Roar (2026) – Review and Summary | Tribeca Film Festival

Music enhances memories, and for a young girl, it sets a hopeful tone in an unfamiliar place.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Roar” Film Details

Movie Summary

A young girl and her mom move from Tokyo, and to a pop soundtrack, they get acquainted with San Francisco.

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

It Can Weirdly Get You Emotional [83/100]

There is no dialogue in the entire short. Its focus is completely getting you into the head of the young girl and her mother as they navigate a new city, get comfortable, and seek what can feel familiar. It’s a simple concept, and it leaves you a bit reminiscent of your own fears as a kid and the comfort a song you love, the parent you liked, and the growing excitement of something new can bring.

But, with people and things left behind, it is easy for this to trigger more than just simple nostalgia but really take you somewhere unexpected and emotional.

The Song Played Throughout Is Cute  [81/100]

More than a week removed from the short, admittedly I can’t remember a single lyric from the song. I will say, though, it is the type of song that does have the strength to remind you of a feeling. It was bouncy, as catchy as a K-Pop Demon Hunters song, and something you could imagine a kid playing until your ears bleed.

On The Fence

Inconsistencies [73/100]

This is AI-generated, and at times it shows. There are moments when things look like they glitched, and items blur into each other. There is this sense that things are a bit too polished and lack personality – not to the point of seeming like the videos often seen on YouTube or TikTok, but perhaps only due to Roar not feeling like it just came off a conveyor belt.

Overall

Our Rating (79/100): Mixed (Divisive)

While the animation may remind you that AI still has some ways to go before it can compete with Pixar, there are signs that, story-wise, in terms of pushing the viewer to become emotional, progress is being made. It is only a question of at what point the total package may be something one person is capable of, without the help of a team.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.