Robot Dreams (2023)

[Blue Jam]

This is just indescribably lovely. See it if you get the chance:

[Mister Six]

Not out until May in the US, annoyingly.

Will it make Mrs Six cry unbearably, like The Holdovers did?

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I feel like I've already seen it, with how many times the local cinema has shown the trailer over the last few months. Nonetheless, I will definitely be going to see it, because it does indeed look lovely. I get a bit of a Bob's Burgers vibe from it, for some reason.

Not out until May in the US, annoyingly.

That's odd, given that it was up for the animation Oscar.

[Blue Jam]

Not out until May in the US, annoyingly.

Will it make Mrs Six cry unbearably, like The Holdovers did?

I didn't cry watching The Holdovers but I got about three minutes into this when it became apparent that ocular gushing was inevitable, so I guess that's a yes.

Weirdly the character of "Dog" put me in mind of Paul Giamatti, partly because of the round eyes but also because he's just the kind of endearing sadsack Giamatti plays so well. Not that this should ever get a live action remake.

[Mister Six]

I should be specific - she was crying because

Spoiler alert

she felt so sad about Giamatti's character and hopeless about his future. Is she likely to feel like that about the robot or dog? I can't tell whether they're going to slide some genuine sadness in under the cutesy stuff.

[close]

[Blue Jam]

I should be specific - she was crying because

Spoiler alert

she felt so sad about Giamatti's character and hopeless about his future. Is she likely to feel like that about the robot or dog? I can't tell whether they're going to slide some genuine sadness in under the cutesy stuff.

[close]

It's difficult to explain this without spoilers, but I'll try. It's a film about loneliness and friendship, love and loss, but also about

Spoiler alert

processing grief, learning to cherish the memories and be thankful for the good times, accept that it is better to have loved and lost etc... and moving on and opening one's self to another shot at happiness.

[close]

It's being described as a tragicomedy but as a film for all ages it couldn't be too upsetting for younger viewers. Watership Down it ain't.

Let's just say... "Dog" may be a bit of a sadsack but I wouldn't call him or Robot

Spoiler alert

hopeless. Their future is a little brighter ;)

[close]

[holyzombiejesus]

I loved this so much. Those anteaters! So gutted when the 'happy ending' turned out to be a dream, but kind of relieved too.

As mentioned in the earworm thread in oscillations, I went in to a cafe this morning and they were playing that Earth, Wind and Fire song and I couldn't stop grinning.

Has anyone read the graphic novel/ comic? Surprisingly it's out of print but would really like to get a copy for my boy. Apparently there's at least one reference to the authors other books in the film.

[Blue Jam]

As mentioned in the earworm thread in oscillations, I went in to a cafe this morning and they were playing that Earth, Wind and Fire song and I couldn't stop grinning.

I was at a werk event last night and heard it and also grinned. I already loved the song and I love it even more now.

Apparently there's at least one reference to the authors other books in the film.

I don't know about that but there is a bit where Dog signs their name as "Dog Varon" as a lovely little nod to author Sarah Varon. I was also surprised to see the book is out of print but I imagine there will be a reprint very soon.

I say "their" now because there has been a lot of discussion of the film being very pro-LGBT+ but I'm not so sure that's intentional. Yes, you've got the Wizard of Oz references and loads of EWF but genders are never specified (all of the characters are anthropomorphised animals or robots named "Dog", "Duck", "Robot" etc) and it really just seems to be a story about the joys of platonic friendship presented in a very modern way. Whatever, it's just a beautiful film in any case.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I want to murder those bastard rabbits.

[Blinder Data]

Spoiler alert

I yearned for dog and robot to end up together at the end. a Casablanca type ending would've sufficed, but it all felt a bit too happy and rushed.

[close]

would've taken about 10 mins off the running time too.

my fave bits were robot and dog at the start - I feel like the plot froze when the robot did and dreams kept happening again and again.

but overall it was nice. good use of music - piano arrangement of EWF song was lovely. not a five star film though, what is Peter Bradshaw smoking?

[Memorex MP3]

This was very cute but I suspect it adds very little onto the graphic novel it's based on?


Most out of control kids I've ever seen at a film screening. For some reason there was a 20 minute recorded Q&A with the director at the start that set a way too casual tone for the audience.
At one point one of the kids was running all around the theatre trying to find his missing shoe (he had managed to be in about half the rows on the room so it could've been anywhere). At another the same kid got into a slagging match with a woman that told him to shut up. Two adults with them just scrolling through their phones the whole way through.

[Simply_The_Bestest]

So nice to see a 'kids' film that doesn't use such familiar plot beats.

My 10 year old really enjoyed it and we had a chat on the way home about how films usually tidy everything up, good guy, bad guy blah blah blah. Life changes, relationships change, don't fear change, fear change!

Also, saw it at a Picture House and got free badges! Yippee!

[madhair60]

do they fuck

[Simply_The_Bestest]

do they fuck

Yes. Protein strands and everything.

[Blue Jam]

Most out of control kids I've ever seen at a film screening.

So glad I saw this at an Everyman ;)

Also, saw it at a Picture House and got free badges! Yippee!

Damn, knew I should have gone to the Cameo!

Only free badges I've been given at a film screening were for All My Friends Hate Me. Not sure that's a slogan I'd want on my lapel.

[SteveDave]

Saw this today with my 7 year old at the Castle Cinema in Hackney. Small screen but all the seats are armchairs.

He got restless towards the end (it did feel about 15 minutes too long) but cried out "No!" when

Spoiler alert

the now boombox robot's dream of meeting Dog again wasn't  real. "Why couldn't the Dog have two robot friends?"

[close]

Well son...

I did try to explain that the film was a "grown-up" one about relationships and some things are best left in the past no matter how they ended but I got choked up and bawled on Chatsworth Road.

The beautiful animation occasionally reminded me of "Dogtanian And The Muskehounds" and we were singing that EW&F song on the bus home.

[Bernice]

I thought this was utterly lovely. I would echo the comments saying there's a bit of a bagginess there in the middle and it could afford to lose 10 minutes, but going in knowing very little it managed to keep me guessing and repeatedly weeping, so job done.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I didn't think that the title was going to be as literal as it turned out to be.

[Pseudopath]

Absolutely adored this. Thought I was doing a good job of keeping my cheeks dry until that bird's nest scene. Bastards.

[Mobbd]

my fave bits were robot and dog at the start - I feel like the plot froze when the robot did and dreams kept happening again and again.

Same! I liked that first part. After that... I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

Spoiler alert

Dog didn't try anywhere near hard enough to rescue Robot from the beach. I found that frustrating. We'd already decided that I was Dog and my partner was Robot but I'd never have left her on the beach like that. I'd have found a way. I'd have gone bananas at the security guard: "you locked it up with someone trapped inside! Look! Look!" And if truly nothing worked on the first day, I wouldn't have spent the winter dicking around on ski trips: I'd have worked every day to rescue Robot and to assure him I was working on it. I'd have gone to the beach at an allotted time each morning to call through the fence, "It's okay Robot, you're not alone! Today I found heavy-lifting equipment and tomorrow I'm getting some bolt-cutters!" and so on. Did Dog even read those Robotics books he bought? Bah.

I didn't find Robot's six-month Seymour-the-Dog-from-Fururama-style wait cute or heartening. I was pissed off by it.

Maybe this is because Seymour's wait was through loyalty while Robot was just stuck there because Dog was fucking useless.

I know they ended up happy with Rascal and Tin in the end but I'm a shipper so, you know, fuck Rascal and Tin.

[close]

Aesthetically the film looks nice but the animal world owes SO much to Bojack Horseman and the Robot design owes a CRAZY amount to Futurama. It's weird: independent cinema/comics doesn't normally pilfer from mainstream stuff so blantently, it's normally the other way around. (I guess Robot and Bender borrow from the same vintage sci-fi sources). Robot's whistling voice is almost exactly the fucking same as Helper from Venture Bros but less expressive.

It's lovely to spend time in pre-9/11 New York City though. I've been watching some MTV animated slacker comedy shows from the late '90s and I might post about them soon in Picture Box.

EDIT: the animal world of the original comic doesn't look so Bojacked:

[Mobbd]

Absolutely adored this. Thought I was doing a good job of keeping my cheeks dry until that bird's nest scene. Bastards.

I prefer this version:



Or maybe this one:



Sorry. I'm being an asshole now.

[Blinder Data]

I agree that dog didn't try hard enough. his acceptance of robot's fate made the near-reunion less affecting from his POV. I was all in with the robot but the dog didn't seem to care as much