One of the most surprising success stories of the film landscape this year has been the DreamWorks animated feature, The Wild Robot's rave reviews have pushed it into being a big success for DreamWorks.
The Wild Robot's success comes at an interesting time for Hollywood movies in general, where sequels, reboots, and franchise films seem to dominate all aspects of the industry. Original ideas are being shelved while studios desperately grab for any recognizable property they can try to make money off. The Wild Robot is adapted from preexisting, well-loved media, but it is such a phenomenal film that it manages to rise above being simply an adaptation, and The Wild Robot is now a DreamWorks hit.
The Wild Robot Found Success Without Being A Known IP
The Film Found Its Audience Because Of Its Strengths As A Film
While The Wild Robot is not a sequel or a reboot film, it is still a part of a franchise. The first The Wild Robot book was released in 2016 to critical acclaim, making its way to the number one spot on the New York Times Bestseller list. Two sequels, The Wild Robot Escapes and The Wild Robot Protects, were released in 2017 and 2023 respectively. The Wild Robot film is an adaptation of the first book in the series, so it is still another franchise film among many.
The Wild Robot couldn't ride off the success of the franchise, it had to find a way to be successful on its own merits, which it was able to do.
Where The Wild Robot differs from many modern movies is how well-known the name is, and how much power that name has in bringing in an audience. While the books were successful, The Wild Robot series has nowhere near the same reach as anything like Inside Out, Despicable Me, or Garfield; The Wild Robot couldn't ride off the reach of the franchise, it had to find a way to be successful on its own merits, which it of course did, making over $150 million worldwide.
2024's Biggest Animated Movies Are All Sequels Or Reboots Except The Wild Robot
The Film Managed To Stand Out Amidst A Crowded Year
2024 was a huge year for animated movies. However, all the films that The Wild Robot stands against in the animation medium are franchise films. The highest grossing movie of the year, even outside of animation, was Inside Out 2, obviously a sequel to 2016's Inside Out. Despicable Me 4 unsurprisingly continued the franchise's massive box office draw, DreamWorks' own Kung Fu Panda 4 drew another large audience, bringing the total box office of the series to over $2 billion, and The Garfield Movie was a reboot of the insanely popular IP.
Highest Grossing Animated Films 2024 |
Worldwide Box Office |
|---|---|
Inside Out 2 |
$1.694 billion |
Despicable Me 4 |
$961.3 million |
Kung Fu Panda 4 |
$549.2 million |
Boonie Bears: Time Twist |
$275.8 million |
The Garfield Movie |
$257.2 million |
The Wild Robot |
$152.8 million |
While Transformers One was a franchise film that failed to bring in the same money as many others this year, that movie is definitely the exception. With Moana 2 and its potentially huge success on the horizon, the slew of oncoming animated sequels seems destined to continue. While The Wild Robot didn't put up the same numbers as the biggest animated films this year, its respectable spot in the rankings, both overall and in animation, is very good, considering the circumstances.
The Wild Robot Is Already Poised To Be A New Major Franchise
Time Will Tell How The Series Continues To Unfold
With the film's success, its no wonder The Wild Robot releases on digital and streaming, the film will likely find even more of an audience, people who didn't bother seeing it on the big screen, but will check it out if it's available on a service they already have access to, paving the way for The Wild Robot franchise to continue to smash expectations.
The Wild Robot Makes DreamWorks' Last 4 Movies Even More Frustrating
DreamWorks' The Wild Robot stands far above their recent films, highlighting how disappointing it is when they don't live up to their potential.
While a continuation of a beloved movie is always welcome, especially when a film leaves room for a sequel like The Wild Robot's ending does, it means that now, The Wild Robot is yet another franchise film to add to the ever-growing list. While being a franchise in and of itself isn't a bad thing, it does lead to questions about films being pushed out to make room for all the sequels and continuations. With how big 2024 was, The Wild Robot could've easily slipped under the radar, made little money, and have never been heard from again, despite its quality.
The Wild Robot
- Release Date
- September 27, 2024
- Runtime
- 101 Minutes
- Director
- Chris Sanders
Cast
Lupita Nyong’o
WHERE TO WATCH
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.
- Studio(s)
- Dreamworks
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