The Wild Robot is the latest project from DreamWorks Animation, telling the story of a robot named Roz who ends up shipwrecked on a deserted island. From The Wild Robot cast, headlined by Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal, to the writer and director, Chris Sanders, known for How To Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch, to the excellent trailers, this film seemed almost destined to be a hit. Since its release, the reactions to this movie have surpassed all expectations. The Wild Robot is a hit with critics and audiences alike, and a killer box office cements this movie as a massive success.
The Wild Robot’s triumph then once again brings to the forefront the question of DreamWorks’ inconsistencies, and how it manages to constantly straddle the line between unfortunate mediocrity and incredible accomplishment in such quick succession. The quality of DreamWorks’ films has always been unpredictable, but seeing the heights this studio can reach makes the flops feel that much more disappointing. Despite their truly excellent projects, DreamWorks continues to put out films that either cannot find an audience or are simply unremarkable.
The Wild Robot Joins Puss In Boots: The Last Wish As A Modern DreamWorks Classic
Two Films That Stand As Feathers In DreamWorks’ Cap
If there is one film to compare to The Wild Robot, it would be 2022’s well-received Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Both are incredible DreamWorks animated films filled with heart and adventure, pushing the medium of animation to its limits without sacrificing character or storytelling. The Last Wish came out at a time when it seemed that DreamWorks had been running out of steam and showed that the studio was still absolutely capable of producing incredible works of art that stood toe-to-toe with some of the best animated projects of all time.
The Last Wish and The Wild Robot came at worrying times for the studio, and both films surpassed all expectations to become massive hits.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was the sequel to a movie that was perceived as generally quite middling, and the initial box office numbers reflected that before bouncing back once word of mouth had spread. Because of the success of The Last Wish, more eyes were on this project from the start, allowing The Wild Robot to top the charts during its first weekend. The Last Wish and The Wild Robot came at worrying times for the studio, but both films surpassed all expectations to become massive hits.
DreamWorks’ Movies Between The Last Wish and The Wild Robot Were Mostly Disappointing
Despite Some Decent Films, None Of Them Moved The Needle
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DreamWorks released four films in between The Last Wish and The Wild Robot, and unfortunately, none of them were able to live up to what had come before. Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken tanked at the box office without much fan support. Trolls Band Together performed decently but was mediocre at best, and Orion and the Dark reviewed well but didn’t seem to break much ground when released on Netflix. Kung Fu Panda 4 had enough box office draw but didn’t receive great reviews, seeming to be a weak showing for the Kung Fu Panda franchise.
Related The Wild Robot 2 Chances Gets Optimistic Response From Director & Star Lupita Nyong’o Director Chris Sanders and star Lupita Nyong’o offer optimistic responses to the chances of The Wild Robot 2 happening following early acclaim.
The Wild Robot is one of DreamWorks’ best, but it is unfortunately still not the norm for the studio. DreamWorks is capable of putting out excellent and well-received projects, and seeing so many of them fall into the same traps that DreamWorks films have been falling into since the inception of the studio remains a very frustrating experience. Films like Kung Fu Panda 4 could’ve been showered with the same praise that The Wild Robot is receiving, but those films now only serve to act as a point of comparison to their more successful outings.
DreamWorks’ Future Needs More Movies Like The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot Should Serve As A Blueprint For The Studio
Image via Universal Pictures
The Wild Robotwill hopefully serve as a sign that good things are yet to come from DreamWorks and that this film is not just another lone bright spot. The project is a labor of love by every creative involved, and clearly, that process has worked wonderfully. Hopefully, DreamWorks will learn the right lessons from this film, and allow the people behind their upcoming slate the freedom to be able to succeed in the way The Wild Robot has.
Related The Wild Robot Author Shares Glowing Review Of Movie Adaptation: “Turned Into Something Special” The Wild Robot author Peter Brown shares his own review of the widely-praised movie adaptation from its adaptational differences to emotional scenes.
DreamWorks’ upcoming movies have a lot of potential. Shrek 5 can build upon Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Dog Man is another adaptation of a beloved series, and The Bad Guys 2 has the potential to cement the series as a DreamWorks classic. If DreamWorks can capitalize on the success of The Wild Robot, the film has the potential to kick off a new age for the studio, though only time will tell how successful that ends up being.