Based on an award-winning children’s book by Peter Brown, Dreamwork’s The Wild Robot is a beautifully animated movie. It’s set on an island uninhabited by people. All of the characters are either robots or animals. Central to the plot are Roz, a robot shipwrecked on the island, her adopted gosling, Brightbill, and a sly but caring fox, Fink. Together with mommy opossum Pinktail, wise goose Longneck, and a variety of other endearing critters, they learn more about themselves and how to help one another when life throws challenges their way.
Watch the movie together and encourage children ages 3+ to explore the complexity and necessity of relationships with one or more of these activities.
Paying attention. When Roz lands on the island, she’s been programmed to respond only to humans. She learns to understand the animals by watching what they do, listening carefully, and imitating them. Invite children to play a game of charades focused on animal activities. While one person acts like the animal, encourage others to observe carefully to figure out what they are doing. Suggest that children act out complex actions (e.g., beaver building a dam, birds feeding worms to hatchlings) to make the game more challenging.
Pulling together. During a snowstorm, Roz and Fink gather all the animals into their home. The natural inclination of predators to chase prey creates chaos. Fink gives a speech about how they all need to pull together if any of them are to survive. Ask children: What is a problem that threatens humanity’s survival? (With younger children, suggest a problem, such as climate change, pollution, or buying disposable products, that hurts people over time.) Encourage each child to draw a picture of something they can do to address the problem. Then put all the images together to make a mural or book showcasing their ideas.
Partnering up. Longneck helps Roz and Fink teach Brightbill to fly. Since Brightbill is so small, he starts by launching off Roz’s shoulder while she is running. Play a game where children help each other do a task. For example, put a bucket of balls at one end of a room and a basket at the other end. Space children between the two, placing them far enough apart that they can’t touch. Then ask them to find a way to cooperatively move the balls from the bucket to the basket without shifting from their spots.
Pressing on. Longneck calls on Brightbill to lead the geese away from the factory. Even though he and the other birds are afraid, they escape, only to realize that Longneck is no longer with them. Ask: Who are the people that you miss when they are gone? What are some of the things they taught you? How do you try to remember them?
Pushing back. When Vontra first arrives to take Roz back to the factory, all the island’s inhabitants push back. They fight the fire together and use all their wits to defend their community. Invite children to create some rallying cries (e.g., “we’ve got this!” or “when things get tough, we get together!”) that the animals (and they) could use when facing a challenge. March around the room chanting your slogans.
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