Robot Dreams

Robot Dreams, based on the 2007 Sara Varon novel of the same name, and directed by Pablo Berger, is an independent animated wonder. Set in an anthropomorphic version of 1980’s New York City, the film tracks the friendship between a dog and robot. The dog, you see, is lonely, and decides ordering a robot as a friend is their fastest ticket to companionship. This is a solution which seems to work, as they go on many adventurous outings around the city. However, can a robot really feel? And, what happens when the two are separated?

The film reminded this viewer of other works, all in positive ways. There are elements, in the visuals, of both the works of Moebius and of Geoff Darrow, who both use hyper detailed, dramatic illustrations and bold staging, to get the point across. This is softer, less real, but almost certainly influenced. Similarly, the 2003 French animated film, The Triplets of Bellville, another work in which nary a line of dialogue is spoken yet the plot, story, characters, and setting all come across clearly, seems to be an ancestor. That remarkable work, as with this glorious achievement, was also fiercely its own thing, making no apologies or concessions as to what it wanted to be.

Courtesy of Neon

The illustrations, and the animation itself, is wonderful to behold. This is not Disney, or Bluth, nor is it Bakshi. It is not Miyzaki. If it feels like anything else, in terms of animation, the aforementioned “softness”-a rounding of the characters and the application and choice of color scheme-it would be the works of Matt Groening, who is responsible for Futurama and The Simpsons. As with his works, this one is also smart, occasionally funny and thought provoking while being engaging and never once boring.

The plot, such as it is, concerns the day Robot and Dog go to the beach. Robot has trouble, to put it mildly, rusting in place. Unable to move Robot, Dog goes home but upon returning the next day, discovers Robot is not accessible due to the beach being closed for the season. Dog begins a battle with the city, to see his friend. He makes attempts, legal and otherwise, to get to Robot.

Courtesy of Neon

Meanwhile, rabbits have found Robot, and they fix him up, but just long enough to cannibalize him for parts for their own purposes. The seasons change and, yes, dreaming of Dog, Robot freezes. Dog finds new friends, but eventually something magical occurs…inside a dream.

And so this continues, for the majority of the film. Will they or won’t they? Are they just friends or is there something more here? Is this a love story? A romance? Are they a gay couple? Does it matter? Yes, it all matters. It matters that this is set in New York City in the 1980s and is about two lonely creatures who are not allowed by the authorities to be together and who suffer through separation and injury, illness and other depravity. It is no coincidence their favorite film is Wizard of Oz, which is both a nod to the power of dreams and a famously LGBT+ friendly film.

Courtesy of Neon

The film’s conclusion, which is about finding new meaning and letting go of the past, about being happy for the happiness others have found and not feeling sad for what you no longer had but holding to the joy you once did, is remarkable. While The Boy and the Heron was easily the best animated film of 2023, Robot Dreams was the second. If you love movies and art, or have had love and friends that have simply moved on as sometimes happens, or if you just want to see a damn good movie, watch this one. You will need to be as heartless as the Tin Man believed himself to be, not to love this one.

Robot Dreams is playing in select theaters.

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