The Wild Robot is an extremely important movie to me because of the way I can connect with it and all the emotions that it is able to make me feel. The movie is a very mature movie that talks about the issues with self-identity crisis, finding your purpose, breaking the status quo and how we can use all of these to become more than who we were only days before. The movie takes us through a story set in the future about a robot named Roz who finds herself in a position of becoming a surrogate mother to a gosling that has lost his family. How will she complete this task? A question that everyone watching is interested in finding answers to. I can understand and connect the messages that are learned throughout this movie to myself in a lot of ways. You are put through different perspectives that you can connect with certain aspects of your own life. Ever switched to a new school or entered a new part of your life thinking in your head “How am I going to ever fit in?” The Wild Robot teaches us that we do not have to fit in with all the other people. A message that is deeply rooted in this movie is the idea of being yourself. Do not push yourself over your limit for other people in your life, do it for you. “Fly like you, not like them.” is a very important quote said by the fox character “Fink” in the movie. He says this to Brightbill as he is ready to finally step into the real world with his other goslings as they prepare for migration. He understands that he does not have to be better than any other goose in the air, he just has to be himself. Try his best, for himself. Roz and her new son named Brightbill prove to us that no matter what we look like or what we do, we can always become more through finding ourselves and finding something or someone that we can call home. We can always become more.  

     A Sense Of Belonging  

        Leaving Bullies Behind 

       A big part of the wild robot is understanding where you belong whether that be in society or how you choose to find your purpose. Brightbill, the runt gosling finally grows up, slowly but surely learning to swim and fly to be able to migrate before fall. While swimming, he finds a lake full of all these beautiful geese. As he starts trying to talk to everyone, tries to fit in, what follows next is three geese who bully him, hurt him, and almost drowns him. Brightbill almost drowned, he almost drowned, for wanting to be a part of his people. Just like in the real world, not everyone is going to accept you and that is ok, they don’t need to accept you. The only person who needs to accept you is yourself. Embrace all your differences and perfect imperfections. The wild robot does an excellent job of teaching us this. “Where his wings end, his heart can pay the balance,” said by Longneck, the leader of the goose to Brightbill, telling him not to give up.  

A Sense Of Home 

         Finding Your Home Through Love 

      The Wild Robot teaches kids and adults how far kindness and love really take us. The power of love to put it clearly. Roz proves that life for the animals is not about just trying to get by while co-existing but understanding how the power of kindness is so powerful, to the point where the nature of the island is changed. The animals are changed. “It’s not about alphas and apex predators, anymore, they are all equals, and they are, indeed, a family” says CBR while talking about the messages of The Wild Robot. Roz is able to find her home not through a place but through the creatures she surrounded herself with. The energy she put out was received. The whole island thought Roz was a monster who came to kill all of them. Roz was THE outcast of the entire island only to save all of them during the winter. Through acts of selflessness and love, Roz finds her home. “And I, am a wild robot.” Stated by Roz after being attacked by robot trying to capture her and bring her back to the place she was made. Roz knows the wilderness is now her home, she found her purpose.  

     Becoming More 

         Breaking The Status Quo 

       When Roz initially crash landed on the island, she did not even speak the same language as the animals there. She was just a robot who only had the job of mindlessly completing whatever task was given to her. Even in her voice, the audience can hear how robotic she sounds. This all changes when she is assigned to take care of Brightbill. Roz must learn to do certain tasks that are not even in her programming such as making lies or stories to tell for a baby to fall asleep to. She has to become more in order to protect this baby goose. Her son. Roz overrides her programming as far as being able to convey and feel emotions, as a robot. She understands she would be claimed as defective in the place she was made but that is the least of her worries when all she really needs is her found family. The love that the island is given, shown to us by the animals flourishing after her assistance. “Sometimes to survive you have to become more than you were programmed to be.” The same can also be said about Brightbill when he understands that bullying cannot be changed, but his fate can. He understands he can fly excellently and does just that during the migration. Soon after, Brightbill becomes the leader taking the place of Longneck in leading the geese to safety. Both Brightbill and Roz surpassed the limits much farther than they were ever supposed to. Even when a wildfire occurs and both Roz and Brightbill are falling through the sky, Roz does something crazy. She takes out her power core that she needs to function. She does this because she became something more. Roz realizes she doesn’t need that to keep functioning. Roz already has all she needs, a heart.  

    A Look Into The Future 

                              Connections  

      “The Wild Robot” by Dreamworks studios helps us connect what the movie teaches us to our own personal experiences. The movie explores all the feelings that we have felt before and want to feel.  Going to a new school or grade can have us feeling just like Brightbill did, like a runt, an outcast. But finding that sense of home, whatever and whoever it may be, pushes us to override our programming and become more. All of us are capable, it’s about the skills we use and the people we surround ourselves with. Don’t strive to become better because you have someone you want to beat, become more out of the kindness and love in your heart, for yourself. “Kindness at the heart of this survival tale” says Collie, parent of a seven-year-old.  We can all become more than we are currently, all of us have no ceiling when it comes to how far we can push ourselves. Roz and Brightbill both were able to do this but not just alone, through kindness they both defied the odds but more importantly, it was because of each other.  

Works Cited 

https://www.cbr.com/the-message-of-the-wild-robot/  

 Used in paragraph 2.  

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-wild-robot/user-reviews/adult 

Used in paragraph 5 

“The Wild Robot” Dreamworks Studios Film  

Quotes used in paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4.