In 1980s New York City, Dog assembles Robot as a companion, and they become best buddies. On a Labor Day outing to Coney Island, Robot’s metal parts rust, and he can not move.nge noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.

For in-depth thoughts on Robot Dreams, please see my colleague Larry Fried’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Decal Releasing brings Robot Dreams to Blu-Ray with a wonderful 1080p transfer in its original aspect ratio. The deceptively straightforward animation style offers a unique lens into the narrative with simple character designs and textured backgrounds. The HD transfer allows the artwork to be afforded major stability free of jagged lines or color bleeding. There is an array of subtle flourishes from the animators which gives each frame something to show off. The level of detail put into every environment is such a treat.

The character designs and the environments are very streamlined with some appreciated texture to the experience. The colors present in this transfer are consistently saturated with candy-colored, vibrant hues making a big impression when it comes to both the characters and the backgrounds. Black levels are incredibly strong with no trace of compression artifacts or digital anomalies of the sort. Fans will be thrilled by the results.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio lossless track that represents the movie perfectly. The track provides a rock-solid audio experience that represents this movie without issue. The narrative brings the environmental effects to the foreground to make up for the lack of dialogue which provides diversity within the soundscape. There is not much activity in the low end, but it provides texture when necessary. This music is robust in its placement throughout the room as it permeates the room. There is a lovely amount of sonic detail in the surround channels as nature blossoms in your speakers. Decal Releasing has put forth some great work. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

From Reality To Animation: A six-minute featurette in which the creative team discusses how this film fits into the output of director Pablo Berger, the development of the script, recurring themes throughout Berger’s work, and more.

A Once-In-A-Lifetime Friendship: A five-minute piece that takes a look at the source material, working with the author, the expansion of the story, and more.

The Sound of 1980s New York: A seven-minute look at the sound design of the bustling city, the challenge to get the sounds to align with memories held by the creatives, attempting to be as accurate to the period as possible, and more.

The Art Direction: A seven-minute exploration of the art direction in the story that helped bring this world to life in terms of backgrounds, characters, and more.

The Animation: A seven-minute discussion of the animation process, shaping the look of the characters, the team that came together to make things happen, and more.

Soundtrack: A nearly six-minute look at the importance of music to this narrative and the different styles on display.

A Love Letter To New York: A four-minute look at the third main character in this film – New York City.

A Film Without Words: A nearly four-minute look at the performer who gives a voice to the characters without speaking any traditional dialogue.

Interview with Director Pablo Berger: A five-minute interview with the filmmaker in which he discusses falling in love with the source material, his relationship to New York City, finding a representative song for the main pair, the challenges of working in animation, and more.

Teaser (1:03)

Trailer (1:33)

Final Thoughts

Robot Dreams is a charming yet heartbreaking story of friendship and loss. The way the narrative unfolds through lovely animation and clear visual storytelling works incredibly well, and it provides a level of creativity often missing in modern animation. Nevertheless, we cannot deny being slightly frustrated by the distance between the characters throughout most of the movie and the lack of resourcefulness in trying to reconnect. The film is quite good even if it doesn’t land as emotionally as we hoped. Decal Releasing has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and an entertaining selection of features. This one is worth seeking out for any animation fans. Recommended

Robot Dreams is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Decal Releasing has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.