By John Corrado

Please note that this is a review of the 4K Ultra HD release of The Wild Robot. For my full thoughts on the film itself, you can read my TIFF review right here.

Last month, DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot was released on 4K Ultra HD. Adapted from Peter Brown’s book, the film follows a service robot named Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), who gets stranded on an island populated by wild animals.

Directed by Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch), this is in the upper echelon of DreamWorks films, in terms of both its emotional story and visually stunning craft. The animators really push a more painterly and less “photorealistic” style, with backgrounds and textures that have an illustrative, almost hand-drawn quality to them.

It’s a gorgeous film to look at, and the 2160p presentation allows us to appreciate all of the painterly elements and textures on display, offering an excellent showcase for the earthy but vibrant colours of fall leaves and natural landscapes. The high attention to detail makes it a treat to watch. I was a big fan of this one when I saw it at TIFF (it even made my Top Ten list of the best movies of 2024), and it’s a worthy addition to your home entertainment library.

Film Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)

Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):

The 4K discs features a decent array of bonus materials. A regular Blu-ray is also included in the package, which ships with a shiny slipcover.

• Alternate Opening – “Commercial for Rozzum”  (4 minutes, 8 seconds): The original opening for the film, showcasing a commercial for the Rozzum robots that eventually got placed elsewhere in the film. Presented in storyboard form. With introduction by writer/director Chris Sanders.

• Moments from the Mic (2 minutes, 28 seconds): A brief collection of clips from the recording booth, as the actors play around with their lines.

• Meet the Cast (6 minutes, 34 seconds): The different voice actors talk about their characters, including Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Catherine O’Hara and Mark Hamill.

• Deleted Storyboard Sequence – “The Overprotective Mother” (3 minutes, 13 seconds): A nice additional sequence featuring Roz and orphaned gosling Brightbill, presented in storyboard form. With introduction by writer/director Chris Sanders.

• Assembly Required: Animating The Wild Robot (10 minutes, 25 seconds): A nice overview of the stylistic animation, from developing the painterly look of the film, to designing Roz to be expressive despite not having a nose or mouth, and capturing the animal movements.

• Feeling Alive (9 minutes, 8 seconds): Looks at adapting Peter Brown’s novel for the screen, Roz’s journey and character arc throughout the story, crafting that stunning migration sequence, and her relationship with the other animals. It’s a nice look at how they brought the book to the screen.

• Wild Sounds (6 minutes, 1 second): A look at composer Kris Bowers’ sweeping score, working with the quartet Sandbox Percussion to craft some of the sounds, and the two original songs that country star Maren Morris wrote for the film, including standout “Kiss the Sky.”

• How to Draw (Play All – 22 minutes, 6 seconds): Four drawing tutorials, the first with Sanders and Nyong’o, the rest hosted by story artist Genevieve Tsai.

• Roz (5 minutes, 50 seconds)

• Fink (5 minutes, 3 seconds)

• Baby Brightbill (4 minutes, 43 seconds)

• Pinktail (6 minutes, 28 seconds)

• Fly Your Own Brightbill (10 minutes, 39 seconds): A crafting tutorial on how to make your own Brightbill-inspired kite.

• Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Chris Sanders, Producer Jeff Hermann, Editor Mary Blee, Production Designer Raymond Zibach, Head of Story Heidi Jo Gilbert and Head of Character Animation Jakob Hjort Jensen

The Wild Robot is a Universal Pictures Home Entertainment release. It’s 102 minutes and rated PG.

Street Date: December 3rd, 2024