A Lone Voice for Climate: How The Wild Robot Stands Apart in Hollywood

The Climate Reality Check, a tool inspired by the Bechdel-Wallace Test, evaluates the visibility of climate change in films by determining whether a movie acknowledges climate change and whether a character within the story recognizes it. In its second annual report, climate storytelling consultancy Good Energy analyzed this year’s Academy Award-nominated films, finding that of the 30 nominated feature films, only 11 met the criteria of being set on Earth in the present, recent past, or near future. As reported by Kirsten Chuba, among these, only Universal’s animated film The Wild Robot passed the test, making it the only Oscar-nominated film to explicitly engage with climate change.

Good Energy CEO Anna Jane Joyner praised The Wild Robot for its artistry and emotional depth, calling it “an enchanting depiction of life in the age of climate change” that explores resilience, community, and adaptation. While other films, such as Flow, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Dune: Part Two, featured environmental themes, they did not meet the test's specific requirements. The report highlights how climate storytelling in film has evolved beyond stereotypical portrayals of superheroes or eco-villains, yet still remains largely underrepresented in mainstream Hollywood productions.

Launched in 2024, the Climate Reality Check aims to serve as a tool for filmmakers, researchers, and audiences to assess and advocate for more accurate depictions of climate issues in storytelling. The inaugural report found that films like Barbie, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and Nyad passed the test last year, showing that while progress has been made, climate change remains an overlooked topic in cinema. The hope is that as climate-related challenges become more urgent, more filmmakers will integrate these realities into their narratives, ensuring that the stories on screen better reflect the world we live in.