“The Wild Robot” Starring Lupita Nyong’o & Pedro Pascal Reveals Stunning Footage at Annecy
DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures unveiled the first footage of writer/director Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot on Tuesday at the Annecy Animation Festival, drawing laughter and tears from the festivalgoers.
The upcoming animated film stars Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, and Kit Connor and was adapted by the three-time Oscar nominee Sanders from Peter Brown’s novel. Sanders and his Wild Robot team are still working on the film, which is set to hit theaters on September 20. The Wild Robot is centered on ROZZUM unit 7134, better known as Roz (voiced by Nyong’o), the titular robot who ends up marooned on a wild island filled with animals but no one and nothing like Roz. Roz must learn how to form a connection with the islands’ animal inhabitants and eventually try to support a little orphaned gosling who will need to fly off for the fall migration.
Sanders revealed The Wild Robot‘s opening section for the Annecy crowd, which drew lots of emotion from the audience as Roz explored the wild island. The next portion revealed Roz and the goose Brightbill (Connor) as the gosling grows up, which drew both tears and a standing ovation.
Sanders told the crowd that what he and his team were going for with the look of The Wild Robot was the “analog warmth and soul” of hand-drawn animation. “We start by doing these inspirational paintings,” Sanders explained, aiming for a final film that looks indistinguishable from this initial artwork. As for Peter Brown and his novel, Sanders said, “His guiding principle was that kindness can be a survival strategy.”
The cast includes Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames.
Check out the trailer below. The Wild Robot premieres on September 20.
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Featured image: The Wild Robot poster. Courtesy Universal Pictures.
