‘The Wild Robot’ Interview: Chris Sanders on Returning to Animation Roots

(from left) Rose (Lupita N’Yongo) and Brightbill (Keith Connor) in DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot | Photo: DreamWorks Animations

Chris Sanders brought another favorite book to the screen How to train your dragon with The wild robotbased on the book of the same name by Peter Brown. The animated film, which premiered on October 17, boasts a phenomenal voice cast including Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Mark Hamill and Ving Rhames.

“We have an incredible cast, a full credit to our casting director Christy Soper,” Sanders said during a video call from New York. “Every one of our first choices said yes.” They really liked the story. Working with them allowed me to meet actors that I never expected to meet in my entire life (laughs). It’s exciting and confusing because I wanted to do a good job as a director and I wanted to be clear about my direction.”

Once the voice was finalized, Sanders says, the script was customized to fit the actors. “It’s really a collaboration because I want improvisation and input. I want these changes so that the actors feel like the characters. A great example would be Pedro Pascal (who plays a mischievous red fox, Fink). He said that Fink’s character is more him than other characters he’s ever done before.

Rose (Lupita N’Yongo) and Brightbill (Keith Connor) in DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot | Photo: DreamWorks Animations

Describing Sanders as an incredible director, Pascal said, “He’s a great partner on stage and a guide to not only the core of the character, but the core of what you need to do to bring the character to life.”

Lupita Nyong’o, who voices the title character, Roz, a shipwrecked robot on a desert island, also praised Sanders, describing him as “highly imaginative, deeply talented, wildly intelligent and receptive to what you have to offer. He influenced my creative process, giving notes that were not prescriptive. He would give me notes that would inspire new thoughts and new performances in the booth.

Sanders has described the cartoon style of The wild robotlike Monet’s painting in Miyazaki’s forest. “This film is a technological breakthrough. We’ve reached the point where we can go back to the roots of animation. When I was a kid, I used to watch Bambiand it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. We’re also big fans of Miyazaki (Hayao Miyazaki, the award-winning Japanese animator, director and manga artist) and his hand-illustrated backgrounds.”

Rose (Lupita N’Yongo) and Brightbill (Keith Connor) in DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot | Photo: DreamWorks Animations

Until The wild robotSanders says geometry is wrapped around textures. “Underneath everything was computerized geometry. The best we can do is take a picture and wrap it around things. In case of The wild robothowever, it is literally a moving picture. Our artists can now paint in space, spatially. I saw a demonstration of this when an artist at a station with a stylus moved his hand and there was paint on the screen.

Not only is every environment hand-painted, says Sanders, but every character is also covered in paint. “All the fur and feathers are big, broad strokes. When the characters get close to the screen, it’s not what we’re used to, where you see every little strand of fur. This is completely different. And the effect is truly groundbreaking.”