DreamWorks’The Wild Robot looks to be following in the footsteps of Pixar’s Wall-E, which is a promising development for the new animated film. Based on The Wild Robot book series by Peter Brown, the story focuses on a robot who ends up crashing into a forest as it tries to adapt and make several connections with the wildlife it encounters. Balancing sci-fi with an appreciation for the natural world, the latest DreamWorks animated movie is coming to theaters with a clear attention to artistry imbued in the story.
The Wild Robot‘s trailer is an impressive piece, showcasing an emotionally open and curious tone that seems to be featured in the film. If the film can match the emotional beats featured in the trailer, then The Wild Robot might be something special. While it may take cues from plenty of previous animated films and concepts, The Wild Robot could be poised to be a surprisingly heartfelt and effective entry to the DreamWorks library and an ideal answer for the studio to one of their rival’s biggest achievements.
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DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot Looks Very Similar To Wall-E
The Wild Robot looks to be following in many of the same tonal footsteps as Wall-E, which isn’t a bad thing given that 16-year-old film’s stirring exploration of nature, life, and love through the eyes of a robot. The Wild Robot‘s trailer takes place in a massive forest, removed from humanity. This is similar to Wall-E‘s primary focus on robots, although humanity becomes a factor later in that film. The trailer largely focuses on Roz landing within the forest. Roz’s interactions with animals are similar to the relationship between Wall-E and the cockroach Hal in the Pixar film.
Both films carry a clear eco-friendly message. Wall-E was a post-apocalyptic world that only rediscovered nature’s potential in the film’s final segments. The Wild Robot seems to be far more rooted in nature, as the natural world is still thriving despite machines having advanced to the level of Roz. Although the film has an impressive cast of voice talent (Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, and Stephanie Hsu), the trailer showcases the film’s impressive visuals without any dialogue. This highlights the strength of silent storytelling, similar to Wall-E‘s near-perfect first act.
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The Wild Robot Could Be One Of 2024’s Biggest Cinematic Surprises
The Wild Robot is an impressive-looking animated film that may quietly have the potential to be one of 2024’s unexpected hits. Although the full cast for the film implies that the story will feature far more dialogue than what the trailer indicates, the mood and tone established by the teaser are quietly powerful and emotional. Ideally, some film sequences will lean into this silent approach, similar to Wall-E. Roz has an appealing visual design with elements from all sorts of beloved robotic characters, easily capable of showcasing emotion even without deploying a single line of dialogue.
While the plots and focuses may be different in The Wild Robot and Wall-E, both films seem to be drawing from the same storytelling impulses. The Wild Robot‘s beautiful showcase of nature feels similar to the way that Wall-E was able to turn the vacuum of space into a beautiful setting. All of this adds up to a film that looks like it could potentially be an emotional rollercoaster for audiences as they grow alongside Roz. The Wild Robot‘s trailer showcases the visual potential and ambition baked into the film, which could match one of Pixar’s greatest cinematic achievements.
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