That beginning encapsulates the perception of DreamWorks Animation in a nutshell — as the decidedly less ambitious, less artful cousin to Pixar. And it’s hard to say that reputation is totally unearned.

DreamWorks' The Wild Robot is an emotional rollercoaster that doesn't end with the credits, as we're breaking down its post-credits scene.

With its comedy-first approach, Dreamworks Animation rarely attempted the kind of sweeping storytelling found at rivals Disney and Pixar.

Undoubtedly it’s easier for animation studios to have an in-house style, but this isn’t the path DreamWorks Animation decided to take when adapting the illustrated children’s novel The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, where a ROZZUM unit 7134 robot gets stranded on an isolated island teeming with wildlife.

Both classic and innovative, the film stars the voice of Lupita Nyong’o, who gives carefully nuanced life to a robot lost — but finding itself — in nature.

Filmmaker Chris Sanders had finally cracked “The Wild Robot.” Peter Brown’s middle-grade book, about an intelligent robot living in the wilderness, had been sitting on the shelf at DreamWorks Animation for a bit.

DreamWorks' The Wild Robot has emerged as a breakout success, but it is only the most recent acclaimed hit of director Chris Sanders' career.