10 Weirdly Distracting Moments In Recent Movies
6. Morbid Jokes In A Kids' Film - The Wild Robot
When producing a picture generally aimed at younger viewers, it's important to remember that it won't just be kids watching. It is the parents who ultimately decide whether to go and see something or not, and there has to be something in there for them to enjoy as well.
That's why in kids' films you'll often see more mature jokes hidden, to give the adults in the room a laugh while sailing right over the heads of the little ones. The Wild Robot was no different in this, though some of the jokes made were surprisingly morbid.
The heartwarming story surrounds Roz (Lupita Nyong'o), the titular robot growing into the mother figure of a young gosling, Brightbill (Kit Connor). Of course, there was much to learn, and some of this came from a conversation with Catherine O'Hara's Pinktail, an opossum happy to offer advice on the harsh realities of raising numerous children.
Jokes about not enjoying the tougher side of parenting are one thing, but at one point, one of her children gets attacked and apparently killed, to which she has absolutely no reaction. Then, when the little one returns having actually survived the attack, the mother lets out a sarcastic celebration as if she would have preferred the child to stay dead. This would have been incredibly morbid even if it hadn't been in a kids' movie.