---
title: "Robot Dreams"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/robot-dreams"
fi1m_id: "robot-dreams"
imdb_id: "tt13429870"
tmdb_id: 838240
wikidata_id: "Q119786383"
fi1m_score: 84
critics_score: 80
critics_reviews: 13
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:00.540400+00:00"
region: "AZ"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Robot Dreams (2023)

Directed by Pablo Berger · 1h 42m · Animation, Drama, Comedy, Science Fiction

## Identity

Robot Dreams

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/robot-dreams
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** robot-dreams
- **IMDb ID:** tt13429870
- **TMDB ID:** 838240
- **Wikidata ID:** Q119786383
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13429870/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/838240, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q119786383

**Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 80 from 13 reviews

*In a sentence:* Two friends, one summer, and a beach that shuts for the season; we did not expect a cartoon dog to do this to us

> Pablo Berger turns Sara Varon’s graphic novel into a wordless, hand-drawn film about a lonely dog, the robot he builds and the beach that comes between them. It sags in the middle; its last ten minutes hurt us more than we expected.

## Synopsis

Dog lives alone in a Manhattan flat in the 1980s, in a New York where every citizen is an animal and nobody speaks. He eats dinner in front of the television, sees an advert for a mail-order robot companion, and sends off for one. Robot arrives in a box, is assembled on the floor, and the two spend a summer together, walking the city and roller-skating in Central Park to Earth, Wind & Fire. Then a day at the beach goes wrong: Robot rusts, cannot move, and the beach closes for the season. Pablo Berger’s hand-drawn film, adapted from Sara Varon’s graphic novel, has no dialogue; Ivan Labanda and Graciela Molina supply the barks and whirrs.

## Review

Dog lives alone in a Manhattan flat, in a New York of the 1980s where everyone is an animal and nobody says a word. He eats dinner in front of the television and one night sees an advert for a mail-order robot friend. He sends off for it, assembles it on the living-room floor, and the two of them spend a summer roller-skating in Central Park to Earth, Wind & Fire. Pablo Berger, adapting Sara Varon’s graphic novel, has made a hand-drawn film with no dialogue at all, and it is one of the warmest films we know. We recommend it without much hesitation, and with one warning about who you take.

The first act ends at the beach, and we can say this much because the whole film hangs on it. Robot goes in the sea, rusts solid, and cannot be moved. The beach closes for the season the next day, and Dog is left on the wrong side of a locked gate with a friend who can still think and dream but cannot get up. What follows is a film about waiting: Dog through an autumn, a winter and a spring in the city, Robot flat on his back under the sky, both of them trying to fill the time.

Berger has made a wordless film before, with *Blancanieves*, and he knows the discipline. Nobody speaks, so everything is carried by the drawing, by Alfonso Vilallonga’s score, and by a sound design that is exact about what a city sounds like. Voice actors are credited, Ivan Labanda among them, but for barks, whirrs and the noise of a robot trying to get to his feet. The animation is flat colours and clean black lines, closer to a comic than to anything from a big studio, and the city has been drawn by people who looked at it hard: the graffiti on the subway cars, the water towers, the skyline with both towers still on it. Fernando Franco cuts the seasons together so that time passes the way it actually does, in small repeated days rather than in montage.

The dreams of the title are the best thing in it. Stuck on the sand, Robot imagines himself home again, or dancing in a chorus line of flowers, or simply able to walk, and Berger lets each dream run just long enough for us to believe it before the sand comes back. Dog, meanwhile, tries to get on. He goes bowling and meets Duck (Graciela Molina); he takes up new company and drops it. The physical comedy is old-fashioned and mostly good. Dog’s efforts to reach Robot through the beach fence made us laugh out loud, and the film is generous with small jokes in the corners of the frame.

It is not all of a piece. At 102 minutes the middle has a shape it repeats: Dog tries something, Robot dreams something, the season changes. Varon’s book is slim and Berger has stretched it, and there are twenty minutes where you can see the stretching. One or two of the episodes in the city are sketches rather than scenes. And the PG certificate is honest but not the whole story. Small children will find long stretches slow, and the sadness here is not the kind that gets fixed. We would take a ten-year-old; we would not take a five-year-old.

Then there is the ending, which we will not describe. We thought we knew where the film was going, and we were partly right, and being partly right did not help. It caught us square. Most of the effect comes from a single choice about what a character does with a piece of music, and the restraint of it, no speech and no swelling of the strings, is what makes it land. We left the cinema quieter than we went in.

Set beside *Blancanieves*, this is the gentler film and the more affecting one. It has less to prove and it proves it anyway. Most critics have it at roughly this level, and we see no reason to argue. Watch it with someone you have known a long time, and do not plan anything for afterwards.

*Fi1m score 84, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics warm to Pablo Berger’s wordless animation, and the spread is narrow: of the reviews counted, all but one are positive and none is negative. The praise clusters in three places. Reviewers admire the hand-drawn animation for carrying a story about a dog and his robot without a line of dialogue; they admire the detailed recreation of 1980s New York, which several rate as highly as the story itself; and almost everyone mentions the music, above all the dance sequences to Earth, Wind & Fire’s September. The film’s view of friendship as something that can end is taken as a mark of maturity rather than a failing.

Reservations are mild and mostly about length. The Hollywood Reporter finds its message about loss patchy and opaque, Variety thinks the repetition might suit a shorter format, and The Times warns it may test the patience of children. The Skinny, the coolest voice, still finds it inventive and bittersweet.

## Straight answers

**Is Robot Dreams worth watching?**

*Robot Dreams* is worth watching for anyone who can sit with a quiet, wordless cartoon about friendship and waiting, and we scored it 84. Pablo Berger's hand-drawn adaptation of Sara Varon's graphic novel sags for twenty minutes in the middle, but its last ten minutes hurt us more than we expected. Take a ten-year-old, not a five-year-old, and plan nothing for afterwards.

**How long is Robot Dreams, and what is it rated?**

*Robot Dreams* runs 1h 42m. It is an animation and drama film.

**Where can I watch Robot Dreams in Azerbaijan?**

*Robot Dreams* is not on any streaming or rental service in Azerbaijan at the moment. It is available in 25 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How does Robot Dreams compare to The Red Turtle?**

*Robot Dreams* and [*The Red Turtle*](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle) are both wordless animations about company found and lost, told with the same patience, and we recommend either. Berger's film is the funnier and the warmer, set in a busy 1980s New York with old-fashioned physical comedy; Dudok de Wit's island fable is sparer, quieter and occasionally over-scored. Families should start with the dog.

**What should I watch after Robot Dreams?**

After *Robot Dreams*, try [*The Red Turtle*](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle) (2016, Fi1m 84): Another wordless animation about company found and lost, told with the same patience. Then [*Blancanieves*](https://film.one/film/blancanieves) (2012, Fi1m 81): Berger’s earlier silent film: Snow White among bullfighters, in black and white; and [*The Iron Giant*](https://film.one/film/the-iron-giant) (1999, Fi1m 88): A boy, a machine and a friendship the world is not ready to allow.

### Reviews we read (22)

- **Slant Magazine**, Rob Humanick (90/100, inferred): Breathtaking adaptation that brings universality to themes of change, joy and melancholy through simple hand-drawn animation and evocative sound design. Praises the score and use of “September.” [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/robot-dreams-review-pablo-berger/)
- **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's achingly beautiful wordless story of love and loss between a lonely dog and his robot companion in 1980s New York. Visual storytelling, emotion, and imagination are highlighted as standout elements in this adaptation of the graphic novel. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/robot-dreams/)
- **Sight and Sound** (85/100, inferred): The critic praises Pablo Berger’s touching silent animation for showing how swiftly a bond of affection can mark a life. They single out the surreal dream sequences and dynamic visual storytelling in the absence of dialogue. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/robot-dreams-pablo-bergers-touching-silent-animation-shows-how-swiftly-bond-affection-can-mark-life)
- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (85/100, inferred): A charming, melancholy animated fable that excels as both a robot movie and a New York movie, with simple yet evocative hand-drawn animation and themes of change and friendship. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-robot-dreams-a-charming-new-animated-film.html)
- **The AV Club**, Matt Schimkowitz (B+): An episodic tale of friendship deferred that captures the essence of New York with gentle animation and emotional depth. Praises the realistic yet surreal depiction of the city and character dynamics. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/robot-dreams-animates-new-york-city-hustle-without-sayi-1851462075)
- **IndieWire**, Carlos Aguilar (80/100, inferred): Delivers a brightly colored character study about a dog and a robot and what it means when a relationship ends. Positive on the bittersweet buddy comedy. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/robot-dreams-review-1234865701/)
- **Little White Lies**, Michael Leader (3/4/4): The critic calls it a wordless wonder with rich detail and unassuming emotional power. They single out the intricate animation and the film’s wise musing on the transience of connection and time. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/robot-dreams)
- **Time Out** (4/5): The critic hails the silent ode to friendship as giant-hearted and delightful. They single out the gorgeous animation and roller-skating sequences set to Earth, Wind & Fire as highlights of the quirky, moving story. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/robot-dreams-2023)
- **Total Film**, Kate Stables (80/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking wordless animation about friendship and connection between a dog and a robot. It singles out the vibrant visual storytelling, physical comedy, and detailed recreation of 1980s New York for praise. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/robot-dreams-review/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Leslie Felperin (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film often charming but patchy and opaque in its message about loss and friendship. Praises the use of music and sound design, particularly the dance sequences to “September.” [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/robot-dreams-review-pablo-berger-1235497339/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Brian Tallerico: The critic calls it a lovely fable about partnership and imagination that uses animation in a uniquely lyrical way to explore relatable emotions of friendship, loss, and memory. The vibrant 1980s New York backdrop and creative visual gags are singled out for praise, though the runtime feels slightly stretched in places. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/robot-dreams-animated-film-review-2024)
- **The Guardian**, Wendy Ide: Berger’s exquisite, bittersweet, Oscar-nominated buddy movie about the bond between a dog and a robot matches Spike Jonze’s Her as one of cinema’s most devastating studies of loneliness. It is also one of the most persuasive love letters to 1980s New York, etched with affectionate period details. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/24/robot-dreams-review-animation-pablo-berger)
- **The New York Times**, Amy Nicholson (Critic's Pick): The review hails the wordless animated film as a silent wonder that says everything about love through its portrayal of a dog and robot's friendship in 1980s Manhattan. Berger is praised for expanding the graphic novel source into a sprawling landscape of joy, heartbreak, and mixed emotions with simple yet soulful line drawings. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/30/movies/robot-dreams-review.html)
- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin: This wise and wondrous wordless animation explores the heartwarming friendship between a lonely dog and a robotic companion in 1980s New York, capturing the essence and limits of relationships better than any other recent film. Kids will be enchanted while grown-ups are existentially destroyed. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/robot-dreams-review/)
- **The Times** (★★★☆☆): Pablo Berger’s largely silent film about a lonely dog in 1980s Manhattan who builds a robot best friend offers a wistful meditation on the transitoriness of relationships and a Proustian evocation of the era, though it may test the patience of children. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-best-films-reviewed-this-week-immaculate-and-robot-dreams-vj90cs8xr)
- **Variety**, Guy Lodge: The critic finds it a sweetly sorrowful, dialogue-free buddy movie that pivots appealingly to animation and embraces a mature view of finite friendships and multiple soulmates. The whimsical 1980s New York setting, visual gags, and melancholy tone are highlighted, though the narrative repetition suggests it might suit a shorter format. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/robot-dreams-review-1235858816/)
- **The Wrap** (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film one of the most delightful and loveliest movies of the year, animated or otherwise, praising its heartwarming take on friendship and loss. The hand-drawn 1980s New York setting and use of the song 'September' are singled out for their evocative detail and emotional resonance. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/robot-dreams-review-cannes-2023-pablo-berger/)
- **Collider**, Chase Hutchinson (7/10): The critic praises the film's grounded portrayal of friendship and loss through expressive animation and no dialogue, highlighting its emotional depth and sublime ending alongside comparisons to films like The Iron Giant. [Read](https://collider.com/robot-dreams-movie-review/)
- **The Skinny**, Ross McIndoe (★★★): The critic describes the film as an inventive and bittersweet tale of love and loneliness centered on a dog's friendship with a mail-order robot in an 80s New York populated by anthropomorphic animals. They single out the vibrant cartoon art style and lively Earth, Wind & Fire-driven soundtrack for effectively conveying the joy of the central friendship before its tragic turn leaves the world quieter and sadder. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/robot-dreams)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode: The critic calls it a well-told, funny and poignant tale that is more emotionally complex than it first appears, with strong visual humour and a mature, unexpected ending. They single out its modest yet effective storytelling and nostalgic New York setting. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/robot-dreams-2023-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **Film Stories**, Ryan Lambie: The critic praises the film's exquisite, dialogue-free animation and its wistful portrayal of friendship and the passage of time in 1980s New York. They highlight the charming, relatable characters of Dog and Robot and its visual nods to the era. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/robot-dreams-review-a-tenderly-observed-animated-film-about-friendship-and-loneliness/)
- **The Playlist**, Robert Daniels: The critic describes the dialogue-free film as stirring and delicate, praising its inventive subversion of robot narratives, radiant colors, and empathetic exploration of vulnerability and friendship in 1980s New York. They note its surprisingly mature ending and emotional depth. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/robot-dreams-review-pablo-berger-animates-a-vivid-love-story-cannes-20230522/)

## Details

- **Director:** Pablo Berger
- **Director:** Pablo Berger
- **Writer:** Pablo Berger
- **Editor:** Fernando Franco
- **Music:** Alfonso Vilallonga
- **Producer:** Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ángel Durández Adeva
- **Cast:** Ivan Labanda as Dog / Robot / Various (voice); Tito Trifol as Various (voice); Rafa Calvo as Various (voice); José García Tos as Various (voice); José Luis Mediavilla as Various (voice); Graciela Molina as Duck / Various (voice); Esther Solans as Various (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 42m
- **First release (France):** 20 May 2023
- **Genres:** Animation, Drama, Comedy, Science Fiction
- **Budget:** $5 million
- **Box office:** $5 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD4WBGptMSw

## Where to watch in Azerbaijan

Not streaming, renting or buying in Azerbaijan at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, ES, FI, FR, GB, IT, JP, MX, NL, NZ, PA, PL, PT, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Gaudí Award for Best Animated Feature Film 2024: Gaudí Award for Best Animated Feature Film (won)
- Academy Awards 2023: Best Animated Feature (nominated)
- Contrechamp Award 2023: Contrechamp Award (won)
- European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film 2023: European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Red Turtle* (2016), Fi1m 84: Another wordless animation about company found and lost, told with the same patience. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle.md)
- *WALL-E* (2008): A lonely robot, a long silence, and the studio version of the same ache.
- *Blancanieves* (2012), Fi1m 81: Berger’s earlier silent film: Snow White among bullfighters, in black and white. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/blancanieves.md)
- *The Iron Giant* (1999), Fi1m 88: A boy, a machine and a friendship the world is not ready to allow. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-iron-giant.md)
- *Flow* (2024), Fi1m 83: A cat, a flood and no dialogue; animals carrying a whole story without words. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/flow.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/robot-dreams