by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
I’ve always had a soft spot for animation. More years than not, at least a couple of animated features find their way onto my top 10 list. So I’m setting out to shine a light on some films that may have passed you by. The idea here is to take a look at some underseen gems—so no Toy Story or Frozen here.
Let’s get started.
I know last month I decided against taking a look at last year’s Robot Dreams because it wasn’t quite as low on the Letterboxd popularity ranking when it comes to Best Animated Feature Oscar nominees, but as I was mulling over what to write about for this month, I came to two realizations: 1) We publish literally hundreds of reviews a year on new releases, and one of five animated features nominated last year was not among them (either in ’23 or ’24), and that’s wild considering how small some films we do review are. 2) I remembered it’s my column, and I can do what I want.
So screw it, here we are.
Robot Dreams follows the adventures of a dog and a robot in 1980s New York City and comes to us from director Pablo Berger, at the helm of his first animated feature. Neither of the main production studios out of Spain have much history in animation either. It’s the lone film produced by Lokiz Films, and Arcadia Motion Pictures only dips their toe into that pool rarely, and not with anywhere close to this level of success.
Narratively, I knew there was a friendship at the heart of the film, but the relationship is built off the fact that Dog is lonely and orders a friend after seeing the advertisement on late night television. Upon constructing his new friend, Dog is getting out and seeing the world more. In our brief introduction, we see him playing both sides of Pong, watching TV, and eating the same frozen dinner every night. Even in that brief snapshot, we get a sense there’s no variety in his nightly routine. Immediately with Robot, that changes. He goes skating, he notices the artistry of an octopus drummer. When Robot is stricken with the inability to move due to an ill-advised dip in the water, Dog is forced to leave him until the beach reopens in the spring.
Everything we need to know is quickly established with “show don’t tell” to the extreme, as the movie lacks any dialogue. It only takes 15 minutes or so of time that they’ve actually known each other, but that relationship feels deeply ingrained, making their forced separation hit hard. The duo has barely been put together, and you’re absolutely crushed when they’re ripped apart.
What happens next doesn’t help.
Neither has a good time during their separation. The titular dreams of Robot are heartbreaking, in the way they end up being so far from his reality and what he has to turn to mentally to keep going. Watching Dog desperately try to retrieve his friend, before being forced to accept the waiting period. The latter tries to use the lessons he’s learned during his short time with Robot, but it’s hard to watch at times. By the nature of his situation, Robot feels much more helpless, as he’s at the whims of others. Even when there’s respites of happiness, there’s more heartbreak waiting around the corner.
Though the animation is simple, it does what’s needed for the film. It’s well done to not distract from the narrative, but also, the animation is just the medium that’s chosen as the best way to tell the story. It makes sense for a society of animals personified (not unlike Zootopia, except for the fact that the world they live in is exactly like ours with the one change) to be told in this medium. However, it’s not like a nominee like, say The Wild Robot, where the visual art of it is going to blow you away. It’s all stripped down, like the lack of dialogue. It makes the actions hit.
The story is not for everyone. It’s very slice of life-y, and with that lack of dialogue or a propulsive story, if you’re not taken in by the way it’s telling its story, it can be a bit of a slog — even at under two hours.
However, it’s the type of nomination that gets thrown in every year, not unlike this year’s Flow. A smaller, indie film (usually international) that (probably) isn’t going to win, but is going to make you ask, “What is that?” alongside the more populist Disney, Pixar, or DreamWorks entries.
I will never not be mad at the distribution bungling that saw this film’s nomination go out with a whimper because you couldn’t find it at any point around the Academy Awards.
I’m excited to continue to geek out on some great animated work you may not have had a chance to catch. Next month, I’m back to scouring the wider world of underseen animation.
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Bluesky and Letterboxd