DreamWorks Animation's “Wild Robot” has been well received by audiences and critics alike since its theatrical release on September 27, topping the box office rankings and scoring an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes The film adaptation of the children's book by Peter Brown stars Lupita Nyongo as the voice of a friendly but naive helpful robot nicknamed Roz
Stranded on a remote island with no humans around, Roz eventually learns to communicate with the local animals and helps raise a petite gosling named Bright Bill (Kit Connor) Lush visuals and a sweet storyline make “Wild Robot” an enjoyable film for children and adults alike
If you enjoyed watching Roz develop an emotional connection with her animal friends, here are five more great family-friendly films about machines with feelings, like “Wild Robot”
In Brad Bird's directorial debut, Vin Diesel voices the title character Iron Giant is a robot of few words, but that doesn't prevent him from bonding with Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal), a curious 9-year-old boy who is excited to have his own giant robot The Iron Giant may be a secret military experiment, or it may be from outer space
Set in 1957, “The Iron Giant” is both an anti-war parable and a beautiful story of two outcasts becoming friends A mix of traditional and computer animation, it has a timeless look that fits the retro story and showcases some of the boundless imagination that Bird would later display in “The Incredibles”
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Andrew Stanton's Oscar-winning sci-fi romance may be the best film Pixar has ever made Robots WALL-E (WALL-E) and EVE (EVE) fall in love without words, communicating through sound effects and expressive movements while alone together on an abandoned future Earth
Later, human characters appear in “WALL-E” to add tension to the story and explain what has happened to Earth But at the heart of the film is the dynamic relationship between WALL-E and EVE, two machines developed for simple tasks that find greater significance when they find each other The robots then allow lethargic humans to rediscover their greater purpose
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Like Roz and her fellow robots in “Wild Robots,” the B-Bots of this animated film are everywhere and useful--or at least, they should be b-Bots are an essential cool middle school accessory, but clumsy Bernie Pudowski (Jack Dylan Glaser) ends up with a malfunctioning model that his father bought cheap from shady sources
Naming himself Ron (Zach Galifianakis), Bernie's B-Bot inadvertently wreaks havoc wherever he goes, but he also transcends the directives of the giant technology company that manufactures the B-Bot, becoming a threat to the corporate empire and a true friend to Bernie Galifianakis' deadpan delivery is perfect for Ron's bizarre declarations, and Olivia Colman is hilarious as Bernie's eccentric Bulgarian grandmother Ron Gone Wrong is a freewheeling, chaotic comedy with an endearing message about true friendship”
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The Spanish filmmaker adapts the American graphic novel into a dialogue-free film that reaches audiences of all ages and in all languages It is a cute and charming story set in 1980s New York City, populated by anthropomorphic animals A lonely dog orders a robot from a TV ad and they become fast friends, but after only a few days together, circumstances force them apart
It's easy to become emotionally invested in the protagonists, despite the fact that they don't say a single word Their quest to reunite is both epic and cozy, confronting life's big changes along with everyday obstacles Director Pablo Berger crafts a bittersweet tale about hope and heartbreak with simple but brilliant animation and a playful sense of humor
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Transformers movies are generally not the place to find heartfelt emotion, but director Travis Knight does just that in this origin story set in the 1980s While there is a larger plot of a battle between Autobots and Decepticons, the core of the film is the friendship between the slightly malfunctioning Transformer Bumblebee and lonely teenager Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld)
As in previous live-action “Transformers” films, Bumblebee communicates solely through broadcasts from his onboard radio, which fits the music-driven 1980s setting Steinfeld gives a fine performance as the brilliant and determined Charlie, whose friendship with Bumblebee allows him to take control of his life There are the requisite action scenes, but they are relatively toned down Knight, head of the stop-motion animation studio Laika, brings that company's care and patience to his live-action debut, easily making it the best Transformers film yet
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