed up, we discover at the same time time she the cruelty of the animal world. It is rare for a work intended for a young audience to show the rules of the food chain without restraint. However, there is nothing traumatic here and some older people might even be amused.
In all the chaos that follows her initial exploration of the island, Roz comes across a nest and finds that only one egg remains. Out comes Joli-Bec (Philippe Vanasse-Paquet), a puny gosling who immediately considers Roz his mother. Although this most complex role is not part of his programming, Roz will do everything in his power to teach the little one to swim and fly. She will sum up the task with this very apt expression: “a terrifying sense of duty”.
A host of endearing characters will help him in his “mission”, including the fox Escobar (Frédérik Zacharek), the mother opossum Queue-Rose (Claudine Chatel) and the goose Long-Neck (Benoît Brière). A beaver, a grizzly bear, an eagle, otters and several other animals will end up forming a large dysfunctional family united by Roz.
Then, the Universal Dynamics troops will arrive, coming to collect Roz and bring her back to the factory. Wild robot then becomes more conventional and predictable. Certainly, the action is satisfactory, but the singular rhythm of the beginning, the absence of a classic antagonist and the refreshing approach of the first half are replaced by a known recipe.
The Wild Robot is still one of the best creations from the DreamWorks studio (Kung Fu Panda, Trolls, The Bad Guys) over the last 10 years. Bring tissues.
In the room
Animated comedy
The Wild Robot
(VF: Wild robot)
Chris Sanders
With the voices of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor
1:41 a.m.