The animals (and robot) of “The Wild Robot” and “Flow” confront the climate crisis. Credit: Zain bin Awais; DreamWorks / Sideshow and Janus Films / Aree Thaisagul via Getty Images It’s easy to read Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot and Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow — two of the best films of 2024 — as companion pieces. Both are animated, both feature little to no human involvement, and both center on unlikely animal allies (and one incredible robot ) coming together against all odds. But the similarities between these films go further than skin-deep. The true connective tissue here is the unspoken calamity that’s befallen the animals’ worlds, hinted at in shots of flooded cities totally devoid of human activity. SEE ALSO: The 25 best movies of 2024, and where to watch them No one in either film will say the words ” climate change ” or ” sea level rise .” (No one in Flow will say anything, as all the animals communicate via natural animal sounds.) But no one needs to. As The Wild Robot and Flow unfold, it’s impossible to deny the role climate change has played in shaping their worlds. Geese migrate over a submerged Golden Gate Bridge in The Wild Robot , while the entirety of Flow focuses on a band of animals trying to survive a flood of biblical proportions. These moments are enough to tell us that while climate change may not be the express message of either movie, it is an inextricable part of their settings — just as it’s become an inextricable part of our own real-life experience. By simply using climate change as a world-building element, The Wild Robot and Flow manage to speak volumes about it. That feat is doubly important given that the films will primarily reach younger audiences […]