One Of The Best Kids Movies Ever Made Is Now #1 On Netflix

Now that I have a young child, more than ever attempting to find quality content for them to watch during their limited screen time is more pressing than ever (and more pressing during long flights!). Now, Netflix’s new #1 movie perfectly slides into that category.

I certainly think that you could make the case that The Wild Robot is on a list of some of the best kids movies ever made. It has a hugely impressive 96% critic score and a 98% audience score. I mean, that’s significantly above all the Toy Story movies, if you can believe that (and above this weekend’s 93% for the live-action Lilo and Stitch remake).

This is also not a Disney or Pixar production. It’s Dreamworks, of How to Train Your Dragon and others. They may have fewer all-time classics than their rivals, but this is certainly one. Here’s the synopsis:

“The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot–ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.”

I know a friendly, abandoned robot may have vibes similar to Wall-E, but no, I don’t think they share much past that. Both are heartwarming, the lost robot in the woods attempting to find common ground with the fauna is a fantastic adventure and a great watch not just for kids, but adults too, and it’s a great feature for the whole family on a given movie night. I am not shocked it is currently #1 on Netflix, and it deserves to stay there for a while.

The Wild Robot is actually a trilogy of books, rather than an original animated production. There’s The Wild Robot (2016), The Wild Robot Escapes (2018), and The Wild Robot Protects (2023). Last we heard in October of 2024 a sequel to the movie is in the works, likely adapting that second book in the trilogy.

One aspect of The Wild Robot that’s great besides its story is the animation. This is a gorgeous film using a type of animation we rarely see in the medium, and it makes it stand out past so many other films. It’s incredible and worth watching for that aspect alone. Enjoy.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.