disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

[TIFF 2023] ROBOT DREAMS -- A Heartwarming, Adorable Dialogue-Free Animated Movie

9/24/2023

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
Review by Sean Boelman.
Robot Dreams is a Spanish-French co-production based on an American graphic novel and featuring no dialogue. However, the story and message are so universal that it transcends all of these borders. Robot Dreams is truly a highlight in the animated cinema canon of 2023, featuring a story that’s so downright adorable it would be impossible to hate.

Based on the graphic novel by Sara Varon, Robot Dreams follows an anthropomorphic dog who purchases a robot to be his best friend, only for them to be separated, sending them on a quest to be reunited with one another. Viewers will run the gamut of emotions watching this — you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll go “awwww” several times — but that’s exactly the way it should be.

The choice to tell the film’s story with no dialogue and purely visual storytelling was an ambitious decision for director Pablo Berger, but it pays off quite well. The sound design of the movie is excellent, managing to get so much emotion out of something as simple as a squeak or the recurring motif of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” (which you may never hear without crying ever again after seeing this movie).

Yet, despite the fact that they never utter a word, it’s easy to fall in love with Dog and Robot. The amount of characterization Berger is able to get out of the characters early on through their actions and mannerisms will connect you with them immediately — although it would be hard not to love a dog and a robot being best friends anyway.

As one would expect, there are some moments in the film that are a bit tear-jerking. However, the movie culminates in one of the most emotional finales you’ll see in any animated movie this year, and every bit of the emotion you will feel is earned. It’s not the type of contrived ending that feels like it exists just to make viewers cry, but instead, is just incredibly poignant.

The 2D animation of Robot Dreams is also quite strong, chosen to replicate the style of Varon’s graphic novel. It’s very playful and lighthearted, yet done with an extraordinary amount of artistry — especially with regards to the backgrounds of this alternate version of New York City and the emotive character designs.

As the film was adapted from a graphic novel, it does have a bit of an episodic structure, much as one sees the stories confined within panels and pages of the source material. At a certain point, it begins to feel like you’re traveling along with Dog and Robot on a series of little adventures, giving it an absolutely magical feeling.

Robot Dreams is not just an adorable and poignant animated movie, but it’s an extraordinary achievement in visual storytelling. The fact that Berger was able to get so much emotion out of a simple premise with no dialogue is absolutely astounding, making this an early contender for best animated film of the year.

Robot Dreams screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, which ran September 7-17 in Toronto, Canada.

​Rating: 5/5
               
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About