Growing up in an age where the likes of Swat Kats, Centurions, and Robocop ruled the evening “tv time”, animated movies have always captivated me. Be it the ones for all age groups, such as Frozen or Tangled, the niche anime-styled films from the eastern land of Japan, like Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, or even the famed comic-book titles of the DC Animated Universe, it is always a delight to watch artists paint such vivid scenery on the movie screen.
It is with this expectation that I arrived at a multiplex to catch the screening of DreamWorks’ much awaited film, The Wild Robot, which opened in India this weekend. And it didn’t disappoint! I give this a 4 out of 5 rating, and it makes for a wonderful theatre watch!
With an engaging animated tale that shows the stark contrast from functional computing to forest life, Lupita Nyong'o-starrer The Wild Robot is all heart and soul. The story follows Roz (short for ROZZUM Unit 7134), voiced by Academy Award winner Nyong'o, a robot who is stranded on an uninhabited island following a shipwreck. On the island, Roz takes steps to survive the harsh surroundings by bonding with the animals. It soon comes to care for an orphaned baby goose, Brightbill, voiced by Kit Connor.
Directed by Chris Sanders, Nyong'o joins fan-favourite Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Ving Rhames, and Catherine O'Hara, along with voice-acting veteran and Star Wars fame Mark Hamill, among others, in a pretty decent rendition of Peter Brown's novel with the same name.
Connor shines as the gosling, and Pedro Pascal plays the duplicitous fox Fink with perfection. It is like Pascal can do no wrong! Give us more of him in animation projects! O'Hara’s character is a breath of fresh air. Without spoiling much, let me say that this cast is perfect.
The screenplay and story by the Brown–Sanders combo hit all the spots, and I was thoroughly entertained throughout the first half.
The second half picks up the action as the plot thickens; it flew by with a lot of action, and I can’t wait for a sequel, if they ever plan on one!
A great animated film bogged down by lack of buzz, delayed India release
This makes for a rewarding family watch, whether it is during an outing with kids or with friends. The movie is out in theatres in India this week and is available in 2D, 3D, and IMAX formats where it is supported.
Despite it all, in this age of high-speed internet and OTT, The Wild Robot’s delay in its India release has resulted in a general lack of buzz. With international marketing dying down after its US release more than three weeks ago, Indian audiences barely got to know about this DreamWorks title.
This adds to a number of misses as far as movie marketing is considered for animated films in India, despite having a very active, loyal audience of it. The Wild Robot was initially scheduled for a September 20 release worldwide, but was delayed to avoid the clash with Transformers One—another title that failed to bring Indian audiences to cinema halls.
Other notable animated release include Look Back (Japanese with English subtitles) from the Tatsuki Fujimoto, creator of Chainsaw Man, on October 25, Disney’s Moana 2 on November 29 and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimon December 13. The re-mastered release of Yugo Sako’s hit, Ramayana: The Legend of Rama, which was scheduled for this week, is now expected to get a new release date before the end of the year.