Out of all the great animated movies released in 2024, DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot has come out to be one of the most beloved. Based on the book of the same name by Peter Brown, the film tells the story of a robot named Roz who finds herself shipwrecked on an isolated island filled with animals. The Wild Robot has received amazing reviews from all sorts of audiences, with praise directed at its engaging and emotional story and characters, along with The Wild Robot‘s great cast.
Being an adaptation of a beloved book series, The Wild Robot was always going to have to make some changes to the source material, for the sake of both being in a new medium and because of the direction the creators wanted the story to go. With The Wild Robot‘s sequel on the horizon, seeing how the first film changed the book will help to potentially predict how the second film will go.
10 Brightbill Takes Much Longer To Fit In With The Geese
The Geese In The Book Are Quicker To Like Him
In the book, Brightbill doesn’t have too much trouble with the other geese on the island. There is a brief mention of some others making fun of him because of his mother, but that’s the only real mention of the issue. When he first meets the other geese, none of them come out to bully him, and he is even invited out to swim by another goose.
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The movie has a much different depiction, however. The first time Brightbill meets up with the other geese, he is very much harassed and taunted by them, and they clearly view him as an outsider. It isn’t really until he saves them when they get trapped in the farm that the majority of the geese begin to respect him.
9 Vontra Takes The Place Of The RECO Units
The Book’s Climax Only Has The Bruisers
The ending of The Wild Robot book is definitely very similar to what is seen in the movie, where a group of robots from the company that made Roz attacks the island in order to restore her to factory settings at a factory. However, a major difference in the book is that the only robots that face up against Roz are three RECO units, as opposed to Vontra and the six RECOs seen in the film.
This change is definitely understandable, if only for Stephanie Hsu’s great voice performance as Vontra. Her addition to the end adds a splash of flavor to what could’ve been a very basic battle against faceless goons with no personality. Her cheerful and slightly psychopathic demeanor is a great contrast to Roz’s genuine heart and compassion.
8 Roz Is Equipped With And Uses A Transponder
In The Book, She Is Content To Stay
While Roz in the book does question her origins and where she comes from, she doesn’t have too much desire to return to where she was originally meant to go. She quickly ingratiates herself with the animals of the island, and wants to stay where she is. The only reason that the island and Roz are discovered in the book is because she accidentally builds a fire that is too big for a celebration.
Her main motivation at the start of the movie is activating her beacon, before she finds her new task in taking care of Brightbill.
On the other hand, The Wild Robot film’s Roz is constantly questioning whether she should use her transponder to return to human civilization, and it is one of the major inner conflicts that the character faces. Her main motivation at the start of the movie is activating her beacon, before she finds her new task in taking care of Brightbill. When she activates it, revealing herself and the island to Universal Dynamics, she directly brings about The Wild Robot‘s intense and emotional ending.
7 Roz Gives Brightbill His Name
Loudwing Gives Him The Name In The Book
In The Wild Robot book, Roz doesn’t know what to name her newfound gosling, so a friendly goose called Loudwing decides on the name Brightbill for her. This is very distinct from the movie, where Roz, with the help of Fink, cycles through multiple, less personal, options for his name before eventually deciding on Brightbill.
Giving Roz the opportunity to come up with the name makes the story feel that much more personal, as she is the mother and should be given the opportunity to come up with one. Roz in the book not coming up with it herself makes the moment feel less rewarding. Her finally using a little creativity to find a good name for her son is a great way of showing her character’s growth, and comes full circle at the ending when Roz recognizes Brightbill.
6 Roz Brings All The Animals To Her Home In The Winter
She Doesn’t Make Multiple Nests
Roz in the original book doesn’t bring the animals to her nest, she simply allows them to come in. It initially seems like much less of a commitment for her, as she doesn’t worry about actually going out to save them. Eventually, however, her original home gets filled up with them, and so she has to go out to the rest of the island in order to build more shelters for the remaining creatures of the island.
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In the film, Roz simply collects all the robots and brings them to her home with Fink. While both versions work to show how selfless Roz is and how helpful she is to the island, bringing all the animals into one home allows for some great drama, as the predators and prey of the island have to finally learn to work together, rising above their instincts and not just killing each other.
5 Brightbill Is A Less Natural Swimmer And Flier
He Has To Try Even Harder
Brightbill is described as a runt in both projects, someone who will have to work twice as hard to achieve the same as the rest of the geese on the island. However, in the book, this aspect of Brightbill is focused on much less. He doesn’t struggle to swim, and while it does take time to fly, he accomplishes that without too much hassle.
When compared to the film, Brightbill had to work much less to achieve his results. He isn’t able to swim properly until another goose teaches him the proper way for their species, and to fly he has to train every day under the tutelage of Thunderbolt. Showing just how much work he had to do is a great way of endearing the audience to his character after he grows up, and deepens Roz and Brightbill’s relationship.
4 Roz Speaks To A Damaged ROZZUM Unit
She Learns More About Her Origins
In the book, all the ROZZUM units from her original ship have been destroyed. They do come into play at the climax, but not as their actual living selves, just as items to be collected by the RECOs. In the movie, when Roz has adapted more to her island life, she speaks to a barely functional ROZZUM and learns about where she comes from, and is given an undamaged transponder.
This is a pivotal moment in the film that showcases a big difference between the two versions of The Wild Robot. The movie’s Roz is constantly caught between her original purpose and her new home, and this moment encapsulates that conflict perfectly. Compared to the book, where Roz remains content to stay on the island throughout, until the ending.
3 Many Characters On The Island Are Different Or Gone
Although Most Of The Character’s Roles Remain
Both the book and the movie are chock-full of characters, and while generally the same animals remain, the names and purpose of many of them are different. Chitchat, a relatively important squirrel character who becomes best friends with Brightbill, is completely missing from the film. The goose Loudwing is gone, but her role was mostly just taken over by Longneck.
Other characters are in the film, but have different roles. Mr. Beaver isn’t present, but his role is taken up by his son in the book, Paddler. Similarly, the bears, who in the book are the family of a mother and her two children, Nettle and Thorn, are replaced by just one older bear called Thorn. So, while many of the characters are technically not in the film, their presences are still felt and their roles are still filled.
2 Fink Has A Greatly Expanded Role
He Becomes Part Of The Family
In the book, Fink is very much a side character. He appears near the start, then doesn’t show up until much later in the book to offer a small bit of commentary. He is a minor player, so it is surprising that, in the film, he is one of the central characters, appearing at the start and remaining as a character throughout until the end.
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Fink is played by current A-lister Pedro Pascal, a big box office draw, so naturally he was going to have a much bigger role than in the book. He takes up a space that wasn’t really felt in the book, as a member of the family outside just Roz and Brightbill. He is similar to Chitchat, but she is more of a friend of the pair, not part of the family.
1 Brightbill Runs Away After Learning About His Birth Mother
In The Book, He Is Very Calm About The Situation
One of the most emotional moments in The Wild Robot is when Brightbill finds out that Roz killed his birth mother, and, feeling utterly betrayed, leaves her and Fink to try and find his own way. It is a powerful scene that gives a much deeper look into both Roz’s character and how much she has grown to care for Brightbill, and the dynamics of the little family that they have made for themselves.
The scene is in the book, but it carries significantly less weight. Brightbill finds out what happened and simply forgives and forgets, choosing Roz as his mother. It’s a touching moment, but it evokes very different feelings. They do have an argument, after which Brightbill leaves, but it is just about Roz not wanting him to do something she believes to be dangerous and him getting upset, but it is resolved very quickly, in contrast to what happens in The Wild Robot’s movie.
The Wild Robot is an animated drama film based on a series of books by Peter Brown. The adaptation is written and directed by Chris Sanders and stars Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, and Catherine O’Hara. The Wild Robot centers on a robot named Rozzum 7134, who becomes stranded on a deserted island and the guardian of a young orphan.
- Director
- Chris Sanders
- Writers
- Chris Sanders , Peter Brown