A heart-swelling, hand-drawn delight that invites audiences of all ages to explore love and loss through its tender portrait of a new friendship. Part of the Official Selection of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Oscar-nominated Robot Dreams is the first animated film from Pablo Berger.

Dog is lonely. He spends a lot of time by himself, whiling away long evenings in his Manhattan studio apartment, eating microwave meals for one in front of the TV. Tired of his solitary existence, he decides to purchase a friend. When his order arrives, he builds Robot, a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky companion to keep him company. Dog and Robot spend an idyllic day together – frolicking through the city to the joyful melody of Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’ – ending up at Coney Island to enjoy the fun. But they are soon separated on the beach. Dog, devastated at the loss of his friend, does everything in his power to get Robot back.  

The Garden Cinema View:

An uplifting story from the Winter awards cycle was the attention given to this low budget, independent, hand-drawn 2D animation. A tale of loneliness and friendship told through bright and bold art, with each frame packed with quirky detail and evocative visual storytelling. The connection and separation of Dog and Robot is told wordlessly, and the film as a whole demonstrates the particular power of animation to bypass didactic storytelling modes to access quite profound emotional depths. In this sense, Robot Dreams calls back to early animation (and also silent film), but also plays like a bouncier take on The Red Turtle. Be warned, you might cry, and you will certainly have Earth, Wind & Fire stuck in your head for days.