Why You Should Watch Robot Dreams

A review of the least well-known Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature

Robot Dreams (2023)

Directed by Pablo Berger

Robot Dreams is a film that captures the experience of loneliness and longing for connection, and it does it with a colorful 1980s New York anthropomorphic aesthetic. Basically, it’s a movie that’s right up my alley, and I likely wouldn’t have been aware of it if it hadn’t been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. We’re nothing if not completionists here at The Low Major, so I decided I had to see it before the Oscars (especially since I’d already watched the other four nominees)! Unfortunately, at the time they were announced, Robot Dreams hadn’t been released in the U.S.¹ (it’s a Spanish-French film), but luckily, a local theater² was playing it this week as a “Special Event”. Thank goodness for living in a place that appreciates film. So let’s get into it!

Robot Dreams follows the friendship between Dog and Robot (an anthropomorphic dog and robot, respectively), the separation they face, and how they subsequently deal with that separation. Without getting too deep into plot specifics, both Dog and Robot interact with a cast of characters that range from cruel to compassionate, which put them in poignant scenarios that make the movie feel true to life despite being about bipedal animals living in NYC. Losing a friend is a difficult experience, especially if it was something out of your control. Seeing such an honest portrayal of that kind of grief really touched me.

This movie also pulls off expressing the melancholy of loneliness and healing of relationships with no dialogue. The expressiveness of the characters does a lot to get the point across non-verbally. The visuals of both the characters and the setting put in a lot of work to communicate the tone and ideas of the movie.

Not only that, but Robot Dreams also masterfully incorporates the sounds of New York City into its audio design. For most of the film, what the viewer is hearing isn’t that far off from what someone living in New York might expect to hear throughout their day, though it’s presented in a much more intentional fashion. Being able to make sounds like a shower running or a street performer playing or birds chirping fit seamlessly into the movie to create a specific affect shows a strong understanding of the medium. Animation doesn’t necessarily need dialogue to tell a good story, and this movie is excellent proof of that.

These sounds and visuals come together to immerse the viewer in both the story and setting. I wasn’t alive for the ‘80s, and certainly not in New York City, but watching this movie felt like being there. The music, the backgrounds, the character designs all drew on the familiar to make something both stylized and authentic. All the characters were some sort of anthropomorphic, whether an animal (like Dog) or an object (like Robot), and reminded me of people I’ve met, even if they would be more accurately classified as an alligator or an octopus. That kind of familiarity made the movie feel real, like these were situations I recognized, just in a more visually interesting form.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie, and I think others would too. As a lifelong, now grown-up animation fan, I want more films that deal with mature topics like this film does. It had great visuals, characters I deeply cared for, awesome sound design, and a stellar narrative. It’s rare to see something that captures the best and worst of humanity so well (and so stylishly!). I’m glad this film got an Oscar nomination, and I hope it gets more attention when it releases in the U.S. While Robot Dreams has some tough competition at the Oscars among the other nominees, I don’t think anyone can say it doesn’t deserve to be there. Give it a watch when you get a chance; you’ll be touched and you might even cry. I can say that the experience was 100% worth it.

What do you think? Do you disagree with me? Do you want to see Robot Dreams now? After The Boy and the Heron, this is the second Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature I’ve reviewed for TLM. Comment below if you want me to review the other three movies from this year too!           

1. Robot Dreams will get a U.S. release on May 31.

2. Shout out to The Main Cinema! If you’re cinematically inclined and find yourself in Minneapolis, go see your movies there.