Sometimes a film premieres at a film festival and the acclaim seems to be practically universal. The response is so good, so amazing, so (checks the thesaurus) profusely that makes you wonder if the whole crowd was slipped happiness pills just before the curtain went up. Can “The Wild Robot” even deserve all the praise it received after its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival? Could ANY film?

So buckle up, movie lovers, because this time it’s real. The Wild Robot is a wonder film, a big-budget animated studio film that is unique and personal. Beautifully animated, lovingly told, exciting and unexpected. It begins like a comedy, develops into a heartwarming drama, and further develops into an exciting and transcendent exploration of deep ideas and powerful feelings. I cried, dear reader. I cried so much. Not just because the story and characters were wonderful, but also for the joy of discovery. The word “agog” was invented for films like this.

“The Wild Robot” tells the story of ROZZUM Unit 7134, a robot that washes up on an island inhabited by cute forest animals. When ROZZUM Unit 7134 is accidentally activated – with the voice of Lupita Nyong’o – it chirps to life in search of an owner. She was created to joyfully complete any task given to her, and when she realizes that there are no people who can give her meaning, she sits in silence, listening to the animals and gradually learning their languages, in hoping that they will tell her what to do with her life instead.

What ROZZUM Unit 7134 finds out – oh God, let’s call it ROZ because that’s what everyone agrees – is that no one wants it. She is universally feared, a strange creature who claims to want to help in a land where every living creature is constantly being eaten by others. No wonder they are suspicious of kindness. There’s an opening joke where ROZ asks a crab if it’s its owner and it’s immediately snatched from his hand by a bird screaming in fear. This seems like a harsh joke, but it’s important: this is not a friendly world, no matter how charming everything is. When a mother possum tries to tell ROZ what it’s like to raise seven children, there’s a scream offscreen and she just sighs and corrects herself: six.

ROZ regains her purpose after she accidentally kills a goose and shatters all but one of its eggs. At least now there is something she needs. She snatches the egg from a fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal) and finally accepts her important task: she will raise this gosling, Brightbill (Kit Connor), and teach it to swim and fly so that it can survive the harsh conditions of the coming winter. When Fink realizes that ROZ believes everything she says, he claims to be an expert on geese and takes advantage of her naivety to secure a comfortable home and free food.

ROZ wants to be a mother, but has no feelings. Fink is just faking it. The act of raising children gradually changes them. That could be enough for some films. The idea of ​​a robot learning about love by simply doing “mommy things” is beautiful enough on its own. “The Wild Robot” could do well there and the film would be perfectly fine.

Instead, we get a film that thrives and flourishes, exploring the depth of familial connections and the complexities of an evolving social system, and presenting as powerful a metaphor for the foundation of faith as you’re likely to find. This story expands to new destinations and finds striking new images. There is action and yet it never feels like a studio note, just something to keep the audience interested. Each branch of The Wild Robot grows and thrives freely and naturally.

The world of “The Wild Robot” is rich in flora and dense with fauna. The film’s take on life and death is simple enough for a child to understand and complicated enough to impress even the most hard-hearted adult. The science fiction elements carry the clear, friendly and yet unmistakably dystopian design of the “Portal” universe. Whoever created ROZ did what they had to, because they could, for the benefit of all of us except those who are dead. After all, the film takes place in the future, and something very bad seems to have happened in that future.

Writer/director Chris Sanders, who adapted a book by Peter Brown, previously co-directed the animated classics Lilo and Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon. Both films were essentially simple stories about an unlikely hero who becomes the guardian of a strange creature. But neither film settled for simple platitudes, instead emphasizing the animated medium’s ability to entertain, enrich and amuse. His first solo work was the 2020 adaptation of “Call of the Wild,” about an old man and a dog who form a bond in the icy Yukon. Sanders has an affinity for films about learning to love and outdid himself with The Wild Robot. If you had no idea what affection meant when you entered the theater, you’ll probably understand it when you come out.

It feels unnatural to write a review of a film that is nothing but praise, but what a wonderful problem that is. “The Wild Robot” is a rare cinematic experience, a very special and captivating film that hits the mark. The film should be examined in detail, but for now I leave you the joy of experiencing this saga for yourself. It’s a wonderful time to be a film lover. It’s a wonderful film.

Universal Pictures’ DreamWorks animated film release, The Wild Robot, hits theaters exclusively on September 27th.