Day: 27 February 2025

Movie Review: The Wild Robot

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

This year is one Oscar year where predicting the Best Animated Feature winner will be difficult. One of the favorites is The Wild Robot. Does it have what it takes to win?

The film begins in a remote forest land on an uninhabited island unblemished by human intervention. The coast soon becomes an unintentional wash-up ground for Universal Dynamic’s ROZZUM robots coming from a capsized ship. Only one robot, Unit 7134, survives and running wildlife activate it. It’s obvious the robot has no place on the island as it can’t interact properly with animals. The robot is intended to be a customer service robot with a female voice. Nothing the robot does helps any of the animals and the animals respond in a hostile manner, chasing 7134. Upon falling from running away, 7134 crushed a mother goose to death and all but one of the nest eggs on its landing. The lone egg that was unharmed hatches the baby gosling. 7134 takes a fascination in it. Plus 7134 is programmed to continue with whatever mission she’s given until completion. She puts the egg inside her chest.

7134 finds a memory card in herself to make her communicate with animals better and inserts it. Soon after, she encounters Fink: a sly hungry fox who knows of the egg and wants to eat it. 7134 is able to prevent the theft. Soon the egg hatches and a male gosling is born and imprints himself on 7134. 7134 now has a mission to raise the gosling to adulthood, but how? 7134 first finds guidance from a mother opossum who’s currently mothering six babies. Fink returns but instead of eating the gosling, he makes a deal with 7134 to help raise the feller for a shelter in return. 7134 agrees and creates a hut for them all to live. In the naming of the gosling, 7134 gives the gosling number-names which annoys Fink. Fink gives 7134 naming tutelage and the gosling is given the name ‘Brightbill.’ 7134 even gets a new name of her own: Roz.

Over the months, Brightbill grows, albeit awkwardly. While the other goslings are goose-like and grow as naturally as geese do, Brightbill acts more like Roz than a goose. The other teen goslings taunt him for his awkwardness. Then one day, another flop day of goose training for Brightbill, one of the peers tells Brightbill that Roz killed his mother. It’s there Brightbill turns against Roz.  Even though Roz still wants to mother Brightbill, a ROZZUM unit she reconstructs tells her to return to Universal Dynamics. Roz is determined to reconcile with Brightbill and raise him. That sends a signal back to Universal Dynamics. Meanwhile Roz finds the right bird to teach Brightbill how to fly: a falcon named Thunderbolt. With help from goose master Longneck, Thuynderbolt succeeds in making Brightbill able to fly in time for migration.

The migration is not what it seems. The birds encounter a thunderstorm as they fly in San Francisco. They hope the greenhouse from Universal Dynamics they spot in San Francisco is the temporary shelter they need, but the Universal Dynamics technology detects the birds as contaminant and a multitude of reconnaissance, or RECO, robots that look exactly like Roz go shooting at the birds. The island which has the hibernating animals goes through a severe snowstorm and they fear they will freeze to death. Roz and Fink build a shelter for all animals but demand a truce of all of them not to harm each other.

As spring returns, Brightbill and the geese return, Roz repowers herself and the animals are free to roam the island. Unfortunately, Universal Dynamics has sent a robot to retrieve Roz named VONTRA and she’s troublesome, reckless and remorseless. VONTRA is not even afraid to start a forest fire on the island to get Roz. It’s then the animals group together to rescue Roz and battle VONTRA as their land is burning in a bright red fire. I won’t spoil the ending but the film then ends not with the battle but the aftermath, reminding us of the bond between Roz, Brightbill and all the animals.

This film is based upon the 2016 children’s novel The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. The story itself is a story about togetherness. In many ways, children who watch this film can learn about the importance of getting along and actually coming as one. If animals who attack eat other or treat each other as prey can get along, so can other kids. Same way as a robot, who has no qualities to bond with animals, learns to have those qualities and does bond. Even raise a baby gosling to goose. The film also has other themes too of the environment and how development threatens animal’s habitats. Even the threat of having technology run things and make decisions with no human feelings is another thematic element of the story. At the beginning, I didn’t think Roz would be of any help to the animals of the island. Just an interference that acts on her own programmed logic to do only the things she’s programmed to do. A change of things changes everything and Roz becomes an unlikely hero.

The film’s quality is in its story. It plays the story well. The animals act like animals and Roz acts with her programmed logic. Over time we see the story develop. Roz goes from being an interference on the island to becoming a big help. Fink goes from a sly conniver to being a big help to the animals too. Brightbill also goes from being a robot-like gosling to the goose he was meant to be. It succeeds in making moments you think won’t develop properly develop into the way it was meant to be. At the same time, the film also adds in the other threats like how robots are sent to the island as Roz is not doing her commanded duties and VONTRA threatens to get her even at the cost of the island’s destruction. Unexpected moments like these and the film ending in the manner you didn’t expect add to the story. Also since this film is an adaptation of the first book of a Wild Robot trilogy of books, it also sets up well for the sequel that will be adapted from The Wild Robot Escapes novel. The box office results of this film have opened the door for the development of a sequel, but filming details and release date have not yet been confirmed.

The biggest credit should go to director/writer Chris Sanders. Sanders has over 40 years of experience in animation having first worked as a scriptwriter for the Muppet Babies cartoons and then becoming story writer for five of Disney’s films in the 1990’s during the ‘Disney Renaissance.’ He then broke out into directing with 2002’s Lilo and Stitch which is the first film he directed, co-directing with Dean De Blois. Since then, he moved onto Dreamworks Animation and has co-directed How To Train Your Dragon with de Blois, The Croods with Kirk DeMicco and his first solo project The Call Of The Wild. In this film, he succeeds in delivering an excellent story mixed with dazzling effects. He does a great job in making a film that can easily make Disney and even Pixar jealous!

Also great voice acting from Lupita Nyong’o. She knows how to make Roz the unfeeling robot at times she needs to be and help her develop into having feelings. Kit Connor also does a great job in playing Brightbill from his awkwardness to his anger. Pedro Pascal is excellent as the sly Fink. Stephanie Hsu is also great as the villainous VONTRA. Actually the mix of vocal talent is great throughout the film. Adding to the film is the musical score by Kris Bowers and the work from the film’s sound team and the visual effects team.

In the Oscar category of Best Animated Feature, this film has been in a tight battle against Flow. To think, its biggest rival is an independent film from Latvia! In this category, Flow has won the National Board of Review award, the Golden Globe, and the Online Film Critics Society Award. The Wild Robot has won the Critics Choice Award and the Producers Guild Award in this category. At the Annie Awards for animated films, it achieved ten nominations in nine categories including Best Animated Feature and it won in all nine!

The Wild Robot delivers in what one would commonly expect in an animated film. Although it’s more oriented for children than it is for adults, the parents will have no problem being entertained by the story. Don’t be surprised if it wins the Oscar on Sunday!

Oscars 2024 Short Films Review: Documentary

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

You’re not done with watching the short films until you’ve seen the documentaries. Many of this year’s mix of nominees are of dark subject matter and are bound to spark discussion. There are two lighter documentaries based on the theme of music. Anyways, here are my thoughts on the nominees for Best Documentary Short Film:

Death By Numbers (dir. Kim A. Snyder) -The film focuses on Samantha Fuentes: poet, writer, school shooting survivor. She was a student at Parkland High School when on February 14, 2018, she was shot by shooter Nikolas Cruz. She was lucky to not be one of the 17 killed but she was among the 17 injured. Through her writings and her conversations with people, we hear her express her fears and her feelings as events involving this happen in 2022. There’s the trial for the sentencing, there’s the day of the verdict and there’s the day of the victim’s testimonies. As each event is approaching and each event passes, we see and hear Sam express her many feelings.

This is something you don’t often hear. This is the story of a person injured in school shooting, survived it, and has to face her attacker in court. The Parkland High School shooting has the highest fatality rate of all school shootings in the United States. The film shows the audience Samantha’s style of writing as she goes through her feelings before the testimony. They’re feelings of hurt, anger, sorrow, frustration, hatred for the shooter and her fears of the future. Her memories are haunting as she goes back to the day when she expected it to be another Valentine’s Day to seeing her attacker in the face before she was shot to remembering seeing two dead classmates. Then the moment where she finally breaks her silence. The film keeps you in the intensity of it all. That’s why I make this my Should Win pick.

I Am Ready, Warden (dir. Smriti Mundhra) – This is a chronological film focusing on the looming execution of John Henry Ramirez for the 2004 murder of Corpus Christi gas station attendant Pablo Castro. The film begins six days before the execution. John knows he’s about to die, but is relaxed about it. Also part of the film is Adam Castro, the son of the man John murdered in 2004, Jan Trujillo, a church leader who dealt with John during the last few years, Seth Kreutzer, the lawyer who’s trying to make a last-minute attempt to stop his execution, and 16 year-old son Israel Ramirez.

The film goes through the various feelings of the people involved. Six days before the execution is expected, Adam wants his death sentence carried out, Jan wants his to be spared and Israel wants him to live. Three days before the execution, Jan has her petition to Governor Abbott ready and Seth has his case ready to submit while Adam is still insistent on the death penalty. Then the day of the execution. John gives Israel one last phone call. Israel is in tears. Jan and her group show up along with Seth at the chamber. Adam listens into the broadcast. He’s waited for this day but when he hears John is dead, he doesn’t know if he should be happy or not. He’s in tears. The funeral for John happens. Then in an epilogue, we see Adam listen to the recorded apology from John made the day he was executed. Adam is left with mixed feelings but in the end, he accepts his apology.

It is a story of an upcoming execution. One of eighteen executions that occurred in the United States in 2022. This film could start a discussion about capital punishment. Beyond that, this film is a unique story because it starts with six days before the scheduled date. We learn of the crime John committed, how he fled to Mexico immediately, his eventual capture, trial and sentence. We see opinions from the sides of many people: the son of the man killed, the minister of the church John was counseled through while in prison, and the lawyer and advocates aiming for one last chance to stop his execution. We then see them again with three days to go and hear their feelings. Then the day of the execution. We learn John had a son. The son Izzy is introduced into the story. And then feelings after the execution. It’s unique not just for the very many angles of opinion we see and hear about John, but we learn of John himself and how he doesn’t fit the common terrible image of a death row inmate. In many ways the film could be seen as the redemption of Ramirez. It’s for you to decide. That’s why I decide this film is my WILL WIN pick.

Incident (dir. Bill Morrison) – The film starts with images of a zoom from Google maps to a street corner of Chicago on July 14, 2018. Soon, we see a police shooting happening. The man shot is Harith ‘Snoop’ Augustus who works at a nearby barbershop. The film then shows various angles of the aftermath from various police body cameras to surveillance footage. The film then goes back fifteen minutes earlier. It was a calm street corner, but there’s a high police presence as a heated trial involving a police brutality incident is awaiting its verdict. The film tells about Illinois’ various laws involving concealed carry and points out the five officers at the corner at the time. Two were probationary. Then we see the altercation that occurred and the actions of the officers. It’s filled with footage from both the ambulances, the angry onlookers and the officers who took the shooters away. The film ends with one more angle to view the shooting and if Snoop did attempt to pull a gun, as the two officers claimed he did.

Without a doubt, the story is about the corruption of the police force. The film does show the hidden racism of the officers as they think an African-American man is about to pull a gun on them. Snoop had a valid card to conceal. The film also shows their impulsiveness and incompetence as the two officers closest to snoop failed to turn their body cameras on. It also shows their irresponsibility as they try and make up excuses and defend what they did. As we learn the officers only got a slap on the wrist as punishment, the film also focuses on the problem of the protectiveness of the police: the ‘Blue Shield’ as it’s commonly called. It appears the point of the while film is to expose the truth and the problem. Watching the footage, you can form your own opinion about the incident with Snoop. Whatever opinion it is, you can agree Snoop did not deserve to die.

Instruments Of A Beating Heart (dir. Ema Ryan Yamazaki) – The film focuses on Ayame. She is a six year-old girl about to move on to the second grade. As part of the welcoming of the new first graders, there’s an opportunity to give them a musical greeting. The students greet them by playing Ode To Joy. Ayame wants to be part of it. She loses out on playing the drum but she wins playing the cymbals. Over the days, they have the rehearsal. Ayame is the one musician who is the most off. The music teacher verbally scolds her for not practicing. Ayame cried and loses confidence that she can have it right in time. Her teacher believes in her and the classmates are willing to help. In the end, all the students including Ayame deliver a great performance.

The film tells the uninterrupted, unnarrated story of a young six year-old girl simply trying to play the cymbal for the upcoming show. As we see the story, we learn a lot more. We also see schooling in Japan. We see it’s not just about teaching the children reading and math and, in this case, music. We also see them teach a set of values. We see them teach competition, but still befriend your rivals. We see them teach the importance of one learning what they need, but of others teaming up to help the other. We see a teacher shame Ayame for not practicing but also reminding her that she is able to do it. Even with the lunch break, we see the school placing importance on nutrition. As you watch the film, you’ll see it’s more than just a little girl playing the cymbal. It’s about moulding the young into being people for others as much as promoting achieving for one’s self.

The Only Girl In The Orchestra (dir. Molly O’Brien) -This film is a look at Orin O’Brien as she is approaching her retirement from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for 55 years. A double bass player, Orin is a history maker. She is the first female musician with the New York Philharmonic. Most of the men did not like the idea of a female musician but conductor Leonard Bernstein loved her playing. The film goes through her childhood being the daughter of Hollywood actors, her pursuit of the double bass in her younger years, her joining the orchestra and years of performing, her teaching career, and her retirement from the orchestra. The film goes shows a lot like her teaching other students, her appearance at various events, the living conditions that cause her to move and the difficulties of having to give away her older basses.

After you see many a short documentary with a heavy topic, you will find this film a welcome relief. Finally something that’s not heavy and is a nice introspective. This film is actually directed by her niece Molly. The film takes into the out-of-the-ordinary life of Orin from the daughter of Hollywood actors to holding her own as a musician and conquering the sexism of the time. The film shows her career and her teaching with younger students as she passes on her knowledge to the next generation. The film shows as she retires from the New York Philharmonic and has difficulty deciding what to do after that. In some ways, the film is not just an intimate autobiography, but it’s also a portrait of a musician and their love for music. It’s possible this film could be the Most Likely Upsetter receiving votes from voters that prefer lighter fare.

And there you have it. That’s my review of the films in the category of Best Documentary Short Subject. That completes my reviewing of the short films nominated for the Oscars. If you want to check them out yourself, just go to shorts.tv .