The Wild Robot is a rare movie that feels like the kids are the secondary target audience. Strange, maybe, but it’s true. There’s plenty for the kids to see in Dreamwork’s latest, such as a cool robot, fuzzy animals, slapstick humor, and lots of action and adventure. But many of the jokes and even the main plot seemed to be aimed squarely at people like me, an alleged adult.

The robot in question is Rozzum 7134, or Roz, for short, played by Black Panther’s Lupita Nyong’o. The name Rozzum, as well as the company that made her, Universal Dynamics, are references to Rossum’s Universal Robots, which is the play that introduced the word ‘robot’ to the world, and one such tidbit that indeed flies about every child’s head but lands squarely on appreciative noggins of geeky grown-ups.

The story begins with Roz waking up on an isolated island, shipwrecked, and with no idea how she got there and what she’s supposed to do. With the animals either fearful of her or openly hostile, Roz wanders on her own, seeking a task to complete that will satisfy her programmed directive to be of assistance.

By accident, she finds herself in charge of a young gosling, and with her new charge comes a purpose. As she names him, Little Brightbill has to learn to fly and swim in time for winter to migrate with the rest of the geese on the island. Re-energized with her newly acquired duty and with the help of a mischievous fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), Roz sets out to teach Brightbill to fly.

Now, all of these are great life lessons for kids. Finding your purpose and doing so will make you happy, the most prominent message a child will pick up.

Beyond that, the movie has much to say about getting along, bullying, and judging those who are not like you.

So, where does my statement that the movie is aimed at grown-ups like me come from?  The movie also has much to say about being a parent, particularly a mom.

I’d argue we don’t see Brightbill learn how to fly as much as we see Roz learn how to teach. It is not smooth sailing for either of them, for sure. There is nothing in Roz’s database that covers how to teach a gosling to swim or fly, and this causes her to override her programming and adapt to not just fulfill a task, but to care for someone else.

What’s also very clear is the idea of it taking a village to raise a child. While Roz is regarded as a monster by most of the forest, she does manage to make friends with some animals, such as the very supportive possum, Pinktail (Catherine O’ Hara), a somewhat stressed yet still loving mother of seven. Also on hand to help are a peregrine falcon, Thunderbolt (Ving Rhames), and an elder goose, Longneck (Bill Nigh). They provide much help and support for Roz and Birghtbill.

As a parent, I don’t usually relate much to characters from animated films, but I do here. And it felt good to be acknowledged. Veering from the predominant photorealistic style, the visuals are soft and full of visible simulated brush strokes, built on the technology of a previous Dreamwork's film, Puss In Boots: Tha Last Wish. They are very soft and painterly and fit the story beautifully.

Surprisingly, there is much to unpack in the film. While I can see it bringing out smiles and laughs from children, it is also an excellent way to open a conversation with them about the many themes such as believing in yourself, finding a purpose and friendship, and gratitude.

Also, if you’re reading this and you have your parents or people in your life who you look up
to as parents or mentors, this is a movie to share with them as well. 

And after, make sure you give them as big of a thank you as possible. You can be sure they deserve it. Catch the Wild Robot in theaters now. Bring tissues when you do.