Robot Dreams

_Robot Dreams_ is the kind of movie that will really re-affirm my love for the animation medium. What sets it apart for me is the storytelling style is more like an actual piece of cinema than most animations. Pablo Berger's directing chops are on full display here. There is also a very impressive amount of detail in nearly every shot. There's obviously the city shots which have detailed backgrounds, but what really caught me off guard is a scene which depicts electronic repair. I'm no expert on that subject, but I do know enough to see that the animation team carefully studied reference material and I wouldn't be surprised if we got a true to life display of it. They didn't need to do that, the movie would've carried on just fine had they cut some corners, but they _didn't_. That is just one of the many ways _Robot Dreams_ tells me that it was a labor of love. I have to agree with many reviews that the ending has a lot of weight, and is unexpected for a movie like this. I'm glad this got nominated for Best Animated Feature, and I do think it should've won as well, but that's how the Academy tends to be. Regardless, this is easily my favorite movie of 2024 so far, and I hope Pablo Berger considers doing more animated projects like this, I think his presence in the genre would be very valuable.