| Director: | Chris Sanders |
| Screenplay: | Chris Sanders |
| Producer: | Jeff Hermann |
| Editing: | Mary Blee |
| Music: | Kris Bowers |
| Cinematography: | Chris Stover |
| Production Companies: | DreamWorks Animation |
| Distributor: | Universal Pictures |
| Runtime: | 102 minutes[1] |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $78 million[2] |
| Gross: | $321.8 million[3] [4] |
The Wild Robot is a 2024 American animated science fiction adventure film
Sanders first encountered the original book through his daughter and years later was offered an opportunity to direct a film adaptation at DreamWorks. The film's visuals utilize a watercolor aesthetic, inspired by the Spider-Verse franchise[5] and the works of Hayao Miyazaki. It was the final film to be animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks, as the studio will begin relying heavily on outside vendors for future films. Kris Bowers composed the score, marking his first score for a fully animated film.
The Wild Robot premiered at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and was released in the United States on September 27. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $321.8 million worldwide on a production budget of $78 million and becoming the fifth-highest grossing animated film of 2024. A sequel is in development.
A storm causes a Universal Dynamics, Inc. cargo ship to lose five ROZZUM robots, which wash up on an uninhabited forest island. Only ROZZUM Unit 7134, nicknamed "Roz", survives and is accidentally activated by wildlife. Initially, Roz frightens the animals and injures herself while trying to help them. She learns their language but fails to find anyone who needs her services. While signaling for retrieval, Roz is struck by lightning and attacked by animals. While fleeing from an aggressive grizzly bear, she accidentally crushes a goose nest, leaving one egg.
Roz protects the egg from a hungry fox named Fink, and a gosling hatches from it; he imprints on her and breaks her long-range transponder. Following advice from Pinktail, an opossum with several children, Roz cares for the gosling to ensure he can fly before the winter migration, with Fink accompanying Roz as she builds a shelter and names the gosling Brightbill, with all three cohabiting. After weeks go by and Brightbill grows up, he starts learning to swim, but is mocked by other geese, during which he also discovers Roz killed his family, and so angrily leaves.
Roz reconstructs one ROZZUM unit, who advises her to return to the Universal Dynamics factory but Roz decides instead to finish helping Brightbill to fly, enlisting the help of a falcon named Thunderbolt and receiving advice from Longneck, the goose flock's leader. Brightbill masters flying and joins the geese's migration. Roz, missing Brightbill and unsure of her continued purpose, reactivates her transponder but shuts it off immediately after Universal Dynamics detects her signal.
During the migration among with Brightbill, the migration passes by San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. A thunderstorm forces the geese to shelter inside a Universal Dynamics greenhouse where a contamination alert triggers robots to attack them. Longneck sacrifices himself so Brightbill can lead the flock to safety as the captain. Meanwhile, Roz and Fink save the wild animals during a severe snowstorm, urging them to a temporary truce before Roz powers down. Spring arrives, Roz reawakens to find all the animals still following the peace and Brightbill returning, hailed as a hero.
As Roz is about to reunite with Brightbill, Universal Dynamics sends a retrieval robot, Vontra, to recover her. Roz flees with Fink, pursued by RECOs dispatched by Vontra. The animals band together to fight off the RECOs, but Vontra captures Roz and starts a forest fire by detonating the damaged RECOs. Brightbill attacks the Universal Dynamics dropship to save Roz as Fink and the others put out the fire. Despite Roz appearing to have been shut down by Vontra, her love for Brightbill restores her systems. Roz and Brightbill destroy Vontra and escape as the dropship explodes.
Roz decides to return to the Universal Dynamics headquarters to protect the island from attacks, but promises to return. Sometime later, Roz works at another Universal Dynamics greenhouse. Brightbill secretly approaches Roz, who in turn secretly reveals she retains her memories, and they both embrace.
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.[10]
Sanders first encountered Brown's book through his daughter, though he never read it himself. Years later, while looking for his next project at DreamWorks, Sanders was offered an opportunity to direct an adaptation of the book for the studio.[11] Upon reading it, Sanders immediately fell in love with the story and felt he was the right person to adapt it to film. He described the book as "deceptively simple" and "emotionally complex".[12] Sanders had previously considered the idea of a creature bonding with animals in a forest for his directorial debut Lilo & Stitch (2002).[13] Sanders contacted Brown and would later describe the phone call as critical to the film's development. Brown told the production team that his intended theme for the book was that kindness could be a survival skill. Sanders sought to weave that theme through the film and felt he achieved that goal.[14] Another theme in the story that Sanders was drawn to was that of motherhood. He felt he had never done a story of this nature before.
Changes were made to the book's story for the film. In the book, Roz is in constant search of a task but also in the wrong place and with no one to give her tasks. Sanders felt that she risked becoming monotonous at points in the story, so he strived to make Roz constantly interesting and compelling throughout. Some character roles from the book were reduced in order to give others more substantial screen time and impact. The changes to the characters and their roles were also made to prevent the film from becoming too crowded.
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.[15]
Sanders wanted Roz to be a compelling character and felt an extraordinary voice performance was necessary to achieve this. He wanted to avoid a two-dimensional fictional take on a robot, where they go straight from being emotionless to emotional. Nyong'o was tasked with finding a voice for the character and evolving it as the story progressed. The actress's role was particularly important as Roz did not possess facial articulation. This meant Nyong'o's voice was the main way of signifying Roz's emotions.
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.[16]
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.[17]
After reading the book, Sanders felt the story's innocent tone and natural setting required a look that strayed away from the standard CGI photorealism in many modern animated films. He and production designer Raymond Zibach wanted the film in its finished state to still resemble the concept paintings. To achieve this, the production team built upon the technologies used in two of DreamWorks' earlier films, and The Bad Guys (both 2022). While the characters were made up of CGI geometrical shapes, their surfaces possess a hand-painted look. This painterly style philosophy was carried onto every visual element in the film, including the sky and environments.
Sanders took inspiration from classic Disney 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".[18] [19] He considered Bambi (1942) and My Neighbour Totoro (1988) as the biggest influences on the visuals. The works of Syd Mead served as inspiration for the futuristic parts of the film.
Sanders wanted Roz's design to be iconic and memorable and one that would take its place among fiction's most famous robots. Taking inspiration from C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars and Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet (1956), he wanted Roz to have little facial articulation. Sanders and the rest of the design team made several prototype designs during production. One of the designers, Hyun Huh presented his Roz design to the crew, which became the basis for the one seen in the film. The crew immediately fell in love with Huh's design, with Sanders describing it as simple and appealing. Brown's original book described Roz with great detail, so Sanders and the team knew they had to leave some design elements out. Although on behalf of Brown's description of what a ROZZUM unit's purpose was to humans, they aimed for Roz's design to be humanoid.
Additional character rigging for the film was provided by french Stim Studio.[20]
In March 2024, Kris Bowers was revealed to be composing the score, his first score for a fully animated film; he had previously scored 2021's , which was a live-action/animation hybrid.[21] 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. The first, "Kiss the Sky", was released on August 28; the second, "Even When I'm Not", along with the full soundtrack album, was released on September 27.[22] 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.[22]
The Wild Robot had its world premiere as the opening front runner of the Toronto International Film Festival Grand Opening celebration on September 8, 2024.[23] [24] It was released in theaters in the United States on September 27, 2024,[25] and in the United Kingdom on October 18.[26] The film was originally scheduled for September 20, 2024,[27] but was pushed back a week to avoid competition with Transformers One.
The first trailer for the film, featuring a rendition of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", plus a poster, were released on March 5, 2024.[28] The trailer debuted in theaters three days later in front of screenings of DreamWorks' other new film Kung Fu Panda 4.[29] Writing for Polygon, Tasha Robinson compared the design of Roz to familiar film robots such as BB-8 (the Star Wars sequel trilogy), WALL-E (in his titular film), Baymax (from Big Hero 6), and The Iron Giant (in his titular film), and noted 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).[30]
The Wild Robot was released to rent on digital streaming on October 15, 2024,[31] and will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 3.[32]
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.[33] [34]
, The Wild Robot has grossed $142.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $179.2 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $321.8 million.[3]
In the United States and Canada, The Wild Robot was released alongside Megalopolis, and was projected to gross $24–30 million from 3,962 theaters in its opening weekend.[35] The film made $11.2 million on its first day,[36] including an estimated $1.9 million from Thursday previews.[37] The film went on to debut to $35.8 million,[38] slightly above predictions and topping the box office.[39] In its second weekend, the film made $18.9 million (a drop of 47% from its first weekend), finishing in second behind newcomer .[40] [41] In its third weekend the film made $14 million (dropping just 25.9%), finishing in second behind newcomer Terrifier 3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, theater chains treated the unrated Terrifier 3 as an R-rated film, turning down attendees 17 or younger if unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. Distribution sources speculated that more people saw the film than reported, theorizing that a "noticeable bump" in the earnings for The Wild Robots third weekend was the result of teenagers buying tickets to the film and then sneaking into screenings of Terrifier 3.[42] [43] The film then made $10.1 million and $6.8 million in its fourth and fifth weekends, respectively.[44] [45]
The Wild Robot received positive reviews.[46] It is DreamWorks Animation's second highest-rated film on the site, behind Sanders' How to Train Your Dragon (2010).[47] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 96% overall positive score, with 62% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Natalia Winkelman of The New York Times called the film "a dazzling triumph of animation" and wrote "this is a work that cares most about two things: big feelings and great beauty."[48] Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood said, "If Spielberg's E.T. had been an animated film instead, it might resemble what writer-director Chris Sanders has created here. However, Wild Robot weaves its own magic and for that we can all cry tears of joy."[49] Adrian Horton, writing for The Guardian said: "Clever, heartfelt and frequently stunning, The Wild Robot offers the type of all-ages-welcome animated entertainment that will delight kids and leave a lump in one's throat."[50] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph gave the film a five out of five scoring, saying, "DreamWorks was founded 30 years ago this month, and this well-timed anniversary release is their richest, most moving film since 1998's reputation-making The Prince of Egypt."[51] In his review for Vulture, Bilge Ebiri praised Nyong'o's performance and found that it "turn[ed] this heartwarming family film into an unforgettable one."[52]
Collider thought it was one of Sanders' best films yet,[53] while Screen Rant called it the best animated film of the year.[54]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | September 28, 2024 | Lurra - Greenpeace Award | The Wild Robot | [55] | ||
| SCAD Savannah Film Festival | November 2, 2024 | Virtuoso Award | Lupita Nyong'o | [56] | ||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 20, 2024 | Best Original Score – Animated Film | Kris Bowers | [57] | ||
| Best Original Song – Animated Film | "Kiss the Sky" – Maren Morris, Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson & Stefan Johnson | |||||
| Winter IndieWire Honors | December 5, 2024 | Spark Award | Chris Sanders | [58] | ||
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | December 8, 2024 | Best Animated Feature | The Wild Robot | [59] | ||
| Best Voice Over Performance | Lupita Nyong'o | |||||
| Pedro Pascal | ||||||
| December 8, 2024 | Best Original Score | Kris Bowers | ||||
| Best Original Song | "Kiss the Sky" – Maren Morris, Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson & Stefan Johnson | |||||
| Celebration of Cinema and Television | December 9, 2024 | Composer Award | Kris Bowers | [60] |
On September 7, 2024, when asked about a potential sequel, Sanders stated, "I would very much like to. This was a labor of love on the part of everybody at the studio, and yes, I think I'd love to go and stay here for a while."[61] On October 12, 2024, he confirmed that a sequel is in development.[62]