Netflix has added another 2025 Oscar nominee to its library, with The Wild Robot streaming on Netflix as of Saturday, May 24. The animated movie wasn’t just a one-time nominee for Best Animated Feature though, it earned three total Oscar nominations, with Best Sound and Best Original Score alongside the Best Animated Feature noms.
When you combine that with the fact that the movie had a 96% “Certified Fresh” ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, I’m honestly surprised it wasn’t able to convert any of those nominations, especially Best Animated Feature, into a win.
The Wild Robot is an adaptation of the Peter Brown book of the same name about a robot called Roz that ends up stranded on an island only inhabited by wildlife. However, highly intelligent and programmed to assist those around her, Roz adapts to her surroundings and tasks, including becoming the adopted mother to an orphaned baby goose. Lupita Nyong’o leads a voice cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara and Stephanie Hsu. Chris Sanders wrote and directed the DreamWorks Animation movie.
The Wild Robot’s awards potential became evident pretty early on, and that was backed up with nominations and wins throughout the awards season. It won Best Animated Feature at the Annie Awards and Critics Choice Awards, as well as being picked as the best animated movie of the year from various critics groups. It then earned four Golden Globe nominations and three BAFTA nominations, though it did not win any of those.
The biggest thing that stood in the way of The Wild Robot and Oscar glory was a movie that few people could have seen coming — Flow. The little movie from Latvia about a group of animals that learn to rely on each other after a flood devastates their environment became something of a phenomenon, earning heaps of praise and two Oscar nominations itself, Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature Film.
So heading into the Oscars it was a battle between two highly acclaimed movies, one from Hollywood and one from the international cinema landscape. In a sign of how the Oscars have become more international, it was Flow that came out on top, taking the Best Animated Feature prize.
I’m not arguing that Flow is not a worthy winner, it’s incredible, I was just convinced that The Wild Robot was going to eventually be the one that came out on top (as I stated in my Oscar predictions).
But even without a trophy, The Wild Robot remains a must-see for families and fans of animation, so definitely take advantage of that now that it is streaming on Netflix. Watch The Wild Robot trailer right here:
(Also, if you’re curious about Flow, it is streaming on Max and Hulu in the US; available on-demand in the UK.)
