‘The Wild Robot’ is This Year’s Only Oscar Nominee to Pass the Bechdel Test for Climate Change

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On Thursdays, the second edition of the Climate Reality Check Report was published, assessing the portrayal of climate issues in this year’s Oscar-nominated movies that meet eligibility criteria.

Similar to how the Bechdel-Wallace Test assesses the portrayal of women in movies and TV series, the Climate Reality Check is a user-friendly tool created to gauge the depiction of climate change on screen. It’s a basic two-step appraisal that checks if, firstly, climate change is featured within a project, and secondly, whether any character acknowledges it in the storyline.

This year’s Oscar contenders were assessed by Story consultancy Good Energy; out of the 30 feature-length fictional films nominated for the 2025 Academy Awards, 11 movies fulfilled the eligibility criteria set by Climate Reality Check – they were either set on Earth or depicted current times, the past, or near future. Surprisingly, only one of these 11 films, specifically “The Wild Robot“, met all the requirements and was deemed passable.

Following a challenging year marked by the climate crisis, we are eager for more narratives that provide hope and fortitude amidst these difficulties. “The Wild Robot” offers a captivating portrayal of existence during the era of global warming – a heartwarming examination of resilience, conquering fears, bridging differences, and the might of unity in an unpredictable world. Although we eagerly await the day when more films up for Oscars accurately reflect our reality, we are overjoyed that this year has seen such a beautifully crafted and deeply emotional story. “And though these movies did not meet our criteria of being set on Earth during contemporary times, we were delighted to see several other Oscar-nominated films address crucial climate themes, including “Flow“, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and “Dune: Part Two“. It’s clear that the days are gone when climate change in cinema was solely the realm of superheroes, eco-activists, and nagging neighbors preaching about recycling.

2024 saw the debut of The Climate Reality Check, a handy resource tailored for individuals within the entertainment sector to assess their narrative’s climate authenticity. It serves as an essential tool for researchers to analyze the presence of climate themes across multiple stories, and empowers audiences to determine if Hollywood accurately reflects our real-world experiences on screen. This comprehensive guide was meticulously crafted in collaboration with over 200 creative minds, including writers, showrunners, executives, and communication experts. Among the critically acclaimed films from the previous year’s Oscar nominees were Barbie, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and Nyad.

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2025-02-20 17:24