Warning, spoilers for the DreamWorks film The Wild Robot are ahead! To see the film, you can catch it in theaters now.
Did you know Pedro Pascal is the second actor listed in The Wild Robot’s credits, and he’s one of the three leads of the film? I know I sure didn’t until I was literally sitting in the movie theater watching the animated project from the 2024 film schedule. And he isn't just pivotal to the story, he's also the character in this flick that's filled with lovable creatures who unexpectedly stole my heart.
Going into The Wild Robot, I knew it got reviews that were excellent, and I knew Lupita Nyong’o played the titular robot Roz while Kit Connor voiced her adopted goose son Brightbill. The incredible supporting cast was also something I was aware of, and I thought Pedro Pascal’s fox Fink was part of that crew. But oh no, he is basically Brightbill’s second parental figure, and he arguably grows the most as a character.
When we meet Fink he’s a stereotypical sly fox who is used to living his life alone, and he uses his sassy ways and dismissive (but funny) remarks to keep a guard up. However, once he meets Roz and her little gosling he begins his journey of letting his walls down, being vulnerable and learning to give and accept love.
As you likely know, The Wild Robot has been lauded as “beautiful, emotional and darkly hilarious,” as our own Eric Eisenberg put it, and Fink embodies all three of those adjectives perfectly.
Throughout the movie, I found myself laughing the hardest at his jokes about the world around them, and seeing him bouncing around the island with Roz joking about the circle of life was a delight. To pull this off, Pascal brought his signature silly charm that he shows off in interviews and movies like The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and it made Fink an irresistible fox that you can't help but love.
On top of that, Fink’s evolution paralleled Roz’s and as the film progresses his heart grows as he starts to care about the robot, Bightbill and eventually all the animals in their vicinity.
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Personally, while Brightbill flying out to migrate was one of the touching climaxes of the movie, Fink getting emotional about Roz wanting to send herself back to her manufacturer and him sneaking back to their home during the winter is what really got me.
Then, the real kicker, the thing that totally sold me on Pedro Pascal’s character being the scene stealer of the movie, came when he showed off everything he learned by helping all the animals survive winter. At the start of the film, the Fink we met would have never done that, but by the end, he was ready and willing to help make sure all his friends made it through.
Overall, Pascal gives an expressive and vulnerable performance that captured my heart and left me in love with Fink the fox.
Truthfully, every character in The Wild Robot has a moving and wonderful story – from Roz’s journey with motherhood and finding her heart to Brightbill’s quest of self-disocovery. And going into the film, I expected all of that. However, I also thought Fink would be a character used more for comedic relief, when in actuality he had one of the most nuanced and emotional arcs in the movie.
In the end, I hope The Wild Robot goes down as one of Pedro Pascal’s best movies. His performance as Fink is truly wonderful, and seeing this fox go on a journey that leads him to a kind of love and life he never expected was incredibly moving.
