Spanish director Pablo Berger has made his first animated film, and it's a wonderful thing to experience. Based on a graphic novel by Sara Varon, "Robot Dreams" takes place in New York in the 1980s, except it's a New York populated by anthropomorphic animals. Rabbits go boating. Ducks fly kites. Octopi play the drums, naturally. Also, there are robots. Also, there's no dialogue, but lots of sound effects and plenty of music.
Our main characters are Dog and his friend Robot, who he orders and constructs in order to have a companion in the lonely city. Dog has to help Robot get adjusted to life as a New Yorker, and takes care of him - teaching him skills, taking him on outings, and keeping him safe. The two form a lovely friendship together. Unfortunately, a trip to the beach goes terribly awry and the two are separated. From there, the story becomes a series of misadventures, existential musings, and bittersweet transformations, as Dog and Robot try to find a way to reunite.
"Robot Dreams" is rendered in the kind of very simple, graphic style, with pleasantly rounded shapes and distinct linework that you usually see in cartoons for young children. The whole vibe is similar to Richard Scarry's Busytown books, and the PBS "Arthur" cartoon. However, the world of "Robot Dreams" is crueler and harsher than it seems at first. The misfortunes that befall Dog and Robot are absolutely gutting to watch. Robot in particular, is subjected to some truly awful treatment because most of the other characters in this universe don't seem to consider him a sentient being. I have all kinds of questions about the status and personhood of robots in this society. Is Dog simply imagining that Robot is alive? Are there some metaphysical "Toy Story" rules in play? - Robot does bear a vague resemblance to the Brave Little Toaster - but the film isn't interested in the larger questions. It's about Dog and Robot. And it's about friendship and loneliness and fleeting connections and heartbreak and letting go.
The lack of dialogue makes the film much more absorbing than I expected. The characters are very expressive, full of joy and worry and sadness. When Dog is first separated from Robot, his panic is palpable through the screen. Robot, the more innocent of the pair, never seems distressed until the situation is truly dire. The animation - old fashioned, traditional 2D for the most part - is excellent. The sound design and soundtrack do a lot of the heavy lifting, including the crucial use of Earth, Wind, and Fire's "September." Pablo Berger has some experience with this kind of dialogue-free storytelling. The last film of his I watched was his silent, black and white reworking of Snow White, "Blancanieves." It's a similarly lovely film that I hope gets more attention because of "Robot Dreams."
And I'm sure that "Robot Dreams" is going to get plenty of attention when it becomes more widely seen. It's very close to a totally universal film, watchable by anyone but the very smallest children who might find parts of the story too upsetting. Kids will be able to follow the storybook visual language without any trouble and enjoy the appealing characters. There's a scene where a snowman takes Dog bowling. There's a scene where Robot helps a baby bird learn to fly. At the same time, "Robot Dreams" feels like a film about grown-ups, exploring some difficult emotional territory, and certain situations that could be allegories for more serious issues.
I also appreciate "Robot Dreams" for reminding me to be a little more adventurous in my animation viewing choices. We're getting so many good animated films now from all corners of the globe, I've stopped feeling like I have to keep championing them, and defending the art form. "Robot Dreams" is a Spanish production, despite taking place in New York, and only had very limited distribution. I admit I would have passed this movie by if it hadn't been nominated for an Oscar. It's been an awfully long time since "Blancanieves," and I didn't recognize that Berger was the director at first.
2023 really was a very good year for animation, and "Robot Dreams" was one of the highlights.
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