‘I do not have the programming to be a mother,’ admits washed-up mechanoid ROZZUM 7134, who comes to be known as Roz. Voiced by the great Lupita Nyong’o, this robot might not seem an obviously relatable protagonist but, let’s be honest, many of us have been there. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, The Wild Robot brings to screen the trials and tribulations of parenting in a sweet, visually spectacular and whole family-pleasing way.

Bagging itself a premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, this upmarket, lushly rendered animated adventure is based on the book series by American writer-illustrator Peter Brown, with the screen adaptation the brainchild of Chris Sanders. Sanders is a key figure in the animation field, having worked on Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan, before co-creating Lilo & Stitch (voicing Stitch himself), with his more recent efforts including co-directing and writing How To Train Your Dragon and The Croods.

As the film opens on a future Earth, it finds state-of-the-art Universal Dynamics helper robot Roz stranded on an uninhabited island in the aftermath of a shipwreck. Viewed with fear and suspicion by the cornucopia of creatures that reside there, this manically task-fixated, turbo-efficient machine is bamboozled by her redundancy in a wild environment and sets about learning the animals’ languages and schooling herself in conflict resolution in a desperate bid to be of some use.

Following an unfortunate accident involving a goose nest, Roz takes possession of an egg and the gosling that emerges from it, later dubbed Brightbill (voiced by Kit Connor). They’re joined by a loner fox, Fink (Pedro Pascal), whose own troubled upbringing compels him to be part of this funny family, and who advises Roz on raising Brightbill. Roz learns that Brightbill needs to learn to ‘eat, swim and fly by fall’ and dutifully sets about completing those tasks, although, as ever with parenting, things don’t always go to plan.

Additional support comes from Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara), an opossum drowning in her own maternal responsibilities, and Longneck (Bill Nighy), a sage and sympathetic elder goose, who takes Brightbill almost literally under his wing when he is mercilessly mocked by the younger geese for not fitting in. Mark Hamill, Matt Berry and Ving Rhames feature as a bear, beaver and falcon respectively.

Beloved films like Wall-E and The Iron Giant are clear influences, alongside the work of Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki. If it’s not quite up there with those, the world of The Wild Robot has been rendered in rich, eye-catching detail, while it caters to the differing wants of a family crowd nicely; there’s enough consideration for cuteness to satisfy younger family members and enough finesse and stimulating subtext to sate accompanying adults. The plot rattles along enjoyably, with the freneticism of the opening moments (as Roz adjusts to the bewildering, people-free environment) and the jeopardy-heavy denouement particularly well-judged. 

Flanked by a stirring score from Kris Bowers, for the most part The Wild Robot is undeniably touching, with Roz’s journey of emotional growth and enlightenment beautifully and humorously relayed by Nyong’o who brings notable nuance to her voice work. That said, it’s not all deftly done, with the script containing a few excessively sentimental moments, during which its messaging feels hammered home. These mainly spring from the mouth of Nighy’s slightly tiresomely avuncular Longneck (‘Sometimes hearts have their own conversations,’ being one particular clanger).

At its core, The Wild Robot is a passionate plea for peaceful co-existence, as creatures of all stripes learn to live together. It skilfully explores the tension between nature and tech, balancing a portrayal of how the latter can be exploited for alarming ends with its potential as a force for good. Dastardly corporation Universal Dynamics ruthlessly pursue Roz’s invaluable data, gleaned during her experiences on the island, with Stephanie Hsu voicing an evil robot, Vontra, who comes to retrieve it. However, the film strikes a more hopeful note by exploring AI’s capacity for creating solutions and its potential for human-like feelings, as the wild robot becomes attached to its charge, overrides its pesky programming, and learns to love.

The Wild Robot is in cinemas from Friday 18 October.