The Wild Robot

Last night I went to see The Wild Robot and, even though I had heard great things about it, I was unprepared for just how powerful and emotional it is and for how much I loved it!  A robot named Roz (Lupita Nyong'o) is stranded on an uninhabited island after the cargo ship transporting her from the factory runs aground during a typhoon.  She searches the island for a task to complete, which is her purpose, but most of the animals run from her in fear.  When she accidentally destroys a goose nest, the only surviving gosling imprints on her and, with a little help from a mischievous red fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), a harried mother opposum named Pinktail (Catherine O'Hara), an understanding falcon named Thunderbolt (Ving Rhames), a wise goose named Longneck (Bill Nighy), a misunderstood Beaver named Paddler (Matt Berry), and a ferocious grizzly bear named Thorn (Mark Hamill), she reluctantly takes on the tasks of feeding Brightbill (Kit Connor) and teaching him to swim and fly.  The story may be simple but it is compelling and very moving (I had tears in my eyes multiple times).  One of the themes that I really loved is that it is sometimes better to abandon everything you think you know and trust what you feel because Roz must overcome her programming in order to succeed with Brightbill.  I also loved the theme of acceptance because both Roz and Brightbill are shunned for being different but they both eventually save their community because of those differences.  In addition, Roz's experiences as a mother are incredibly powerful, especially when she realizes that she must ultimately let Brighbill go after teaching him to fly.  The animation is visually stunning with an evocative score to match and all of the vocal performances are highly nuanced (I was particularly impressed with Nyong'o because Roz's voice noticeably changes as she moves beyond her programming).  The hype is definitely real with this beautiful movie and I highly recommend it to everyone!