The 2024 American animated science fiction film The Wild Robot is produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. Chris Sanders wrote and directed the film, which is based on Peter Brown's 2016 book of the same name.
The film centers on Roz, a service robot abandoned on an island who must adjust to her new environment. In the process, she makes friends with the local fauna and adopts Brightbill (Kit Connor), an orphaned goose.
The Wild Robot debuted on September 8, 2024, at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival, and on September 27, 2024, it was released in the US.
What is The Wild Robot about?
“The Wild Robot” centers around Roz (played by Lupita Nyong’o), a Universal Dynamics robot who is stranded on an unknown island. Roz is accidentally activated by the wildlife around her and she manages to learn their language to adjust to her new life. She ends up adopting a gosling and looks after it until it can manage to fly on its own.
The plot of The Wild Robot
ROZZUM robots from a Universal Dynamics cargo ship are lost in a storm and end up washing ashore on an uninhabited island. The only robot that survives is ROZZUM Unit 7134, also known as "Roz," which is accidentally activated by wildlife.
Even after learning their language, Roz still risks hurting herself and frightening the animals in an attempt to help them. Roz signals for help when she can't find someone in need of her services, but she gets hit by lightning. She accidentally crushes a goose nest, leaving one egg, while escaping a hostile grizzly bear.
A gosling hatches from the egg after Roz protects it from a predatory fox named Fink; he leaves an impression on her and destroys her long-range transponder. Roz names the gosling Brightbill and takes care of him to make sure he can fly before the winter migration, as advised by Pinktail, an opossum with multiple children. Fink helps Roz in building a home, and the two of them live together. Brightbill learns to swim as he gets older, but other geese make fun of him. Sometime later, Brightbill has a falling out with Roz, violently disowns her, and leaves after learning that she killed his family.
After rebuilding one ROZZUM unit, Roz is advised to go back to the Universal Dynamics factory. However, Roz chooses to continue teaching Brightbill to fly. With the help of a falcon named Thunderbolt and guidance from Longneck, the leader of the goose flock, Brightbill succeeds in becoming proficient in flying in time to join the geese's migration. Missing Brightbill and uncertain of her future, Roz turns on her transponder again but quickly turns it off when Universal Dynamics picks up her signal.
The geese are forced to take shelter inside a Universal Dynamics greenhouse due to a thunderstorm during the migration, which causes a contamination warning that prompts RECO robots to pursue them. To aid Brightbill in guiding the flock to safety, Longneck sacrifices himself. During a harsh snowstorm, Roz and Fink rescue animals while pleading for a truce before Roz shuts down. When spring comes, Roz awakens to find that the animals continue to seek tranquillity and that Brightbill has returned, hailed as a hero.
Vontra, a retrieval robot from Universal Dynamics, arrives shortly after to pick Roz up. Vontra dispatches RECOs to chase Roz and Fink as they flee. The animals unite to repel the RECOs, but Vontra kidnaps Roz and blows up the damaged RECOs to ignite a forest fire. Fink puts out the flames while Brightbill attacks the Universal Dynamics drop ship to save Roz. Roz's affection for Brightbill helps her regain her composure, even though it seems like Vontra shut her down. As the dropship blows up, Roz and Brightbill kill Vontra and flee.
Although Roz vows to return, she chooses to go back to Universal Dynamics to defend the island from more attackers. Roz keeps her memories intact while working at another Universal Dynamics greenhouse months later. Brightbill visits her one day, and the two of them embrace.
Where can I watch The Wild Robot?
Viewers can watch the film on the following platforms:
Prime Video
Apple TV+
The Wild Robot was made available for rent on Blu-ray and DVD on December 3 and internet streaming on October 15, 2024. The movie will be available on January 24, 2025, on NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service in the US.
It will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, then switch to Netflix for the following ten, and then back to Peacock for the last four months, as part of Universal's long-term agreement with Netflix.
Also read: Who is Roz in The Wild Robot?
FAQs about The Wild Robot
A. The Wild Robot is suitable to watch for people of all ages.
A. Yes, The Wild Robot will be available on Netflix. The movie will be available on January 24, 2025, on NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service in the US. It will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, then switch to Netflix for the following ten, and then back to Peacock for the last four months, as part of Universal's long-term agreement with Netflix.
A. Yes, The Wild Robot is available to watch in Prime Video.
