Robot Dreams

image for Robot Dreams

Short takes

Not suitable under 7; parental guidance to 8 (violence, themes, upsetting scenes, rude gestures)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Robot Dreams
  • a review of Robot Dreams completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 9 April 2024.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 7 Not suitable due to violence, upsetting scenes, and rude gestures.
Children aged 7–8 Parental guidance recommended due to violence, themes and rude gestures.
Children aged 9 and over Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Robot Dreams
Classification: PG
Consumer advice lines: Mild themes and coarse language
Length: 102 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

Dog lives in a New York apartment and, though he is constantly surrounded by the hustle and bustle of city life, he is very lonely and desperately wants a true friend. One night, he orders an ‘android companion’ from an infomercial and soon after, they become constant companions. Robot and Dog find countless things to do together while enjoying what the city has to offer and they find contentment in each other’s company as well as in the simple things of life. When a trip to an amusement park by the seashore goes awry, Robot finds himself immobilised on the beach and Dog is unable to move him. Dog goes to get supplies and when he returns, the park is locked up and the beach completely blocked off. He tries to get through the multiple barricades and fences but each time he is thwarted by a guard and unable to retrieve his friend. His tireless efforts come to nothing, and he is eventually arrested. Defeated, Dog marks his calendar with the date the place will open again and tries to go on with his life, the best that he can. Meanwhile, Robot waits motionless on the sand, dreaming of ways he can return to Dog. Robot has a touching encounter with a family of birds and terrible experiences with those who would mutilate him or sell him for scrap. When beach season finally opens again, Dog arrives in the hopes of finding Robot but Robot is already gone. Sometime later, a chance encounter gives them the opportunity for a reunion but would the cost of that reunion really be worth it?

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Bullying; Loneliness; Fear; Loss; Sacrifice; Being left behind.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

  • Robot accidentally holds Dog’s hand too hard and hurts him.
  • A bunch of rabbits chop off Robot’s leg with a paddle. They break off one of his toes, use it to plug a hole in their boat and then toss the rest of the leg aside before rowing back out to sea.
  • Dog gets pushed down a steep mountain slope and nearly collides into other skiers, while the ones who pushed him continue to bump into his sled. He pushes back and they giggle evilly before sending him off course where he crashes into the woods, smashes into a log and flies into a tree. Dog is shown with a broken arm and an injured head.
  • Robot imagines himself nearly being crushed by a falling building.
  • A snowman removes his head, and bowls with it.
  • A bird pecks at Robot’s foot.
  • A fish is shown dying and gasping for air after being caught.
  • A boxing match is shown with two animals fighting.
  • An alligator grabs Robot by the legs and drags him down some steps. Robot repeatedly knocks his head and looks very scared. His body is broken apart and left in the scrap yard.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • When Robot seizes up after swimming in the ocean, Dog is unable to move him off the beach and is forced to leave him behind. He tries repeatedly to get back to his Robot but is constantly chased off by a guard and is eventually arrested and taken to jail. Robot is left alone on the beach and is clearly scared and lonely, while Dog is very worried for him. At other times, Robot thinks that he is about to be saved and dreams of his reunion with Dog, but in reality he is attacked and then abandoned once again. At a later time, Robot is flung onto a scrap heap where he smashes into a big metal object and his body is broken into pieces. His head rolls down the scrap heap where it lies on the ground before shutting down. These scenes are not scary but they may be upsetting to some viewers.
  • Dog dresses up for Halloween, with blood all over his mouth, and tries to scare kids. Some small trick or treaters are terrified by Dog’s behaviour (he gets very angry) and they run away.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

  • The above-mentioned scenes and images are likely to upset some children in this age group.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

  • Nothing further noted.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

  • A short clip of The Wizard of Oz is shown.
  • Stephen King’s book, Pet Cemetery, is displayed.
  • Cheetos are eaten repeatedly.
  • TAB soft drinks are often consumed by Dog.
  • Heinz tomato ketchup is used and shown.

Sexual references

  • None noted.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

  • Animals are shown in bikinis at the beach.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

  • A gorilla smokes a cigarette and later flicks the butt at Robot’s head.
  • An alligator smokes a cigar.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  • A character puts the rude finger up at Robot, and Robot returns the gesture.

In a nutshell

Robot Dreams is a non-verbal animation about friendship and painful transitions. Directed by Pablo Berger and based on the graphic novel by Sara Varon, the story will make you think and feel and question. While perhaps intended for children, the film has powerful messages and insights for everyone and is suitable for all but the youngest of viewers.

The main messages from this movie are that sometimes, even when surrounded, it is possible to be lonely; that good friends are transformative and they are never forgotten; and that perhaps the most powerful act of love is the ability to let go.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Friendship
  • Loyalty
  • Kindness
  • Compassion
  • Empathy.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children the importance of friendship and finding a sense of community, as well as the importance of keeping an eye out for lonely souls who may be in need of a friend.