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Review of The Wild Robot (Kris Bowers)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... for a masterful balance of organic and synthetic musical elements combining with a fantastic main theme to yield one of the most compelling animation scores of its era.

Avoid it... if you have difficulty surviving comedic action in the children's genre to reach the dramatic thematic payoffs, though all corners of this score are accomplished.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

The Wild Robot: (Kris Bowers) The final animated movie slated to be produced entirely within DreamWorks, 2024's The Wild Robot tells a highly unique story against a blend of traditional animation techniques. Guided by a hand-painted, two-dimensional look, the movie postulates that humans have invented mass-manufactured robots to serve all their needs in a future in which oceans have risen substantially. A delivery of these robots crashes on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Northwest, and one of them largely survives. With its innocent but focused programming telling it to serve its master by completing tasks, the robot realizes that the only masters on this island are animals. After getting its butt kicked by the animals, it learns the various species' languages and eventually earns their trust. Named Roz, the robot adopts a runt of a goose hatchling and becomes its parent by accident, setting up the parental and acceptance narrative that ultimately must include the goose, Brightbill, migrating away. Roz then becomes the protector of the island against the retrieval robots sent to collect it, setting up a clash of cultures that the animals are destined, of course, to win. The story is a tear-jerker but relies on audience acceptance of countless logical fallacies and the inherent evil of humanity. Viewers seemed able to navigate these issues and make The Wild Robot a remarkable financial success, its originality, heart, and unique aesthetic overwhelmingly positive. Director Chris Sanders has collaborated with two of the most notable composers of a generation, Alan Silvestri and John Powell, for his string of cinematic ventures, but for The Wild Robot he tapped rising star Kris Bowers instead. Sanders' films had inspired Powell to write two of the best scores of his career, and he does the same with Bowers. Among the few African-American composers writing music for mainstream films in the 2020's, Bowers had shown tremendous improvement in his orchestral chops in the years leading up to The Wild Robot, and it's clear that this assignment inspired him and his robust crew to emulate the instrumental and thematic prowess of Powell. The fact that he succeeded so well is an astonishing treat for listeners.

There is no doubt that music plays an incredibly important role in the success of The Wild Robot, the score and a pair of original songs increasingly carrying the dramatic weight of the story as it progresses. The two songs were initially supposed to be just one, American singer Maren Morris recording "Kiss the Sky" for the critical scene in which Brightbill is trained to fly. After production on the film was largely finished, though, she also recorded "Even When I'm Not" for the end credits, with Bowers working its melody and lyrics into the choral conclusion of the score. The songs are upbeat and modern pop entries of a rather intimate nature, an acoustic guitar carrying most of the instrumental backing for much of them but adopting contemporary rock norms elsewhere. Outside of the neat pinnacle of connectivity between songs and score at the end of the picture, Bowers' steers clear from the two Morris melodies. The composer wrote over 80 minutes of music for the movie, which is rarely left without any. He was careful to balance the location and futuristic concepts against hearty character elements, with uniquely attractive success. The forest is supplied vaguely jungle-appropriate tones that are not openly exotic. Bowers hired a team of four percussionists called Sandbox Percussion to strike glass bottles, teacups, planks of wood, metal pipes, oxygen tanks, log drums, and cowbells during select comedy and chase scenes, along with the initial identity of the fox character, Fink. Their integration with the orchestra is superb, the mix of elements well handled. The same praise applies to the synthetic sounds for Roz, sometimes openly analog but not aged to the 1980's like you hear so often in retro-styled scores of this era. Importantly, while there is digital manipulation at work for specific reasons (malfunctioning robots or robots that cannot process their surroundings), these post-production techniques don't affect the organic instrumentation most of the time and supply just the right amount of futurism to the music. The bass is boosted well in later cues of inspiration to give these passages the power of a Hans Zimmer anthem, but again, this accent doesn't overwhelm the soundscape. It blends remarkably nicely with the choral usage, which only really has a fantasy-oriented impact during the cues at the story's climax.

In its blend of drama, comedy, and action, Bowers' score for The Wild Robot aspires to be a Powell score in its instrumental timelessness and thematic passages, especially as it emulates the veteran composer's woodwind techniques and use of bass brass to accent those themes. Action cues like "Rockmouth" and "Unauthorized Lifeforms" are impressively mature and leagues better than the equivalents in Haunted Mansion the prior year. The last third of the score is an emotional powerhouse, the set of themes maturing for remarkable performances of intense appeal. The narrative set forth by Bowers is smart from start to finish, his ideas deconstructed well when needed, thrown into romping action without missing a beat, and knowing when to simplify their harmonies to provide familial warmth. The first third of the work is occupied by its comedic mode while the middle third explores its tender melodicism. The drama and action in the final third are the obvious payoff that will send audiences off with the main theme clearly in mind. Bowers' primary theme represents the concept of family, originally just between Roz and Brightbill but eventually encompassing all of the animals of the island as they band together in an unlikely predator/prey alliance. It consists of an optimistically rising, four-note phrase repeated several times with different harmonies underneath, two notes elegantly varying in the even-numbered statements of the cycle. Bowers applies this theme in two different speeds depending upon whether the idea supplies heart or inspiration, with both on display in succession during the its moment of sublime maturity in "I Could Use a Boost." This theme yields the best harmonies in the score, too, suggesting warmth and resolution at the most poignant moments. It's rare that composers conjure truly memorable, simplistic themes that audiences can latch onto and immediately translate to their pianos, but the family theme here is exactly that kind of functionally catchy yet unassuming identity. It is introduced with hope on strings at 0:39 into "The Accident," builds in the middle of "Hatching" with a nearly triumphant moment interrupted by suspense, weaves in and out of the Brightbill theme in "You're His Mother Now," and rises out of the lovely bed of rhythms in "Bedtime Story."

The middle third of the score forces Bowers' main family theme through a variety of challenges. It dances in fragments throughout "Activating Interspecies Outreach Protocol," extends out of the Brightbill material again in "Swimming Tests," and becomes mildly touching on strings in "That Thing." The theme then builds throughout "The Confession" before enunciating itself dramatically in the latter half of the cue, tickles the edges of "In the Wrong Place," and informs the light string drama during "Non-Negotiable." As mentioned before, though, it truly reaches its destined prowess as an inspirational force in "I Could Use a Boost" for the full ensemble (and mainly brass) as Brightbill emotionally joins his first migration, a stunning moment of musical impact on screen aided by monumental percussion accompaniment. The family theme culminates in a driving climax during "Task Complete," helps propel the action of "Unauthorized Lifeforms," and shifts to action mode in the middle of "Rescue Mission." It supplants the Roz theme with notable choral moments in the middle of "Truce," concludes "Vontra" with abbreviated hope, and overtakes the ruckus about a minute into "Robots vs. The Wild" with the choir, where it joins the Roz theme in the piano performances at the end of the long cue. A single phrase from the family theme offers a reminder early in "Back Online" before it regains top inspirational form again with choir in "I Have Everything I Need," a clear highlight of the score. Bowers then takes that mode to softer but still poignant volumes in "You Don't Have To," where it builds into another momentous statement with vocalized lyrics of the "Even When I'm Not" song at its climax. The chords of the idea inform the middle of "Roz's Story" until brass finally states the theme in jubilation to close the score. Not surprisingly, the composer balances the vital family theme with that of Roz, the main character, throughout the entirety of the story. It's a theme that you hear right off the bat in the score and is interpolated in a variety of guises instrumentally to represent the robot's transition from machine to living, truly sentient parent. The bouncing tune may not be very memorable, but it suffices when clearly enunciated. Most listeners will recall it transformed into an adventuresome fanfare with synths in "Roz's Startup Music" and the repeatedly heard and source-like, happy, cartoonish fanfare in "Universal Dynamics" that dies out in a digital meltdown per the story's needs.

In the narrative of The Wild Robot, Bowers suggests the Roz theme right away and uses hints of it in the setting-establishing rhythms in "The Island." Its first phrase becomes rhythmic in "Activating Learning Mode" on synthetics over winds, and that propulsive formation continues on woodwinds mostly in "Deploying Rescue Transmitter" while the rest of the orchestra teases out secondary lines. It transforms in its fuller form to an action mode at 0:27 into "System Breach" but is stunned in atmospheric, synthy haze at the outset of "The Accident." As Roz finally achieves a purpose, the theme turns bubbly and optimistic on strings throughout "Roz Builds a Home" and takes a redemptive turn at the end of "Choosing a Name." It is briefly explored in "Activating Interspecies Outreach Protocol" but largely replaced by the family theme as the narrative demands. The Roz theme then starts to reassert itself in the electronics of "Task Complete," a solo piano at the end of that cue offering thoughtful contemplation after the family theme reaches its catharsis. The idea enjoys a more streamlined presence early in "The Migration," becomes diminished again to solo piano at the start and end of "Truce," and achieves a redemptive return to fuller ensemble form in "Return." The sadness of the solo piano defines the theme again late in "Vontra" but it's not long before the full action mode again erupts at 0:16 into "Robots vs. The Wild," driving several moments in the cue before the motif devolves down once more to the solo piano. Roz's theme struggles to emerge in "Back Online" but takes a lightly redemptive tone with elegant piano and the ensemble in "Roz's Story." The numerous conveyances of this theme by the piano in the latter cues expresses the emotional heart of the robot as only that instrument can accomplish, especially in the lovely "Truce," though listeners will likely remember the theme solely for its brightly optimistic, partially synthetic fanfare mode that emulates the character's startup chime. With intelligence, Bowers manipulates this theme to represent the sadistically evil retrieval robot, Vontra. This sinewy offshoot of the Roz theme is primarily explored in the creepy, conversational cue of "Vontra" but recurs in the middle of "Robots vs. The Wild" on whiny violins and then muscular brass. As the action culminates, the composer shifts back to those violins for the motif in the latter half of "Back Online," the structural resemblances between the Roz and Vontra motifs diverging as the latter is sent to a fiery demise.

Three other secondary themes exist in The Wild Robot, though the identity for Brightbill isn't as clearly enunciated as it could be, the weakest idea in the work and easy to miss. It's fleet on foot and with wholesome spirit throughout "Brightbill," mingles with the main family theme in "You're His Mother Now," and is altered for a variant with the same rhythmic motion in "Eat, Swim, Fly." The theme rambles wildly in "Swimming Tests," matures its rhythmic formations in "The Migration," and brings its rambling affection to the middle of "Return." By comparison, the theme for Fink the fox is well developed throughout the score and experiences the greatest evolution of any theme. It sneaks its bluesy base form into the early action of "The Egg and the Fox" and closes that cue with a brief, clearer statement. That bluesy jazz mode extends over wild percussion in "Fink" but changes from there as the character softens and adopts Roz as its parent as well. The Fink theme figures briefly at 0:57 into "Roz Builds a Home" but comes forth on clarinet in the much different "Good to See a Friend" sans the bluesy attitude. It achieves an action mode at 2:15 into "Robots vs. The Wild" and diminishes again on clarinet in the middle of "You Don't Have To" for a quick moment of solace. Meanwhile, marginal is the theme for Pinktail the opossum mom, a quirky comedic melody for percussion and woodwinds in "Pinktail." Aside from these Bowers themes, the composer utilizes the "Even When I'm Not" song melody clearly on strings at 1:30 into "You Don't Have To" before shifting back to the family theme, later adapting the tune at the cue's choral passage at 2:26, which emulates the sequence at 1:08 into "Even When I'm Not." Some listeners might think this melody's chords are vaguely hinted in the first minute of "The Return" as well, but the connection is not clear. Overall, The Wild Robot is an outstanding animation score, balancing the frenzy of action and appeals of the heart with skill and achieving the same impressive peace between the organic and synthetic elements. While the two songs work decently well and are certainly unoffensive at the worst, it's the score that definitely shines in the story. Listeners will require some patience when appreciating the healthy 68 minutes of score on album, as the comedy and early action may not connect as much as the pronounced thematic presence in the second half. The payoff is well worth the wait, however, the family theme's powerful dominance of the soundscape in several late scenes ensuring the score's position as among the genre's best. Task completed brilliantly.  *****

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 74:56

• 1. Kiss the Sky* (3:36) • 2. Even When I'm Not* (3:05) • 3. The Island (1:20) • 4. Activating Learning Mode (0:48) • 5. Deploying Rescue Transmitter (0:48) • 6. System Breach (2:37) • 7. The Accident (1:12) • 8. The Egg and the Fox (2:04) • 9. Hatching (1:04) • 10. Brightbill (1:02) • 11. Pinktail (0:32) • 12. You're His Mother Now (1:42) • 13. Eat, Swim, Fly (0:56) • 14. Fink (1:45) • 15. Roz Builds a Home (2:37) • 16. Choosing a Name (1:21) • 17. Bedtime Story (2:41) • 18. Activating Interspecies Outreach Protocol (1:06) • 19. Swimming Tests (1:04) • 20. Kind of Normal (1:16) • 21. Rockmouth (1:17)

• 22. That Thing (1:05) • 23. The Confession (1:46) • 24. In the Wrong Place (1:51) • 25. Universal Dynamics (1:07) • 26. Non-Negotiable (0:35) • 27. I Could Use a Boost (3:07) • 28. Task Complete (1:51) • 29. The Migration (1:12) • 30. Unauthorized Lifeforms (2:43) • 31. Good to See a Friend (0:49) • 32. Rescue Mission (2:29) • 33. Truce (2:27) • 34. Return (1:51) • 35. Vontra (2:36) • 36. Robots vs. The Wild (6:11) • 37. Back Online (2:14) • 38. I Have Everything I Need (1:29) • 39. You Don't Have To (3:05) • 40. Roz's Story (2:03) • 41. Roz's Startup Music (0:52)

NOTES & QUOTES:

There exists no official packaging for this album.

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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from The Wild Robot are Copyright © 2024, Back Lot Music and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 10/27/24 (and not updated significantly since).