If you have a Peacock subscription, you’re in luck this week, because one of the best movies of 2024 was just made available to stream on the service: Dreamworks’The Wild Robot. While I initially missed the movie in theaters, I recently bought it and have already watched it twice. Now I want to talk about one element of the movie that has me especially stoked for the future of DreamWorks as a lifelong fan of the animation studio.
Look, as someone who is in their late twenties, I know I’m no longer the core audience for DreamWorks Animation films, but that doesn’t mean I still don’t appreciate animated films with every part of my being and still go out of my way to see them in theaters if I am excited enough for one. In the case of The Wild Robot, I actually meant to see it in theaters, but life just piled up, and before I knew it, it was no longer playing. Now that I’ve seen the movie, let me gush about one element that surprised me about it.
I’ve Been Watching DreamWorks Movies My Whole Life, And I Often Have One Gripe
Before I get into The Wild Robot specifically, I want to discuss my thoughts on the history of Dreamworks Animtion for a bit. The studio has literally been releasing movies since I was two years old, and I’ve watched most of them, so it holds a dear place in my heart.
Looking back, in the early days, DreamWorks did a mix of 2D animated films (The Prince Of Egypt, The Road To El Dorado and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron) and 3D animation films like Shrek of course, their first release of Antz and Shark Tale. I’m a big advocate of watching my childhood favorites every once in a while to feel what glimmer of childhood joy is left, and what I’ve noticed is the 2D animated films hold up a lot better than the 3D animated ones on a visual level. I mean, the uncanny valley of watching Shark Tale in the 2020s is almost disturbing these days.
Don’t get me wrong, Shrek and a ton of other 3D movies from the studio will always be classics regardless of how technology has changed, but I’ve realized DreamWorks’ more landmark style of being a 3D animation house can look stale in comparison to other movies in the medium being made today. I mean, just look at the Spider-Verse movies from Sony Animation!
But, Then I Watched The Wild Robot At Home
There are recent DreamWorks movies like Kung Fu Panda 4 and Trolls Band Together that fall into the typical style of the animation house, and then there’s the artistry of The Wild Robot. While the movie is undoubtedly a computer-generated movie using the technology found in other recent DreamWorks films, for the first time in a while I really found myself in absolute awe of the production design, because it delivered in a style I’d never seen from the studio before.
The movie has a look that feels hand-painted and really so unique to anything I’ve seen in a commercial animated movie in some time. I imagine the movie being based on the books by Peter Brown perhaps influenced this style, but it made me feel like I was experiencing something on a different caliber than recent DreamWorks films.
Not only did the animation excite me, I feel totally in line with CinemaBlend’s The Wild Robot review calling it “one of the best DreamWorks animation films ever”. Between its often blunt and darkly hilarious jokes, it feels like a DreamWorks movie, but like the studio completely upgraded itself to tell a timeless (yet timely) tale that feels like a metaphor for parenthood and community. I’m not surprised at all that it is among the 2025 Oscar nominees for Best Animated Film and think it has a real chance of winning.
I Actually Feel Like I Missed Out On An Awesome Theatrical Experience
While I still regularly go and see animated films from other studios as an adult, I’ll be honest, I traditionally skip DreamWorks movies in their first run and wait for a cozy night on the couch. However, after seeing The Wild Robot at home, I was genuinely bummed I missed seeing it in theaters. It feels like the scale of the story and animation demanded to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and it would have been a sweet night out that would make for a good memory with friends or family.
In a year when animation is finally getting its box office returns (with Moana 2 and Inside Out 2, for example), it really made me happy to feel this way about The Wild Robot. It makes me excited about the studio’s future and how it may learn that taking more chances and time with its design and storytelling will actually add to the longevity of the medium. The movie wasn’t as gigantic as the Disney sequels that came out this year, but it was No. 1 its first weekend at the box office and must have made some returns off its $324.9 million worldwide haul.
I Hope DreamWorks Continues To Get This Creative With Its Animation Style
With these points in mind, my one big hope for DreamWorks going forward is that it continues what it has started with The Wild Robot. It’s been a long time since a movie from the studio has affected me in such a powerful way and felt like it’s truly for any age bracket. The results show that the work that was put into the project mattered to audiences like me.
Going forward, I don’t see a movie in the works yet from the studio that reflects that want – especially considering it consists of more sequels like The Bad Guys 2 and Shrek 5. Still, I am definitely paying more attention to what the studio does next after The Wild Robot, because of how much joy it brought me.