It’s funny to think how little thought has historically been paid to animated movies, especially those made for children. This seems to be changing rapidly, with the medium appearing to be experiencing a kind of revival thanks to many recent titles managing to captivate audiences and simultaneously push the art-form forward. I’m happy to say the newest sci-fi offering from Chris Sanders is among those great movies. After washing ashore a deserted island, a robot named Roz must adapt to survive her new surroundings, but it won’t be easy. All the animals seem to think she’s a monster, making life rather lonely—until she befriends an outcast fox and forms a parental bond with Brightbill, an orphaned gosling. This complicates her journey homeward, particularly when Roz’s past catches up with her, and she must fight for the life she wants instead of the one she was programmed to have. Being the last Dreamworks title to be developed in house, this was a wonderful way to end an iconic era not just for animation, but for cinema as a whole. I'm tired of people saying this is 'one of the best animated movies to release this year.' Animation is cinema. It's time we start talking about this as one of the best films to release this year, period.
Having already directed classics like Lilo & Stitch (2002) and How to Train Your Dragon (2010), it’s clear Sanders is able to bring a heart to his scripts that most mainstream animators would struggle crafting, creating characters that only appear monstrous until we get to know them. This approach is definitely true with Roz. Her inability to form facial expressions allows viewers to project their emotions onto her, creating a viewing experience that’s as engaging as it is endearing. Similar to The Iron Giant (1999) or Wall-e (2008), we feel for this robot in a way that makes us question the very nature of humanity and what it means to connect with one another. Audiences experience this revelation alongside the forest animals themselves when, during a hard winter, Roz teaches them the importance of working together instead of constantly battling for survival. This notion of kindness’ importance in the struggle to survive is an important and timely one. With millions of people openly supporting genocide and the political discourse devolving into a choice between shameless neoliberalism and outright fascism, it’s easy for people (especially children) to believe the rhetoric that competition is ‘human nature;’ but without the millennia spent cooperating, learning from each other and adapting together, humanity would not have survived this long.
Sure, the pacing is a little off, but that’s only because the world Sanders crafts is so engulfing that we want this to be a two hour-plus film instead of the hour-forty-two it currently is. A longer version would have allowed us to luxuriate in this world and explore a couple plotlines a bit more thoroughly, but I also think studio interference is most likely what made the movie feel so cut short. Some might argue the film is too long as is, populated by unnecessary characters like the fox, but I think these characters insert a humor that is absolutely necessary for a children’s movie that is attempting to show them how to cope with things like death, social ostracization and betrayal. It also adds a layer of humanity to the film and really emphasizes Roz’s found-family. On top of that, it’s just a beautiful movie to behold.
The animation here is absolutely incredible, with some of the best landscapes I've ever seen. Be it the flow and ripple of water or a morning mist settling over the forest, the settings created a sense of tranquility and liminality that's reminiscent of Miyazaki’s work, which Sanders has cited as an inspiration (this might also explain Roz’s character design appearing like a kind of homage to the robots seen in 1986’s Castle in the Sky). The film doesn’t shoot for realism, almost having a kind of storybook look, and I think that works because it injects a kind of subjectivity into the frame. By eschewing realism, we’re given windows into the characters’ psychological and emotional landscapes. During a forest fire, when the flames look more magenta than the typical red-orange, it creates a sense of chaos and overwhelming panic that the characters themselves must feel. Chris Stover’s cinematography made wonderful use of animation’s biggest benefit: the light! Sadly, most big animated titles settle for a kind of flat, overly-bright look that smashes any kind of contrast in the image, relying more on scripts full of brain-dead dialogue and weak character designs than a mature visual language; but thankfully that wasn’t the case here. Each scene looks gorgeous, with the sunsets, sunrises and campfires lending a kind of glow that still leaves plenty of room for shadow and depth. And then there’s the acting.
Anytime I see Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o as the lead for a film I’m immediately intrigued; but this really caught my eye because I was curious how her voice acting would be since so many of her roles are very physical. It’s a very subtle performance, which is what makes it so impressive. Roz starts out sounding almost like Siri or Alexa, something Nyong’o has described as a kind of ‘programmed naivete,’ which later develops into a fuller, almost human voice, especially when she interacts with Brightbill. Her performance was also elevated by the strength of the supporting cast. Stephanie Hsu knocks it out of the park, her character’s cheery affect thinly concealing a horrific malice that can only come with moral centrism. Her antagonist sounds like the manifestation of the modern corporate ‘we’re one big family’ culture, and I can’t think of anything more terrifying. Bill Nighy as Longneck is also wonderful, bringing so much emotion and development to the story. There’s a calmness in his tone that perfectly captures the reflective nature of someone who has seen many seasons pass.
As these characters circle around Roz and Brightbill, we get a great sense of the stakes as well as their relationships. It’s here that Sanders makes so many interesting points about motherhood and life itself, how neither comes with a manual but both require a sense of community if we hope to survive. I’m not saying these themes are explored in a thorough way, but these are interesting questions to pose to an audience, and I think that’s important. So rarely is a movie able to cut to the heart of what it means to be alive. I remember looking over and seeing my nieces on the edge of their seats the entire time, absolutely captivated by the images onscreen. To me, that magical feeling is what movies are all about. It’s a marvelous entry into the cinematic canon, and it’s now in theaters! Go see it on the biggest screen possible while you can. It’s one of the most special movies to release this year.
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