The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Chris Sanders |
Written by | Chris Sanders |
Based on | The Wild Robot by Peter Brown |
Produced by | Jeff Hermann |
Starring | |
Edited by | James Ryan |
Music by | Kris Bowers |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 101 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Wild Robot is an upcoming American animated science fiction survival film based on the book series of the same name by Peter Brown, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was written and directed by Chris Sanders, produced by Jeff Hermann, and executive-produced by Sanders' longtime collaborative partner Dean DeBlois. It stars Lupita Nyong'o as Roz, the title character, alongside an ensemble voice cast including Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, and Catherine O'Hara.
DreamWorks announced an animated film adaptation of the book series The Wild Robot in September 2023, with Sanders, Hermann, and DeBlois attached. Sanders took inspiration from Disney animated classic films and the works of Hayao Miyazaki. It would be the final film to be animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks, as it was reported in October 2023 that the studio would be shifting away from producing films in-house to relying more heavily on outside studios after 2024. Kris Bowers composed the film's score, marking his first score for an animated film.
The Wild Robot is scheduled to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and to be theatrically released in the United States on September 27, 2024.
Premise
[edit]The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited earth and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.
— DreamWorks Animation[2]
Voice cast
[edit]- Lupita Nyong'o as ROZZUM unit 7134 (“Roz”), an abandoned robot that was washed onto a forest island and learns to adapt to the new environment, partially by using her processing ability to learn how to communicate with the native animals, and becomes the adoptive mother of Brightbill.[3]
- Pedro Pascal as Fink, a mischievous fox who is the first animal that Roz helps and befriends.[3]
- Kit Connor as Brightbill, an orphaned runt goose who is raised by Roz as her own son.[3]
- Catherine O'Hara as Pinktail, a mother opossum who gives Roz some advice on raising Brightbill.[3]
- Bill Nighy as Longneck, a wise elder goose who helps Roz understand teaching Brightbill how to fly.[3]
- Stephanie Hsu as Vontra, a robot of Roz's race who has been sent to retrieve Roz.[3]
- Mark Hamill as Thorn, a grizzly bear
Additionally, Matt Berry and Ving Rhames have been cast in undisclosed roles.[3]
Production
[edit]On September 28, 2023, DreamWorks Animation announced an animated film adaptation of the book series The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, with Chris Sanders set to write and direct, Jeff Hermann set to produce, and Sanders' longtime creative collaborator Dean DeBlois set to serve as executive producer. Other crew members were announced, including production designer Raymond Zibach, editor Mary Blee, and head of story Heidi Jo Gilbert.[4]
Casting
[edit]Cast members, Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O'Hara, Bill Nighy, Kit Connor, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames, were revealed on March 5, 2024, with the release of the film's first trailer.[3][5]
According to Hamill, who voiced Thorn, he learned about the film after reading the book The Wild Robot. Hamill says that The Wild Robot reminded him of his first feelings about Star Wars (1977), in which he originated the role of Luke Skywalker.[6]
Animation and design
[edit]At CinemaCon 2024 in April, Sanders said he took inspiration from Disney classic animated movies and the works of Hayao Miyazaki, resulting in a stylized CG visual style that he described as "a Monet painting in a Miyazaki forest".[7][8] The Wild Robot would be the final film to be animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks, as Cartoon Brew reported on October 6, 2023, that the studio would be shifting away from producing films in-house in their Glendale campus to relying more heavily on outside studios after 2024.[9]
Music
[edit]In March 2024, Kris Bowers was revealed to be composing the score, marking his first score for an animated film.[10] Additionally, two original songs were announced to be made for the film performed by Maren Morris and written by Morris, Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson and Stefan Johnson: "Kiss the Sky" and "Even When I'm Not", with the former scheduled to be released on August 28, while the latter, along with the full soundtrack album, would be released on September 27.[11] Morris and her team of co-writers were inspired to write a second song for the film, "Even When I'm Not", which is featured in the film's end credits, when they screened the finished film.[11]
Marketing
[edit]The first trailer for the film, featuring a rendition of Reuben and the Dark's cover of "What a Wonderful World", and poster, were released on March 5, 2024.[12] The trailer would debut in theaters three days later in front of screenings of DreamWorks' other new film Kung Fu Panda 4.[13] Writing for Polygon, Tasha Robinson compared the design of Roz to familiar film robots such as BB-8, WALL-E, Baymax, and The Iron Giant, and notes that the only words spoken in the trailer - "Sometimes to survive, we must become more than we were programmed to be" - evoked the message of The Iron Giant (1999).[14]
A second trailer and a new poster were released on June 11, 2024.[15]
Release
[edit]The Wild Robot is slated to have its world premiere as the opening front runner of the Toronto International Film Festival Grand Opening celebration on September 8, 2024.[1][16] It is scheduled to be released in theaters in the United States on September 27, 2024,[17] and in the United Kingdom on October 18.[18] The film was originally scheduled for September 20, 2024,[19] but was pushed back a week later to avoid competition with Paramount Animation's Transformers One.[17]
As part of Universal's long-term deal with Netflix, the film will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, before moving to Netflix for the next ten, and returning to Peacock for the remaining four.[20][21]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "The Wild Robot". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "The Wild Robot". DreamWorks Animation. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Reul, Katie (March 5, 2024). "The Wild Robot, Animated Film Starring Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal, Gets Gorgeous First Trailer". IGN. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (September 28, 2023). "Director Chris Sanders Returns to DreamWorks Animation With 'The Wild Robot' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ Franklin, Garth (March 5, 2024). "First Trailer: The Wild "Robot"". Dark Horizons. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Little, Anita (July 31, 2024). "Mark Hamill Explains Why His New Film Wild Robot Brings Back First Star Wars Feelings". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 10, 2024). "DreamWorks Previews 'The Wild Robot' Unfinished Footage: 'A Monet Painting in a Miyazaki Forest'". Variety. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "CinemaCon: Universal Reveals Unfinished The Wild Robot Footage from DreamWorks, Sneak Peek at Despicable Me 4". Animation Magazine. April 10, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (October 6, 2023). "Dreamworks Shifting Away From In-House Production In Los Angeles; Sony Imageworks Is A New Production Partner". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ Music Reporter, Film (March 5, 2024). "Kris Bowers to Score Chris Sanders' 'The Wild Robot'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Sharpe, Josh (August 8, 2024). "Maren Morris Writing Two Original Tracks for DreamWorks' THE WILD ROBOT". Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Lang, Jamie (March 5, 2024). "Watch The First Trailer For Chris Sanders' Upcoming Dreamworks Feature 'The Wild Robot'". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ "Watch the beautiful trailer for The Wild Robot".
- ^ Robinson, Tasha (March 5, 2024). "DreamWorks' new movie The Wild Robot blends Star Wars, The Iron Giant, and more". Polygon. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (June 11, 2024). "'The Wild Robot' Trailer Sees DreamWorks Channel 'Bambi' and Miyazki for Hand-Drawn Aesthetic". IndieWire. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (June 18, 2024). "Toronto film festival world premieres to include 'Nightbitch', Elton John doc, 'The Wild Robot'". Screen Daily. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 23, 2024). "DreamWorks Animation's 'The Wild Robot' Will Go One Week Later In The Fall". Deadline. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Warner, Sam (August 9, 2024). "Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal's new movie confirms UK release date". Digital Spy. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 19, 2023). "DreamWorks Animation's 'The Wild Robot' To Bring Life To Early Fall 2024 Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ Moon, Mariella (July 14, 2021). "Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Upcoming films
- 2024 films
- 2024 3D films
- 2024 computer-animated films
- 2020s American animated films
- 2020s children's adventure films
- 2020s children's animated films
- 2020s English-language films
- 2020s science fiction adventure films
- 2020s survival films
- 3D animated films
- American children's animated science fiction films
- American 3D films
- American robot films
- American science fiction adventure films
- American survival films
- Animated films about robots
- Animated films about animals
- Animated films about foxes
- Animated films about geese
- Animated films about grizzly bears
- Animated films about talking animals
- Animated films set in forests
- Animated films set on islands
- DreamWorks Animation animated films
- Films based on books
- Films scored by Kris Bowers
- Films directed by Chris Sanders
- Films with screenplays by Chris Sanders
- Universal Pictures animated films
- Universal Pictures films
- Upcoming English-language films
- Upcoming IMAX films
- Anime-influenced animated films
- Animated films about mother–son relationships