From editorial project manager Mia Staub: I recently watched a video of Andrew Garfield tearing up as he read aloud a love letter. He tearfully said, “This is why art is so important, because it can get us places that we can’t get to any other way.”

The Wild Robot does that. Watching it is like taking an emotional deep breath. Some of the emotions are easy to explain. Parents can empathize with the themes of motherhood and parenthood. Anyone who has felt like an outcast can see themselves in many of the characters throughout the film. But other emotions lie deeper below the surface and are much harder to explain. Why am I crying … in public … on a Saturday night … watching a beaver and a bear cuddle next to each other? Film, and art more generally, can reveal things within us that couldn’t be excavated any other way. 

The Wild Robot is art. It is beautiful, both stylistically and emotionally. There were shots where I genuinely gasped at how gorgeous they were. The film felt like a necessary reminder of the art of animation and story in a time where so many films are remakes, sequels, prequels, and spin-offs. The Wild Robot also presents us with a radical sense of belonging, reminding the Christian of the power of kingdom hospitality. Watching The Wild Robot was sort of like receiving a hug after crying in front of a friend.