If you watched the U.S. presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on September 10, I apologize for the psychic damage you suffered alongside the rest of us. If you didn’t actually sit down and watch it, you probably have heard a lot of wild quotes out of context on…
If you watched the U.S. presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on September 10, I apologize for the psychic damage you suffered alongside the rest of us. If you didn’t actually sit down and watch it, you probably have heard a lot of wild quotes out of context on…
Plot: Based on the novels by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot tells the story of ROZZUM Unit 7134, or Roz for short, a highly advanced, multipurpose automaton that washes ashore on a remote island teeming with wildlife. Programmed to assist in any task within her ability, Roz searches for a directive amidst the lush forest, tributaries, and craggy mountainsides. While exploring, Roz accidentally crushes a nest of gosling eggs, with only the runt of the gaggle surviving the unintentional destruction. Unsure of what to do, Roz assumes a motherly role and acts as the gosling’s caregiver until he can eat, swim, and fly alone. Considered outcasts on the island, Roz and the gosling struggle to win the approval of the local wildlife but eventually become something much greater than anyone expected.
Review: I feel attacked. Allow me to explain. When I woke up this morning, pried myself away from playing Astro Bot, and drove to the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto for the world premiere of Dreamworks Animation‘s The Wild Robot, I was unprepared for Chris Sanders’ latest to hit me as hard as it did. What is essentially the last film to be animated entirely in-house by the studio that brought us Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, and more, The Wild Robot is nothing short of phenomenal.
The first thing that impressed me about this movie was its dynamic sound design. While Roy Thompson Hall’s sound system is among the best I’ve ever heard, the mix here is incredible. Most of The Wild Robot takes place in a densely populated forest, with weather and wildlife creating a geophony of thunderstorms, animal calls, and natural splendor shifting with each new season. The music by Kris Bowers is a brilliant accompaniment, saturating the audience in symphonic soundscapes oscillating between rollicking, wondrous, and melancholy. As your attorney, I advise you to watch this movie with a killer sound system, if possible.
Next comes the film’s visual design, which employs a look similar to 2022’s criminally underrated animated heist film, The Bad Guys. We live in a post-Into the Spider-Verse world, and animation is better for it. The Wild Robot combines Monet-like smears with Miyazakian character design, resulting in a style that looks infinitely better in motion than any promotional screenshot could hope to convey. The film’s color palette is boundless, with the natural beauty of Roz’s surroundings feeling alive, serene, and untouched by human hands.
Parents, prepare to explain Darwinism to your kids because The Wild Robot gives no quarter to depicting survival of the fittest but couches the instruction in humor and hilariously timed sight gags. Speaking of humor, I straight-up missed sections of dialogue because the Roy Thompson Hall audience, especially the adults in the crowd, was howling with laughter every few minutes. At its heart, The Wild Robot is a meditation on motherhood and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.
What surprises me the most about The Wild Robot is the film’s ability to reach into my sentimental soul and choke it until tears stream from my eyes. I’m not afraid to admit this movie is, at times, a tear-jerker, and I welled up about five times during the screening and cried twice, but who’s counting? I wasn’t the only one. All around me, I could hear people sniffling, gulping air, and shifting in their seats.
At the core of the film’s emotional output is the brilliant cast, including Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, Pedro Pascal as the conniving fox, Fink, and Kit Connor as Roz’s surrogate gosling son, Brightbill. The trio makes up the film’s beating heart. Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Matt Berry, Mark Hamill, and Ving Rhames deliver hilarious and heartfelt performances as various animals from the forest. Finally, there’s Stephanie Hsu as Vontra, an unfeeling robot sent to retrieve Roz and siphon the unique and invaluable knowledge stored inside her core memory. Think GLaDOS from Valve’s Portal video game series, but with less pithy humor and definitely lying about there being cake at the end of the experiment.
Undoubtedly, The Wild Robot is my favorite Dreamworks movie in the studio’s long history. In my estimation, it’s Dreamworks’ most mature movie. Beyond the life lessons, laughs, and heart-stopping heroism is a carefully crafted tale about breaking the bonds of isolation, trying to fit in where others feel you don’t belong, and going about life your way and no one else’s. Roz’s winning the island over through her selfless acts will surely be a topic of conversation come awards season. I’m genuinely so excited for more people to see this film. The first act will leave you in stitches, the second will hug your heart, and the third will blow you away with action, inspirational acts of sacrifice, and closure.
The post The Wild Robot Review – Dreamworks boots up a powerful and inspirational journey to perfection appeared first on JoBlo.
Great Gwildor’s beard! Industry insider Jeff Sneider is sending shockwaves through Grayskull this Wednesday by saying Jared Leto is reportedly getting offered the role of Skeletor in Amazon’s upcoming Masters of the Universe. Bumblebee‘s Travis Knight directs the live-action adaptation of Mattel’s beloved action figure franchise from a script by Chris Butler (Paranorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, Missing Link), with Nicholas Galitzine leading the film as He-Man, Camila Mendes as the virtuous warrior Teela, and Alison Brie as the villainess Evil-Lyn.
The InSneider says Academy Award-winning actor Jared Leto could play the skull-faced, blue-skinned thorn in He-Man’s side. Leto would command his army of iconic henchmen while shaking his fist and cackling, wielding influence and magic like the malevolent sorcerer fans know him to be. In his relentless pursuit of power, Skeletor longs to learn the secrets of Castle Grayskull and conquer the land of Eternia to feed his ego and seemingly limitless power.
Frank Langella played Skeletor in 1987’s Masters of the Universe, which starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man. Langella’s performance is the stuff of legend, and the actor’s incredible prosthetic makeup is a highlight of the often unappreciated adaptation.
Leto is an interesting choice, given his complicated history of playing villains on the big screen. Leto’s Joker from David Ayer’s Suicide Squad is the most divisive incarnation of the classic character, and his Michael Morbius of Sony’s Morbius was panned universally by Spider-Man fans. It’s not as if Leto doesn’t have the chops to play Skeletor. He’s an Academy Award-winning actor with stand-out performances in movies like House of Gucci, Dallas Buyer’s Club, and Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream. He could bring much to Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe if given inspired material. In the years since He-Man’s heyday, Skeletor has become a bit of a meme lord. Leto can bring fear back to the character and put Prince Adam through his paces. We’d love to see it.
What do you think about Jared Leto possibly playing Skeletor in Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe? If Sneider’s report turns out to be false, who could you cast as the bad guy made of bones? Let us know in the comments section below.
The post Curses! Jared Leto is reportedly being offered the role of Skeletor in Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe appeared first on JoBlo.
When Astro Bot was announced, Team Asobi began adding new Special Bots to track down in Astro’s Playroom. These new bots, meant to offer a little extra something to hype players up for Astro’s first ever full-length adventure, have provided a good reason to return to the PS5 pack-in game and solve some puzzles. The…
When Astro Bot was announced, Team Asobi began adding new Special Bots to track down in Astro’s Playroom. These new bots, meant to offer a little extra something to hype players up for Astro’s first ever full-length adventure, have provided a good reason to return to the PS5 pack-in game and solve some puzzles. The…
Do you like games that tell stories that turn you into a crying wreck? Then boy howdy do I have good news for you. The entirety of Telltale’s The Walking Dead series of episodic games filled with heavy, often heartbreaking choices —including all four seasons, the 400 Days DLC, and even the Michonne spin-off—is…
Do you like games that tell stories that turn you into a crying wreck? Then boy howdy do I have good news for you. The entirety of Telltale’s The Walking Dead series of episodic games filled with heavy, often heartbreaking choices —including all four seasons, the 400 Days DLC, and even the Michonne spin-off—is…
The Ace of Spades is one of Destiny 2’s most iconic weapons, an exotic hand cannon that belonged to Nathan Fillion’s Cayde-6. Bungie recently announced a NERF version of the gun with an orange and black theme that will be matched by an in-game ornament for the gun coming next month. The only problem is that the design…
The developers at the small independent studio Odyssey Interactive are doing something “a little crazy” and releasing an early prototype of their next game, Byte Breakers, to see if people like it and if they should even make it.