The Wild Robot, on Peacock

It is sort of like Are You My Mother? (written by P.D. Eastman, not Dr. Seuss, even though it carried the Cat in the Hat insignia on is cover), but with artificial intelligence. Due to a typhoon, a Jetson’s-style service robot washes up on an island where no ‘bot has gone before. Her encounter with nature changes her nature in Chris Sanders’ Oscar-qualified animated feature, The Wild Robot, which premieres this Friday on Peacock.

When Roz, short for Rozzum (a play on Rossum’s Universal Robots), pops out of her crate, she cannot find any humans to give her a task. Her initial inability to communicate leads to misunderstandings with the animal kingdom and an unfairly monstrous reputation. Eventually, her self-learning AI cracks the animal code. However, the only beast who will really talk to her is Fink, a fox looking to exploit her good intentions.

Sadly, Roz crashed into a nest, killing most of the occupants. Awkwardly, when the only surviving egg hatches, the gosling imprints on her. She is not a mother, but she finally gets a task: parenting. She lacks a “village,” but at least she has Fink’s help—as long as he refrains from eating the little guy. Together (but mostly just her), Roz and Fink must prepare Brightbill to migrate for the winter, but like most teenagers, he doesn’t fully appreciate his adoptive mom’s sacrifices (including overriding her own programming).

The Wild Robot is a pleasant enough film, but despite its considerable box office success, it pales in comparison to other animated Oscar contenders, especially Flow. As you would hope, the animation is indeed bright and colorful, while the furry animals have a lot of charm.

Of course, every animated movie can use a bear, but Thorn (grouchily voiced by Mark Hamill) bears a strong resemblance to Nick Nolte’s grumpy bear in Over the Hedge. Similarly, Bightbill’s training for the geese’s big annual flight echoes some of the themes of Migration. Regardless, Matt Berry undeniably contributes the funniest vocal performance as Paddler, the appropriately enterprising beaver.

There are some clever references in Wild Robot, but it follows very predictable template. However, Sanders’ adaptation of Pete Brown’s novel deserves credit for staying true to the realities of nature. Even though we can hear the animals talking, that does not stop them from eating each other. At least one character with a famous voice will not make it to the end of the film. That’s nature for you.

The notion of an AI program learning from the animal world is intriguing. Yet, in real-life practice, it would probably be terrifying, because its first and primary lesson would be the survival of the fittest. Parents should not worry though, because Sanders always plays it safe. It is all very nice—maybe too nice. Mostly recommended for young viewers fascinated by robots, The Wild Robot starts streaming this Friday (1/24) on Peacock.