“The Wild Robot” and Birthday Celebrations

This morning, I got to chaperone my son’s fourth-grade class on a field trip to see “The Wild Robot” at Circle Cinema. As his teacher mentioned, this was a pretty easy chaperoning gig. The kids were all well behaved, and there was no way to lose track of them. So I just got to enjoy a good movie for free!

I didn’t ask if this was part of Circle Cinema’s Educational Screenings program, which Dr. Tamecca Rogers covered in our October issue. (tulsakids.com/circle-cinemas-free-educational-screenings-program-enriches-students) It’s a free opportunity for classes to incorporate a film into their curriculum, at a historic theater! So, basically what his class did, I just don’t know if it was officially part of the program.

The Movie

Joss has been reading “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown in class. He said it’s now his favorite book, and he asked me to buy him the sequels! It’s a book that’s caught my eye at bookstores for a while now because of its beautiful cover. I’ve yet to read it, but the trilogy is now on its way to our house, so that’s something to look forward to.

Being such a fan of the book, Joss was a bit critical of the movie because it deviated from the text. So we’ve been talking about some of the differences and why the filmmakers may have made those choices. Having not read the book, all I expected from the movie was whatever the trailer conveyed.

Without going into spoiler territory, a major theme was the relationship between a mother and her child. In this case, a robot mom and her adopted gosling child. But it’s also about family more broadly. For the most part, me and my fellow chaperones all admitted to tearing up – if not outright crying – throughout the film. I didn’t cry, but my eyes welled up several times. Roz the robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) is such a selfless, positive, caring character – despite being a robot who is not supposed to feel emotion. Her kindness makes life better for everyone around her, and it’s just really lovely to see that.

And the animation is gorgeous! There are so many beautiful, vibrant depictions of nature. Not all of them are beautiful, though. I had read somewhere that there are a lot of brutal animal deaths, especially toward the beginning of the movie. For the most part, these aren’t characters you’ve grown to care about, but it is a harsh illustration of the reality of living in a predator/prey situation. If your child is sensitive to that kind of thing, it’s a good thing to be aware of going in.

Toward the beginning of her motherhood, Roz seems a bit stressed because she’s programmed to perform tasks, but doesn’t know how to fulfill her task of caring for the gosling. How do parents learn to care for their children? An opossum mom basically says, “We’re all winging it. But you’ll figure it out.”  That sentiment seemed to resonate with several of the chaperones as well.

It looks like “The Wild Robot” will be on view at Circle Cinema at least through Oct. 17, if you’d like to see it in this historic setting. Find tickets at circlecinema.easy-ware-ticketing.com/events

In Other News

I celebrated my birthday recently! It was a whole weekend of fun and relaxation. One thing we did was visit Cherry & Bark on their grand opening day. They were giving out free scoops to the first 50 customers, thanks to donations from neighboring businesses. So we enjoyed so delicious, free ice cream in fresh waffle cones, in a colorful, welcoming new store. (18th and Boston)

They work with a lot of local farmers and producers to create their unique flavors, which is always nice.

Let’s see….we also ran to Sugar Llamas to get my free birthday 6-count of mini donuts! I’m on their text list, I guess, although they don’t ever text except special things like that. And I joined the Ludger’s Bavarian Cakery email list awhile back, so have a free slice of cake waiting for me there if I have a chance to swing by sometime by the end of the month.

Also, someone told me that Dragonslayer Games gives out a free pack of trading cards if you go in on your birthday. So we grabbed a free pack of Pokémon cards as well! No subscription required. Will definitely be going back on Joss’s birthday 🙂

Anyway, even as an adult, it’s nice to get free things on your birthday. So that’s a good reminder to sign up for the TulsaKids Birthday Club! It’s for kids, but comes with discounts adults can use when planning parties, as well as birthday freebies. Learn more and sign up at tulsakids.com/birthday-club