“The Wild Robot” is the only Oscar-nominated film of 2024 to meet the Climate Change Reality Check criteria.
Hollywood’s relationship with climate change remains tenuous at best. Despite growing global awareness of the environmental crisis, the film industry has yet to fully embrace storytelling that reflects the urgency of climate issues. According to a new study by nonprofit environmental consultancy Good Energy, only one of this year’s 30 Academy Award-nominated films actively acknowledges climate change in its narrative: “The Wild Robot.”
Hollywood’s climate blind spot
The exclusion of climate narratives from major Hollywood films is part of a broader industry trend. According to a 2023 study by the Norman Lear Center’s Media Impact Project, fewer than 2.8 percent of scripted TV and film storylines explicitly reference climate change. Even as real-world consequences such as wildfires, rising sea levels, and extreme weather become more pronounced, climate themes are largely absent from mainstream media.
This omission carries weight. A 2021 survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that nearly 72 percent of Americans believe global warming is happening, yet only 35 percent hear about it in the media with any regularity. Hollywood’s storytelling choices influence public perception, making its reluctance to engage with climate issues a missed opportunity for shaping cultural discourse.
Good Energy’s Climate Change Reality Check
Good Energy, which was founded in 2019 to help Hollywood integrate climate-conscious narratives, introduced its scoring system to evaluate how films acknowledge climate change. The “Climate Change Reality Check” is modeled after the Bechdel-Wallace Test for female representation in film and television. It applies two straightforward criteria to contemporary stories: first, does the film acknowledge that climate change exists? And second, is at least one character aware of it?
“We landed on these two components after interviewing more than 200 writers, showrunners, executives, communications experts, and others. Our goal was to ensure that the test was easy to use, measurable, and creatively inspiring,” according to the study.
Using this framework, Good Energy assessed ten of this year’s Oscar-nominated films that met the eligibility requirements — meaning they were set on Earth in either the present day, recent past, or near future. Only “The Wild Robot” passed.
“The Wild Robot”: A rare climate-conscious film
Since its September premiere, “The Wild Robot” has garnered critical acclaim, earning it a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. Directed by Chris Sanders, the film is an adaptation of Peter Brown’s bestselling novel and tells the story of Roz, a robot designed to serve humans, who finds itself stranded on an island. As Roz adapts to its surroundings, it raises a gosling, forming an unlikely bond with nature and its inhabitants. The film subtly weaves climate themes into its narrative, depicting a world affected by extreme weather and rising sea levels. One notable scene shows whales swimming over the Golden Gate Bridge, a haunting visualization of a future shaped by climate change.
“After a harrowing year in which we all experienced the climate crisis, we desperately need more stories that help us find meaning and courage in the face of it. ‘The Wild Robot’ is an enchanting depiction of life in the age of climate change—a poignant exploration of resilience, overcoming fears and differences, and the power of community in an uncertain world,” Anna Jane Joyner, founder and CEO of Good Energy, said in a statement.
While “The Wild Robot” is the only Oscar nominee to meet the Climate Change Reality Check criteria, Good Energy acknowledged that other films this year engaged with related themes. These included “Flow,” “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” and “Dune: Part Two.” Each, in its own way, touches on environmental degradation, resource scarcity, or ecological collapse.
Beyond this year’s nominees, there have been incremental shifts toward incorporating climate narratives into mainstream storytelling. Last year, three films passed Good Energy’s Climate Change Reality Check test: “Barbie,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” and “Nyad.” While none of these films centered entirely on climate change, they at least acknowledged its existence.
Why Hollywood still struggles with climate narratives
Despite these small steps, climate change remains a difficult subject for Hollywood. A 2023 report by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that climate themes appear in less than two percent of major studio releases. The hesitation stems from several factors, including fear of alienating audiences, concerns over marketability, and the industry’s longstanding preference for escapist entertainment over real-world issues.
Yet, research suggests that audiences are receptive to climate-related storytelling. A 2022 study by the nonprofit organization Rare found that 73 percent of viewers would like to see more movies and television shows that acknowledge climate issues. Moreover, when climate themes are incorporated organically, rather than as didactic messages, they can resonate deeply with audiences.
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