Warning: this article contains spoilers for Transformers One and The Wild RobotIn a year filled with many successful animated films, The Wild Robot has stood alongside Transformers One as two very different but amazing films that manage to rise above many of 2024’s other animated projects. Both films are great in so many ways, from The Wild Robot‘s excellent cast to Transformers One‘s memorable quotes, but they each have one scene in particular that will undoubtedly go down as some of the greatest moments in animated movie history, that being Brightbill leaving Roz to migrate in The Wild Robot, and the dual rise of Optimus Prime and Megatron in Transformers One.
These scenes are excellent examples of the strengths of each of these projects. Transformers One’s ending scene features both the main characters’ final transformation into their ultimate forms, and The Wild Robot’s goodbye scene cements the relationship between Roz and Brightbill as mother and son, even more so than The Wild Robot‘s ending. However, one aspect that can go overlooked is the music that is integral to making these scenes work, with Brian Tyler’s excellent score for Transformers One and Kris Bower’s amazing soundtrack for The Wild Robot pushing these scenes into some of the all-time greats.
The Soundtrack Makes Brightbill Leaving Roz And The Rise of Optimus The Best Animated Scenes of 2024
Without Music, These Moments Wouldn’t Hit As Hard
One of the most emotional scenes in The Wild Robot is undoubtedly when Brightbill leaves Roz and the island to migrate with the rest of the geese. The track that plays during this scene is called “I Could Use a Boost”, a direct reference to a line in the scene itself. The music builds throughout the lead-up to Brightbill’s departure, coming in with a huge orchestral swell as he leaves before quickly cutting off when Roz is finally alone. The scene and song individually are beautiful, but together they elevate the moment to another level entirely.
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Transformers One is one of the best films in the Transformers franchise, and one aspect in particular helps the film to rise above the rest.
This is similar to the climax in Transformers One, where Megatron kills Sentinel Prime and Orion Pax is reborn as Optimus Prime. The track is aptly named “The Fall”, as D-16 is completing his fall to evil while Orion literally falls toward the core of Cybertron. The sound effects cut out, leaving the music to swirl, and build throughout the scene, showing the power of Megatron and the quiet contemplation of Optimus better than words alone could, before the intense brass erupts as Megatron kills Sentinel and proclaims his dominance and the silence that follows as Optimus Prime arises.
The Music Makes Plenty Of Other Scenes In Transformers One And The Wild Robot Excellent
They’re Not Just One-Hit Wonders
Fortunately, the music for both of these films goes beyond just one good piece, and the rest of the soundtracks are excellent as well. The Wild Robot has a clear example of this in Brightbill’s training montage, set to the great track “Kiss the Sky” by Maren Morris, which really sells the moment as a bonding experience for Roz and Brightbill. Transformers One has “Resting Place of the Primes”, which obviously plays over the scene where the central team finds the dead Primes. The track excellently conveys the sorrow of the moment, with just a touch of mystery. In both cases, the music expertly enhances an already moving sequence.
The Wild Robot is an animated drama film based on a series of books by Peter Brown. The adaptation is written and directed by Chris Sanders and stars Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, and Catherine O’Hara. The Wild Robot centers on a robot named Rozzum 7134, who becomes stranded on a deserted island and the guardian of a young orphan.
Transformers One is an animated action-adventure movie that marks the first animated feature-length film for the series in decades. The film will be a prequel to the franchise, and will tell the story of Optimus Prime and Megatron in their early years, how they met, and a closer look at the war on their home planet, Cybertron.
