Robot Dreams
Entry updated 10 August 2026. Tagged: Film.
Spanish/French animated film (2023). Arcadia Motion Pictures, Lokiz Films, Noodles Production, Les Films du Worso. Based on the Graphic Novel Robot Dreams (graph 2007) by Sara Varon. Directed and written by Pablo Berger. There is no dialogue; Ivan Labanda provides some of the vocal noises. 103 minutes. Colour.
1985 New York is populated by anthropomorphized animals; one such, Dog (a Dog), plays Pong (see Videogames) with himself then has a bachelor meal. The sight of a happy couple in the apartment opposite has him feeling a little melancholy – then a television advertisement enquires "Are You Alone?", then informs the viewer of the AMICA 2000, a Robot companion. Dog purchases one.
The robot and the dog immediately become friends and we see them enjoy the sights of the City together, as well as watching The Wizard of Oz (1939) (see Frank L Baum) on video. They go to the beach and enjoy themselves, but the seawater causes Robot to rust and become immobile, so the dog has to leave them behind, intending to repair and collect them the next day – only to find the beach is closed until June next year, and – after being arrested trying to trespass – resigns himself to waiting. Robot fantasizes about returning to Dog, though in each version (one set in Oz, with New York the Emerald City) their reunion never quite happens. In Spring a bird nests nearby and they becomes a parental figure to the young; later the robot is found by a monkey who sells them to a scrapyard. The head is bought by Rascal, a racoon, who – working from an article in Popular Mechanics titled "Build Your Own Robot" – rebuilds him using junk, with a working ghetto blaster as the torso.
Meanwhile Dog befriends a duck, but the relationship is more meaningful for him than it is for the duck, who eventually moves to Spain. On June the 1st he rushes to the beach, but only finds Robot's leg (previously torn off by yachting rabbits); he goes to the Robot Shack shop to see if they can help locate his friend, but they cannot. Browsing, he notices Tin, a half-price "Pal Bot" and buys them. Later Robot spots Dog and Tin and fantasizes about a reunion, but – seeing Dog is clearly content, aware that Rascal and Tin will also be affected, and knowing he is a different robot now (save for the head) – decides not to do so. We know that, like Robot, Dog misses his friend; but, like Robot, is in a happy relationship.
It is taken for granted that Robot is sentient (see AI) whilst the likelihood that robots are programmed to love their owners is not an issue. Robot Dreams has been described by Berger as a love letter to 1980s New York, which is as much a character as Dog and Robot. Aside from the anthropomorphized animals of numerous species – underlining the city's multiculturalism – it is otherwise largely unchanged (though doubtless rose-tinted glasses are sometimes worn), save for the presence of robots, which – though not particularly common – seem fully integrated into society (making this a kind of Alternate History). The film has considerable warmth and charm; though it is probably too long for its plot, this is due to the time spent affectionately detailing the lives of the New Yorkers, which the animation style makes a pleasure. Robot Dreams won numerous awards, including the 47th Annecy International Animation Film Festival's Contrechamp Award for best film; best animated feature (independent) in the 51st Annie Awards, and best animated feature film in the European Film Academy's 36th European Film Awards. [SP]
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