A ship carrying a half-dozen highly-advanced Rozzum service robots from Universal Dynamics encounters a storm, causing its cargo to crash on the shore of an uninhabited island. One of the robots, unit RZ 7134, aka “Roz” (Lupita Nyong’o, Us, A Quiet Place: Day One), manages to survive and activates. As Roz searches the wooded island for her customer, in order to receive her task, she just finds animals, and has trouble understanding them. She remains upbeat and positive, and after enabling her learning mode and observing and mimicking the animals for a period, she is able to communicate with them. However, the animals, when not fighting with one another, see her as some kind of monster and don’t want anything to do with her.
Unable to figure out who ordered her or what her task should be, Roz is about to enable her return transmitter to go back to factory, when it is stolen by some racoons. She then finds herself chased by an angry bear, and ends up falling onto a birds’ nest, killing the mother goose and leaving just one egg intact. She decides that her task is to protect that egg from hungry, mischievous fox Fink (Pedro Pascal, The Mandalorian, The Last of Us), who is eager to turn it into a meal. And so, after the egg hatches, Roz believes her task to be completed, and is once again prepared to head back to the factory. But she soon realizes that the gosling, Brightbill (Kit Connor, Heartstopper), who was born prematurely and without a family, is being treated like an outcast, just like her, and has no chance of surviving on his own. So with help from self-proclaimed goose expert Fink, she sets out to feed and protect Brightbill like a mother, and teach him how to swim and fly before the upcoming migration. This is not going to be an easy task, and will require Roz to constantly alter and go against her programming. However, she soon realizes that kindness can be a survival skill, and not only starts to fit in on the island, but also starts to experience emotions, and changes the animals around her as well.
Some of the other animals on the island include opossum Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara), a single-mother raising a half-dozen offspring on her own; Longneck (Bill Nighy), the wise old goose leading the migration; Thorn (Mark Hamill), the island’s feared grizzly bear; Thunderbolt (Ving Rhames), a falcon Roz enlists to help teach Brightbill how to fly; and Paddler (Matt Berry), a neurotic beaver obsessed with gnawing down a massive tree. Stephanie Hsu also appears as Vontra (Virtual Observational Neutralizing Troublesome Retrieval Authority), a robot sent by Universal Dynamics to retrieve Roz.
The Wild Robot is based on the book of the same name by Peter Brown, and is written/directed by Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods). Sanders once again gives viewers a heartwarming story centered around a family, this time an unconventional trio of a robot, a fox and a gosling, and the love and bond that forms between them, as well as the larger community of animals. The film tells a complete story, but also ends in such a way that it sets up potential future installments of the story—the original novels are a trilogy, and this film covers the first book.
The Wild Robot has a very unique visual style. Where most modern animated films try to use CG to make things as realistic-looking as possible, here everything looks more like a painting, with visible brush strokes, and every scene looking like a piece of art. When Roz first lands on the island, she is a clean, modern CG object living in this wild canvas. But as she evolves and changes and becomes more attune to her feelings and this natural world, she starts to blend in more with her surroundings. The film does an excellent job of slowly transforming Roz from a more mechanical, by-the-programming robot, to a loving and caring being. This is explored not only in the visuals, but also in star Lupita Nyong’o’s vocal performance, which starts off as this higher-pitched monotone way of speaking, but eventually gets deeper and full of emotion. Even though she doesn’t have a mouth, the animators do an excellent job of conveying Roz’s newly-discovered emotions.
The rest of the voice cast is also fantastic, with all of the actors bringing both humor and heart to the roles. You really feel like Roz and Brightbill are a family and that there is a strong loving bond between them. Roz is a mother who will do anything for her son—initially because it was her assigned task, but then it becomes much more than that. While the film does have some exciting more action-packed moments, there is also so many emotional moments, such as a rousing speech from the legendary Bill Nighy as Longneck.
“Brightbill was never supposed to get this far … but he has a chance if where his wings end, his heart can pay the balance.”
We were sent the 4K release of The Wild Robot for review, and it looks and sounds fantastic. The picture is pristine, and the Dolby Vision-enhanced colors are so vivid. This is especially noticeable in the bright magenta that encompasses the island later in the film. While the level of detail is strong, the “painting” aesthetic of the film causes things to be intentionally muddled, rather than showing off every minute detail such as individual feathers or fur. The filmmakers are not going for that ultra-realistic feel of most modern 3D-animated films, but that’s not to say the picture doesn’t still look great. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack provides a fully-immersive experience, starting with the crashing waves that open the film, which you can really feel, along with the general ambiance of the island. The film has an amazing score that will stick in your head for days, and two inspirational original songs performed by Maren Morris (one during Brightbill’s flight training montage and the other during the end credits).
The Wild Robot was released theatrically in 3D, but unfortunately there is once again no 3D disc option, and unlike the past few DreamWorks releases, it appears that Universal isn’t even offering a 3D streaming version on Fandango at Home this time around.
This disc release contains a solid selection of bonus material, including a filmmaker commentary track, over 35-minutes of behind-the-scenes material with the cast/crew, a pair of deleted scenes, and some drawing/craft tutorials,. The 4K release includes both a 4K and a Blu-ray disc, packed on either side of a standard UHD keepcase, along with a cardboard slipcover with an embossed title/artwork, and redemption instructions for a 4K digital copy of the film.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:41:41)
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4K Ultra HD:
- 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
- Subtitles: English SDH, French (Canada)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DVS (Descriptive Vieo Service), Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 4K Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)
Blu-ray:
Digital (code may not be valid after 1/31/2026):
Extras:
The same bonus material is available on both discs. Play All, or select from:
- Alternate Opening — “Commercial for Rozzum” (4:08)
Writer/Director Chris Sanders provides an introduction for this alternate opening (presented in storyboard form) featuring a promotional video for the Rozzum robot. This was eventually integrated later in the film. - Moments From the Mic (2:28)
Footage of the cast in the recording booth—Pedro Pascal (“Fink”), Kit Connor (“Brightbill”), Lupita Nyong’o (“Roz”), Catherine O’Hara (“Pinktail”), Stephanie Hsu (“Vontra”), Mark Hamill (“Thorn”) & Bill Nighy (“Longneck”). - Meet the Cast (6:34)
The cast and crew discuss what the actors brought to the roles, working with the director, the characters, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/director Chris Sanders, editor Mary Blee, producer Jeff Hermann, and stars Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, Kit Connor & Bill Nighy.
- Deleted Storyboard Sequence — “The Overprotective Mother” (3:13)
Writer/Director Chris Sanders provides an introduction for this deleted sequence (presented in storyboard form) in which Brightbill acts more like a robot than a goose due to Roz’s overprotective nature.
- Assembly Required: Animating The Wild Robot (10:25)
The cast and crew discuss the director’s role, giving the film a more hand-painted style, the unique look of the film, giving emotion to Roz’s expressionless face, creating the sound and movement of Roz, animating the animals, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/director Chris Sanders, production designer Raymond Zibach, head of look Baptiste Van Opstal, look development supervisor Lisa Slates Connors, head of character animation Jakob Hjort Jensen, editor Mary Blee, sound designer Randy Thom, character effects supervisor Damon Riesberg, and stars Lupita Nyong’o & Pedro Pascal.
- Feeling Alive (9:08)
The cast and crew discuss adapting the original book, the characters and themes of the story, some of the changes that were made to enhance the emotional core, Roz’s journey, and more. Includes illustrations, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with author/illustrator Peter Brown (“The Wild Robot”), writer/director Chris Sanders, producer Jeff Hermann, production designer Raymond Zibach, co-producer Heather Lanza, head of story Heidi Jo Gilbert, and stars Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Kit Connor & Catherine O’Hara.
- Wild Sounds (6:01)
The cast and crew discuss the creating film’s score and its role in the movie, the two original songs, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/director Chris Sanders, composer Kris Bowers, Sandbox Percussion (Ian Rosenbaum, Terry Sweeney, Jonny Allen & Victor Caccese), singer/songwriter Maren Morris, and star Lupita Nyong’o. - How to Draw (22:06)
Writer/Director Chris Sanders teaches star Lupita Nyong’o how to draw the character of Roz. Then, character designer/story artist Genevieve Tsai teaches viewers how to draw three additional characters from the film. Play All, or select from:- Roz (5:50)
- Fink (5:03)
- Baby Brighthow (4:43)
- Pinktail (6:28)
- Fly Your Own Brightbill (10:39)
In this narrated tutorial, viewers learn how to build their very own Brightbill kite. - Feature Commentary (1:41:41)
Writer/Director Chris Sanders, Producer Jeff Hermann, Editor Mary Blee, Production Designer Raymond Zibach, Head of Story Heidi Jo Gilbert, and Head of Character Animation Jakob Hjort Jensen provide an entertaining and informative commentary throughout the film. They share a lot of behind-the-scenes stories about the production, talk about how the film evolved and changed, mention some of the differences from the book, and more.
Final Thoughts:
The Wild Robot is another delightful animated film from DreamWorks that features a lot of humor and heart. It contains some excellent vocal performances, an amazing score/soundtrack, and a creative visual style that looks like a painting come to life. I first saw this film in the theater, and enjoyed it just as much the second time around on this 4K release. The presentation is top notch, and the disc includes a nice assortment of bonus material. This is a must own for DreamWorks fans, or fans of the film itself.
The Wild Robot (UHD) [4K UHD]
$29.95 (as of January 2, 2025 07:00 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Wild Robot (BD) [Blu-ray]
$24.95 $23.29 (as of January 2, 2025 07:00 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Wild Robot [DVD]
$19.95 $15.16 (as of January 2, 2025 07:00 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Wild Robot
$19.99 (as of January 2, 2025 07:00 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
