Get Connected with Ron’s Gone Wrong

Ron’s Gone Wrong is a sweet movie about a cute and well-meaning robot who is gifted to Barney, a young boy, who is sometimes picked on at school. Ron the robot was broken during a mishap and still technically works, but is often misguided in his attempts to help Barney.

When the movie first opens, we see young Barney pining over his classmates B*Bot. Sadly he doesn’t have one. The film reminded me a lot of when my daughter started middle school and a lot of her classmates had cell phones. Those who had iPhones were somehow deemed cooler than those with Androids and even then, if you didn’t have the latest version, well that’s just criminal! 😉 But I digress…

Things go hilariously awry when Barney, a socially awkward middle-schooler, receives a malfunctioning, digitally connected device that’s supposed to be his “best friend out of the box.” In this action-packed animated story set against the backdrop of the social media age, a boy and his robot discover the wonderful messiness of true friendship.

The film has some interesting twists and turns. There’s a subplot involving Barney and his best friend, who at one point becomes his frenemy. In the latter part of the movie, the plot revolves around a struggle at Bubble HQ, between the robots’ inventor and his coworker. Was the robot created simply to entertain kids and help them connect with others or is it a tool for Bubble HQ to serve up ads to kids and sell them products? (Yes, Facebook and Instagram, I’m looking at you, lol!)

The film brings up some interesting points about consumerism and our reliance on tech gadgets and social media platforms. As someone who works in the social media space, I’m conscious of how my daughter uses certain devices and try to limit her use of social media. Although that is challenging because it is a little bit of “do as I say, not as I do.”

Overall the movie is entertaining and funny! Sure it has a message behind it, but I didn’t feel it was that heavy-handed that it would turn kids off. If anything it provides a teachable moment for families to have a frank discussion about our devices.

Ron’s Gone Wrong is available now to now to purchase in 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. The film features the voices of Zach Galifianakis, Olivia Colman, Ed Helms, Rob Delaney and Jack Dylan Grazer.

Bonus Features*

• A Boy and His B*Bot: When Jack Met Zach – Zach Galifianakis and Jack Dylan Grazer, the voices behind Ron and Barney, sit down to chat about a fun assortment of topics. From social media to skateboarding, the two actors from two very different generations tell us all about when Jack met Zach.
• Making Ron Right – Join cast and crew behind the scenes as they reveal the skill, dedication and friendship it took to bring this film to life. From writing the script to the voice-over booth, Locksmith’s artisans detail how they made Ron right.
• “Sunshine” Music Video – Song from the motion picture Ron’s Gone Wrong, performed by Liam Payne.

*bonus features vary by product and retailer

Thanks 20th Century Studios for sending me a digital copy of the movie so that I could review it for my readers!

Ron’s Gone Wrong is available now on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital.
Visit the official movie website here for more information.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I was provided a digital screening of the movie which helped facilitate this review. Images used with permission from 20th Century Studios. All images and opinions are my own unless otherwise noted.