Author/illustrator Peter Brown’s Kirkus-starred 2016 children’s novel, The Wild Robot, presents the sweet, charming, and generally low-key tale of an automaton—ROZZUM unit 7134, nicknamed “Roz”—who becomes stranded on a “wild, rocky island.” A cargo ship, full of robots like her, was destroyed by a hurricane, and she’s the only functioning unit left. (The narrator and other characters refer to Roz with the pronouns she/her.) A group of curious otters accidentally activates her, and as she boots up, she introduces herself as a problem-solving tool: “Once fully activated, I will be able to move and communicate and learn. Simply give me a task and I will complete it.” However, there’s no one to give her a task; there are no humans on the island, and—initially, at least—Roz can’t understand the language of the animal inhabitants, who mostly think she’s a “monster.” Nonetheless, she manages to learn survival skills from her wild neighbors, and when a tragic mishap results in her caring for an orphaned gosling, Roz begins to find her purpose.

A new animated film adaptation, faithful to Brown’s story in its broad strokes, is impressive in some ways but not without its malfunctions. It features the voice of Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o as Roz and premieres in theaters on Sept. 27.

The novel touches on time-honored kid lit themes, including the importance of kindness and cooperation, but it does so in a way that feels fresh. Brown stresses that it’s the act of helping others that’s important, not the feelings that motivate such actions. As the narrator repeatedly points out, robots don’t feel emotions—but that doesn’t mean they can’t help a beaver build a dam, or save creatures from bitter cold, or protect a helpless gosling; all those good works still count. It’s a subtle appeal for direct action, and a powerful one.

As the book notes, “the wilderness is filled with beauty, but it’s also filled with ugliness”; since the threat of death is a fact of life, helping and relying on others isn’t just a nice thing to do but the key to survival. The slow development of this idea takes up much of the book, which is full of incident but never feels rushed or frenetic. Indeed, the deliberate pace gives a sense of weight to what is essentially a simple story. The most action-packed sequence occurs toward the end, when Roz faces off against a few other robots, and even this scene reinforces themes of solidarity and selflessness. Brown’s simple but striking geometrical illustrations fit well with the text’s similarly soft-spoken but clear message.

It’s easy to imagine a wonderfully slow-paced and deeply affecting film version of this story, but that’s not the one now hitting screens nationwide. It’s directed by Chris Sanders, who co-wrote and co-directed the 2002 Disney animated classic, Lilo & Stitch, but also helmed the lackluster live-action/CGI movie adaptation of The Call of the Wild (2020). The Wild Robot has its good points. It hits all of the book’s major story beats, and it’s gorgeous to look at; a cartoon island has never looked so lush and vivid. Indeed, the movie’s best moments are as Roz first explores the island, simply beholding it all; a later scene with hundreds of geese taking flight is breathtaking. Roz’s appealingly sphere-based character design has been retooled from Brown’s boxier Iron Giant–like look, and Nyong’o’s performance is top-notch, getting across Roz’s quizzical amiability while exhibiting the lack of emotion that’s key to the character. Heartstopper’s Kit Connor, as the goose Brightbill, is quite likable, as well; the quieter scenes that Nyong’o’s and Connor’s characters share are among the most memorable.

However, the movie pays little attention to the book’s even, languorous pace; instead, it whiplashes between hyperactive chase scenes and conversations larded with snarky wisecracks. The latter are often delivered by a fox named Fink—a minor character in the book whose role in the film is something akin to the donkey from Shrek. Such sidekicks can be fun, but they just don’t work in the relatively earnest world of Brown’s book. Instead, Fink, voiced by Pedro Pascal, feels like an unwanted, mildly annoying party guest who refuses to leave. Other animals are played by fine comic actors—Catherine O’Hara, Matt Berry, Stephanie Hsu—but their considerable talents feel out of place in a story that was never meant to be a jokefest. The movie’s ending leaves things open for sequels, which may adapt Brown’s The Wild Robot Escapes (2018) and The Wild Robot Protects (2023). Hopefully, the filmmakers will pay closer attention to what makes this book series worthwhile—one that’s more than just the sum of its (spare) parts.

David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.