Sometimes, to survive, you must become more than you were programmed to be.

Starring: (the voice talents of:) Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Boone Storm, Alexandra Novelle, Raphael Alejandro

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I'm a robot. I do robot-y things. I seek tasks and ensure all essential needs have been met or exceeded." - Rozzum 7134 aka "Roz"

Why watch this? I thought there was no new place for a robot cartoon to go... Well, I was wrong.

Plot Summary: Rozzum Robot 7134 is the only of six human-serving machines to survive a storm. "Roz" washes up on an uninhabited island teeming of wildlife. As Roz's programming dictates, she seeks a task to perform, yet the animals fear her, even calling her a monster. She goes into "'learning mode", which helps her decipher the animal's languages. After an accident, she finds herself in the care of a baby goose. Using the only friends she has: a tricky fox named Fink, and a mother opossum, Pinktale, she finally learns her task - to raise the goose (named Brightbill), teach it to swim and fly. However, time is ticking because winter is coming and Brightbill must migrate South with his fellow geese.

  Dad's Preview: This lovely animated film just grabs you and won't let go. Sure its for children, but here are some adult themes at play: what it means to accept parental responsibility, rejection for being different, and maturing to a point that you realize that love knows no type, or rule, or bounds. This DreamWorks effort really hits notes reserved for Pixar/Disney, and the two animation producers, quality-wise, are neck and neck, and that is a good thing for a viewing audience, hungry for good, family-friendly movies.

DreamWorks Animation; Universal Pictures