WALL-E never got a sequel, but another charming animated movie with a robot protagonist is currently dominating Netflix. WALL-E is one of the best Pixar movies, and it perfectly captures the studio’s ability to create deep emotional connections between its audience and its characters, even if those characters are toys, monsters or, in this case, robots. With an impressive visual scope, WALL-E pushes the boundaries of animation to new heights, which is part of the reason why it’s still regarded as a masterpiece of animated cinema.
Even before WALL-E, there were plenty of great animated movies with robot characters. The Iron Giant, Big Hero 6 and other movies often use robots to provide an outsider’s perspective on human society. In WALL-E‘s case, it takes a trash-compacting robot to reconnect humanity with the Earth, in more ways than one. Robots tend to work well in animated movies because they offer the opportunity for unique character designs and hilarious physical comedy. This helps explain why another robot movie is currently making waves on Netflix, a year after its release in theaters.
The Wild Robot Has Reached The Top Of Netflix’s Streaming Charts
The DreamWorks Movie Is A Heartwarming Family Adventure
2024’s The Wild Robot holds the top ranking on Netflix’s movies list, meaning that it’s currently the platform’s most-watched movie. (via FlixPatrol) This comes off the back of a promising box-office run just last year, in which The Wild Robot grossed $334 million. The Wild Robot combined this popularity with enormous critical success, scoring it a long list of accolades, including an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. The adaptation of Peter Brown’s best-selling children’s book follows a robot who washes ashore on an island after a typhoon, as she struggles to fit in with her unfamiliar surroundings.
Just like WALL-E, The Wild Robot is an uplifting and visually splendid story about a robot learning what it means to be human. Roz is originally driven by her objective to ᴀssist her customers, but she gradually discovers strange new feelings as she is accepted into the woodland society around her. The Wild Robot touches on themes of motherhood, community and acceptance, as the robot’s presence in a natural landscape inspires the wildlife to band together. With plenty of great jokes and some thrilling action scenes, The Wild Robot is the full package, so it’s no wonder that it’s become a streaming hit.
What This Means For The Wild Robot
A Sequel Is Already On The Way
The good news for fans of The Wild Robot is that a sequel is already in the works. DreamWorks has always been keen to leverage successful original movies into new franchises, and The Wild Robot is now set to follow in the footsteps of other heavy-hitters like Shrek and Despicable Me. Peter Brown’s book has two sequels so far, and the ending of The Wild Robot sets up Roz’s escape, if the next movie remains faithful to Brown’s blueprint. The fact that The Wild Robot is a streaming hit bodes well for its potential future as a franchise. It seems likely that the movie’s word-of-mouth reputation and latent hype could translate into an even bigger box office return for the sequel.
Source: FlixPatrol
