Robot Dreams

Pablo Berger tells the story through animation, music, gesture, and New York street detail rather than spoken lines. That choice makes Dog and Robot's friendship understandable without subtitles, even though the setting is very specifically 1980s New York.

Yes, it adapts Sara Varon's graphic novel Robot Dreams. The film keeps the simple emotional setup of a lonely dog building a robot companion, then expands it into a feature-length story about memory, separation, and growing apart.

It is gentle and accessible, but it is not a simple happy-adventure cartoon. The central turn comes when Dog and Robot are separated after a beach trip, and the film spends much of its runtime on longing, missed chances, and acceptance.

The song "September" is used as an emotional anchor in the film. It ties Dog and Robot's shared joy to a real 1978 pop song, which helps the movie's wordless storytelling feel concrete and nostalgic.