WILD ROBOT (2024) Peacock. Nominated for Best Animated Feature.  A futuristic update on the stories of baby animals being brought up by other species. The first parental unit a Goose named Brightbill (voiced by Kit Connor) sees is a Rozzum robot, soon to be nicknamed Roz (Lupita Nyong'o). The Bot was being shipped and crash landed on a deserted cold weather island. It's primary function is to find a living being it can be a servant to. A wily fox, Fink (Pedro Pascal) befriends them.

Based on the story of the same name by Peter Brown, Chris Sanders' adaptation is well told. The storytelling is fairly basic with Roz helping the Goose learn to eat, fend for itself, and, eventually, fly and migrate. The fox alternately helps and makes mischief with the many other animals on the isle which also treat Roz with apprehension. A fascinating aspect of the screenplay is that it is told completely without humans. Even the Universal Dynamics headquarters where the machines are built, is seemingly self-sufficient. It's never made clear why humanity is so scarce, but the demand for robots may be an undefined clue. 

The animation is mostly quite good, even if the fur sometimes makes the creatures seem a bit like stuffed animal toys. There is a spectacular sequence towards the end which seems to bring things to a logical conclusion. Sanders overplays his hand somewhat and there's an extra 'ending' or two. What makes it really work, though, is that it's a fable about motherhood. Roz must come to grips that, eventually, “she” must let go of her “child”. It's very well handled and even poignant. Only the most cynical might argue that it's an underhanded attempt to humanize AI. THE WILD ROBOT is a successful animated feature.

WILD ROBOT is currently streaming on Peacock and for rental. It's on Blu Ray and DVD