Parenting Lessons from The Wild Robot by the Nathaniel. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog. 

 

Know Before You Watch The Wild Robot

Movie: The Wild Robot
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Childrens, Drama
Length: 1 hr. 42 mins.
Age suggested: 8 and up (see our warnings and parent review for more context)
Release Date: September 27th, 2024
Warnings: Loss of family members, some scary creatures and mild fantasy violence

Quick Summary of The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot tells the story of Roz, a helper robot who went off track and landed in the middle of the forest. She is still set on finding the person who she is supposed to help. After an incident, Roz finds herself taking care of a gosling. She learns that taking care of a child is much more difficult than it appears and doesn’t come with an owner’s manual.

Parenting Lessons from The Wild Robot

1. The Sacrifice is Immense, but Worth It

Roz quickly learns how much work and sacrifice having a child (or gosling) can really be. She is a little bitter about this at first. But as she gets older, she realizes that although the sacrifices don’t cease, the love found makes it worth it.

2. Community is Important and Necessary

Even when it was just one friend, Roz (and us) need people around us to encourage us and help maintain our sanity when times get tough. Later in the film, Roz ingratiates herself to others in the community and they, alongside her and Brightbill, play a critical role during the climax of the film.

3. The Goal is More than Just a Task List 

When Roz initially takes on Brightbill as her own, she is told that there are three things she has to do to be a successful parent. Brightbill must eat, learn to swim, and learn to fly. Although this is clearly reductive, this type of thinking can be really common in parenting. The goal becomes the tasks instead of the connection.

The Wild Robot Review

This movie can be wildly influences by expectations. It is a heartfelt (and at times heartbreaking) tale of parenting and community. There is some comedy sprinkled in. There isn’t a lot of it and most of it is quite macabre. There is this overall tension of living like a wild animal which means death could be around any corner. This feeling is ultimately relieved by the end of the movie after a lot of tension and quite a few deaths.

Brightbill and Roz’s relationship is the main crux of the story and runs the gambit on the emotional scale. We meet Brightbill as he is leaving his egg and go all the way until Roz is leaving the community. There are many moments of peril, sadness, hope, and love throughout this beautiful film.

Is The Wild Robot Appropriate?

This is a tricky one. I will start with this movie is going to be a bit too much for many kids. Between the fixation on death and the difficult parenting themes, this movie will be hard to watch for many younger kids and kids who have experiences of loss and identity.

Other than that, there is also some language, pretty intense bullying (physical and emotional), and some violence. Overall, if your kids can handle the heavy themes and visuals of death, there is a great movie here, but may be overwhelming or triggering to some. 

A Note of Adoptive/Foster Parents

Although The Wild Robot will hit many parents pretty hard, I think there are a few topics that consistently pop up in this movie that need to be addressed for adoptive/foster parents. I major plot point of the film revolves around Roz accidentally killing Brightbill’s mother and taking over the parenting responsibilities. It does have a decent, loving conclusion, but definitely has a lot of potentially triggering scenes. In many scenes, the discussion of “not your real mother” or “you don’t belong here” come up consistently, climaxing with Brightbill believing this and yelling “you’re not my real mom” towards Roz. 

Brightbill himself is often cast off as an outsider who does not belong amongst fellow geese. Again, he does end up being accepted and actually leads them at one point, but during one intense scene, Brightbill is physically and emotionally abused by fellow goslings. 

Favorite The Wild Robot Quotes

“If I barf, I’m taking you out with me!”

“You have to die faster!” “Meningitis takes a while.” 

“I do not have the programming to be a mother.” “Nobody does. We make it all up. Patience is the key.”

“We’re all just trying to survive. And kindness is not a survival trait”

“Negative. Eating this task is not the same as completing it.”

“I prefer he be independent closer to home.”

“Humor is based on misfortune?”

“When you grow up without something, you spend a lot of time thinking about it.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m just making stuff up.”

“What could possibly overwhelm [your processing system]? I have a kid.”

“Death’s proximity makes my life shine all the brighter”

“The accident that killed your family saved you.”

“Your life is not negotiable.”

“He has a chance if where his wings end, his heart can pay the balance.” – Longneck

“Sometimes hearts have their own conversations.”

“Sometime to serve we must become more than we were programmed to be.” -Roz 

“You do not belong here. This is a wilderness.” “And I am a Wild Robot.”

“What you did is not your fault, but what you did to try to fix it is everything. I love you, mom.”

“[Roz] thought kindness was a survival skill…she was right”

“This is my migration and when it is time, I promise, I will find my way home”

Thanks for reading our Parenting Lessons from The Wild Robot and Review

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