The Wild Robot
Go see it today. Take a box of tissue
No kidding.
I have seen The Wild Robot on shelves for nearly 10 years. But it's a long-form book for kids. Though not a difficult read at 35,000 words by any means, i never read it. As an artist, I tend toward picture books. I wish I hadn't skipped this.
Think: The Iron Giant meets Wall-e.
The film, directed by the VERY astute storyteller, Chris Sanders manages to perfectly capture the spirit of Peter Brown's book AND the joy of The Iron Giant.
It has all of the heart of the Iron Giant without the war subtext. Though there is some component of robots as weapons, it felt like IG was about overcoming our intended nature to become more. And... I guess that's the exact theme of TWR, however the 'intended nature' of the Iron Giant was a weapon, whereas Roz (our heroine robot) was designed merely as a servant.
In any case. It's great.
Visually, it's stunning. I've worked in CGI for more than 20 years and i am STUNNED at current technology's ability to incorporate very very organic textures into what historically is an austere medium. All through the film, fur, foliage and other highly detailed aspects are rendered in a way that looks like it was painted. But it isn't that filter-over-the-plate thing we used to do. It's something else. Almost like a particle system? Or hand-painted sprites maybe? IDK, sorry to get technical. But it's WONDERFUL.
Thematically, it will break you in two if you have family trauma in your history or are currently experiencing a rent heart. If you have both, well, just be ready to be in tears the last 45m of the movie.
There is a STRONG theme of the importance of putting self aside and working together as a team to solve a problem that will benefit everyone. This is my favorite kind of storytelling. COOPERATIVE narrative to solve conflict. I just LOVE it when characters work together. Conflict is necessary for storytelling, I get it. I just don't care for the story to be the conflict. Let that be an element and the collaboration, cooperation and interaction of the characters be the plot.
Especially if you can add in a martyr. This is always difficult though. To really do it well and not just have someone sacrifice themselves for the sake of sacrifice. Greater good and all. Think Spock in the Wrath of Khan. The 1982 film, not Abram's bastardized remake.
The other blow right to my heart was the theme of mothers (or parents) doing the best they can with what they have and being okay that it's enough. We all want a perfect childhood. And none of us gets it. Some are better than others for sure. And some that appear great are really terrible. In the end, we are all walking about with holes in our hearts where our parents were able to complete our assembly. Like an Ikea item that was missing a few pages of instructions. We mostly look right, but something's off.
Earlier in the day, I'd had a conversation with my younger sister. We were discussing some matters related to our aging parents and brain damaged sister. When I dropped some comment about childhood trauma (which the two of us have NEVER discussed) she immediately said, 'yeah, I know mom and dad did the best they could and they loved us, but they just weren't given the tools to be whole parents.' And I burst into tears.
Like I said, we'd never even broached the concept of our life as children and certainly never commented on areas we felt our parents had lacked. And yet, she vocalized something I've been thinking about for some time. Only, I have always doubted my feelings and thinking on the matter. Dismissing it as focusing on the negative or maybe overlooking all the good they did, like being a committed couple, providing food, shelter, clothing and training us how to care for ourselves.
And all of a sudden, someone who knew what I had experienced said something besides, 'I'm sure they loved you to the best of their ability.' Which is a wonderful and true sentiment, but it also feels like it diminishes or perhaps sidelines why I'm such an emotional wreck of a person sometimes. When my decisions and words don't make ANY sense, it is very likely LESS that I am a bad human and more that there is something missing in me emotionally. And I've been on a quest for it my whole life.
Love
All I want is to feel loved and appreciated. Knowledge of this is not enough. I have knowledge that my parents loved me, but don't remember feeling that. And I've spend decades looking for that very thing.
The way I seek it mostly; acts of service and words to others. If I can just do enough or say the right thing, they'll love me. Which sounds perfectly wonderful.
Except that in doing so, I just keep doing more and more and more and more and more. And at some point you being to neglect your own mental, physical and emotional well-being and instead of being an ASSET to those whose affection you seek, you become a detriment. And cause HARM instead of doing good.
Oh my god, it's a terrible cycle. And I've hurt people being this way. Trying so hard, like Lenny petting that rabbit, that relationships are killed.
SO, when Roz and Fink and Brightbill (the other main characters) can all agree that whatever they have is enough and that just because things are not ideal doesn't mean they aren't great... well, it's a very. deep. cut.
Mom's aren't perfect. We are all runts. We get it wrong, but that's okay. Because we love and are loved. And that's all that matters.
