The Wild Robot review: Machine adventure is the best family film of the year

Running time: 142 minutes.Rated PG (action/peril and thematic elements).

In theaters.Wall-E and Iron Giant, meet Rozzum.Or, Roz for short.She is the latest nuts-and-bolts creature to capture the imagination of movie-goers and the star of “The Wild Robot” — the best family film of the year.From DreamWorks Animation, “Robot” instantly joins the ranks of that studio’s most memorable properties, such as the wondrous “How To Train Your Dragon” and “Kung Fu Panda.”Around the time “Dragon” was released in 2010, I began preferring DreamWorks to the critically worshipped Pixar and its yappy Ivy League blobs.Like that cold-blooded-but-heartwarming adventure about a one-winged fire-breather, “Robot” doesn’t set out to be the class know-it-all that back-pats adults with puns and overly clever “a-ha!”s.Instead, writer-director Chris Sanders (of, you guessed it, “Dragon”) goes right for his character’s souls — and ours.Roz is a futuristic robo-assistant, like an Alexa or Siri, who can walk, assimilate and help around the house.

However, she’s not of much use when her shipping package washes ashore on a faraway island inhabited only by animals.The android is nibbled, scratched, chased, attacked and rained on.So, Roz enters into a hibernation-like “learning mode,” attempts to go full Dr.

Dolittle and understand what the furry scamps are screeching about.Her plan works.Too bad what the possums, beavers, porcupines and bears are hsss-ing is “monster!” and “kill it!”Roz is loathed, totally alone and itching to leave until she accidentally crushes all but one egg of an idle nest. As her assigned task, she becomes fixated on helping the surviving baby bird grow up.

And from there, “Wild Robot” turns into a tearjerker about parenting, its highs and hardships.Without expressly saying so, it’s a wise and sweet ode to adoption.The gosling, who Roz designates 0001 and then Brightbill (Kit Connor), believes the mega-metal is...