The Wild Robotic director wished to transcend CG animation’s capabilities

When Lilo & Sew and Find out how to Prepare Your Dragon co-director Chris Sanders dropped into DreamWorks to see what films that they had on their improvement roster, he fell in love with The Wild Robotic. Initially a sequence of middle-grade books by author and illustrator Peter Brown, the story follows a robotic named Roz who results in the wilderness and kinds a deep bond with an orphaned gosling.

It was every little thing Sanders wished: refined, emotional, and character-driven.

“Generally once I see a property like this, I truly get a bit of bit anxious, as a result of I really feel like I do know what to do,” he tells Polygon. “So I wish to be the one which does it. I simply really feel like, I feel I do know precisely what to do. Please let me do it, as a result of I do know the place to go. I’ve a very good path.”

Sanders, who additionally co-directed The Croods for DreamWorks, knew what he wished this film to be. And now that pc expertise is lastly able to approaching the look of hand-drawn animation, he was capable of push the film to look the best way he envisioned it. From the primary trailers, which revealed a lush, attractive film in contrast to every other, we had been desirous to know extra. So forward of the film’s late-September launch, Sanders sat down with Polygon to speak about utilizing his 40 years of expertise within the animation world to craft this deeply private story.

This interview has been edited for concision and readability.

Polygon: Is there a film you beforehand labored on in your profession that you just really feel ready you most for The Wild Robotic?

Chris Sanders: Lilo & Sew and Find out how to Prepare Your Dragon. These are essentially the most private movies I’ve ever labored on. Find out how to Prepare Your Dragon was tailored from a e-book, but it surely ready me for this explicit movie, as a result of once we got here on to Find out how to Prepare Your Dragon, we had been inheriting the movie from a former director, they usually didn’t just like the path that was going. They wished to make a change. We needed to strip the story right down to its framework so as to work out what the issue was. Image a automobile coming into a store, and it’s not operating, and also you surprise why, and also you simply take the entire thing aside, and you start constructing it up from scratch.

So my expertise engaged on the story for Find out how to Prepare Your Dragon taught me that it’s OK to deal with these items structurally for some time. Earlier than you enable your self to get into the extra enjoyable components and the characters, it’s okay to again up and have a look at them structurally. In order that’s one thing that I actually took away from Find out how to Prepare Your Dragon. It served me properly on this explicit narrative.

How carefully did you’re employed with Peter Brown for the film?

Our very first cellphone name was to Peter Brown for the undertaking. It was essentially the most consequential cellphone name of the sequence. I’ve but to fulfill Peter in individual. Our timing on this was very tough, as a result of he was within the midst of shifting, after which he had his first baby, and he was additionally ending up his third e-book, and he had a deadline for that. So he was by no means actually capable of come out and go to us. We had been at all times doing issues over Zoom.

However that very first cellphone name, he stated one thing that was extraordinarily important. He instructed us that whereas he was writing the e-book, the theme that was going by means of his head was that kindness is usually a survival ability, and we simply instantly wrote that down. I knew that I wished to memorialize that in script and display, and that’s precisely what we did.

The Wild Robotic grapples lots with the stresses of parenthood. How do you strike a line between a narrative that shall be accessible to kids however nonetheless significant to adults?

Since I started my journey in animation, I realized that to make a very good animated film for everybody, you’re employed to not exclude. You by no means fairly goal anybody, however you do the other. You just be sure you don’t do one thing that might, for some motive, preserve another person — anyone — from having fun with the movie. And that doesn’t imply everyone has to know every little thing. It’s okay to have stuff that goes over youngsters’ heads on occasion. I bear in mind once I was a child, in TV reveals and flicks, there have been sure issues, like, I do not know what’s occurring, however I nonetheless like this film. So we work to not exclude.

One of many elements of the story I actually gravitated towards was that there’s a robust theme of motherhood that runs all through — it’s at all times been a little bit of a gag in animation, that there are at all times lacking moms in these tales. And I’ve come to know why that’s. However on this case, it was core to the story.

So meaning the entire thing was actually recent and actually completely different. And I really like issues which might be each difficult and in addition issues I feel I can do issues with. I don’t thoughts that there are parts which might be a little bit of a puzzle, and that is perhaps laborious to determine. As a result of when you might have a very good story crew and a very good editor, you’ll determine these items out.

What was one thing that offered a little bit of a puzzle?

There have been a couple of, like precisely what Roz’s trajectory is thru the movie, notably when she arrives on the island. Within the e-book, she is pushed to discover a activity, and he or she’s within the incorrect place, and there aren’t any individuals to offer her a activity, so she is pissed off. That tends to get very monotonous. So one of many issues we had been actually attempting to do is preserve Roz fascinating and compelling, and by no means let her get right into a monotonous place the place she’s merely going and asking everyone, “Do you might have a job? Do you might have a job?”

So discovering her perspective as she went into the entire thing, but additionally weaving the theme of motherhood all through the whole movie. It’s a really highly effective factor, and also you don’t wish to shrink back from it, so that you wish to give it room to breathe. The timing of this film was very vital as properly. It implies that I took a few of the characters from the e-book and I trimmed them again so different characters would have extra time to do what they should do. But additionally that we’d have a film that had the identical tempo in its completed kind that I used to be feeling once I learn the e-book.

You don’t wish to be hurried. You don’t need a crowded film. And also you don’t need a film that has too many characters or an excessive amount of dialogue, the place you’re simply tripping over your self such as you’re operating in entrance of a lawnmower or one thing. I’ve positively seen films that had that.

Did the voice solid for this movie convey something to their characters that ended up shaping the film’s trajectory?

It’s one of many enjoyable issues about casting a personality. You do your finest to current a personality that’s fascinating and compelling. As soon as an actor says sure to a task, the very first thing you do is, you return by means of the whole set of dialogue and also you rewrite.

Catherine [O’Hara] is a good instance. She performs the last word mother on this film — has three households a yr at the very least. So Pinktail the [possum] may have been an excessively sentimental character, very involved about her valuable kids and this and that. However with Catherine on board, we took a complete completely different angle that was recent, and, I assumed, simply a lot enjoyable. She’s over it. Her nurturing wore off many seasons in the past. So she’s a really pragmatic mother. She loves her youngsters, she takes care of them, however there’s a second the place she’s not precisely positive what their names are, as a result of she has too many yearly, and so she’s a bit of bit behind on this and never tremendous involved. And I cherished her tackle that character.

Lupita [Nyong’o, who plays Roz] had the toughest activity. We wished the recent and compelling tackle a robotic that’s rising as a personality, and we didn’t need it to be a two-dimensional factor, the place a robotic goes from being impassive to having emotion. That’s simply too easy. What Roz goes by means of is way extra advanced and extra dimensional. And Lupita labored very, very laborious, as a result of I insisted that Roz haven’t any facial articulation.

I’ve a number of emotions about which sorts of robots work finest on display. Lupita knew that 100% of her efficiency was on her voice. We had been going to go away these recording classes simply along with her voice, so she needed to weave each little piece of nuance and emotion into these recordings.

What we additionally had been monitoring was this transformation: Roz is essentially the most outstanding character by means of the movie. She’s the lead. So she has extra dialogue than every other character. The sheer scale of what Lupita needed to accomplish, on prime of the evolution of Roz, and actually discovering a voice to start and finish with that had been completely different.

As we went into recording classes, we needed to monitor that voice as we did completely different sequences, as a result of we do these items out of order. No matter sequence is able to go, that goes into manufacturing. That is perhaps a sequence within the third act, or it is perhaps a sequence within the second act. So we’re leaping round and dropping into these sequences, and Lupita needed to alter her voice relying on the place she was through the recording session.

I can not say sufficient about how extremely gifted she was. However not simply gifted — she had an unbelievable work ethic. She sat on the microphone for 4 hours at a time. I’ve performed stuff like that, and it’s exhausting — it’s laborious to remain centered and on level and recent on the finish of a session like that. She did such an excellent job.

There’s a protracted historical past in films of robots who develop emotions and relationships. Had been there sure characters or films you drew from for Roz’s design?

There are positively robotic characters that I discover are extra profitable than others: C-3PO, R2-D2, the robotic from Forbidden Planet. The one robotic that I might say has facial articulation that truly works, in my view, is the Iron Big. So these had been the characters I used to be most , not simply due to the dearth of facial articulation, but additionally simply because that they had such robust designs. That was a really welcome problem for us, was to create a robotic that might be iconic and memorable and would take its place — hopefully, in success‚ inside an unlimited neighborhood of very, very memorable robots.

Our design group, particularly certainly one of our artists named Hyun Huh, who designed Roz… We had been all attempting out designs, myself included. However sooner or later, once we got here into our artwork assembly, Hyun offered his design, which is mainly the design you see on display. All of us simply fell in love with it and stated, “You probably did it. It’s a unified design. It’s easy, it’s interesting.”

And Peter Brown, in his e-book, describes Roz each very clearly, but additionally very graphically. Which suggests a number of the small print had been overlooked, due to his graphic model. We knew we needed to have a humanoid robotic, not simply due to the design offered in a e-book, but additionally as a result of Peter Brown instructed us in individual throughout a type of cellphone calls what a Rozzum [robot] was: A Rozzum is a generalist. A Rozzum is made to suit into human areas and work alongside people, doing jobs with them and for them. So Roz appears human, however she’s additionally adaptable. She’s a studying robotic. She’s a bit like Foolish Putty. She will be able to imprint on issues and study issues, relying on the place she is.

The visible look of this film is so distinct and evocative. How did you develop it?

It’s one of many huge tales of this movie. DreamWorks had already made some large strides in getting away from the CG look that we had been so habituated to by design. We had been shackled to that look as a result of the expertise had limitations. So with The Dangerous Guys and with Puss in Boots: The Final Want, that they had moved right into a extra illustrated model, which was superb. However for Wild Robotic, we wished to go properly past that.

Our improvement paintings, it’s this free, sketchy stuff that’s performed in paint — digitally, however nonetheless painted. I really like the look of it. It had the impressionistic vibe, and it was very a lot the best way I used to be seeing the story as I learn the e-book. So I requested [Wild Robot production designer] Raymond Zibach, may our completed movie be indiscernible from these explorations? And he stated, “Let’s go for it.”

One of many issues they wanted to do to realize that look… We may not wrap geometry with textures, which is what we’ve been doing in CG from the very starting. We want the hand-painted look all over the place. Not simply within the sky, however on the bottom and within the timber, in bushes and flowers and every little thing. In order that’s what they did. They discovered a method to paint dimensionally. So there isn’t any geometry within the movie, aside from the characters. And even the characters have painted surfaces.

[DreamWorks head of look] Baptiste Van Opstal labored very, very laborious to get each single feather to be a brushstroke. And in case you get near Fink [the fox, voiced by Pedro Pascal] or Thorn the bear [voiced by Mark Hamill], they don’t have particular person hairs, which is the factor we’re additionally used to [in CG animation], proper? You get actually near a personality, it’s like, Ah! Hundreds of hairs! Computer systems wish to do that kind of photoreal factor, however we wished every little thing to be painted. In order that’s the large story of this movie, is what Raymond and his group had been capable of obtain.

I really feel like this movie has really introduced our journey full circle. I might say Bambi was the start. Bambi is our touchstone so far as the greatest-looking forest I’ve ever seen in an animated movie. Subsequent door to that might even be My Neighbor Totoro by [Hayao] Miyazaki. Now we have been struggling to get again to that analog heat that you may solely get from the human hand, and we lastly did it with this movie.

One of many issues I’m so thrilled by is that individuals who have a look at it, even when they don’t know precisely why it appears completely different, they nonetheless see the distinction they usually react to it. This can be very compelling, and it supercharges every little thing on display. I’m actually thrilled — I really feel like we’ve lastly come out of the tunnel we’ve been in for like 20 years, and now we’re open and free to maneuver visually like we was a very long time in the past.

What had been some visible influences you drew from?

Definitely Bambi, [and that movie’s lead production illustrator] Tyrus Wong. Within the futuristic components, we checked out Syd Mead and his design sensibility, as a result of every little thing is glossy and delightful. We wished the world that Roz ended up in to be the precise reverse of the place she was presupposed to be. We additionally took a number of inspiration from wildlife images and wildlife documentaries — the best way that you just use lengthy lenses, since you’re obligated to remain distant out of your topics. So sure components of the movie have a vibe such as you’d get from a nature documentary, due to computing it.

Over the previous 5 years or so, we’re seeing an increasing number of films that push the envelope for what pc animation can do. You’ve been within the trade for many years — why do you assume that’s taking place now?

I feel all of it does come again to expertise. That was the factor that anchored us proper in a single spot. We received extra chain yearly, however we had been nonetheless anchored to that CG look. We had been obligated to wrapping geometry, and we received higher and higher textures yearly, and so on., and so on. Nevertheless it nonetheless had this bizarre kind of photoreal vibe, despite the fact that films like The Croods stored it so simple as doable, so it was nonetheless very interesting. However I do consider it was largely Technology-based. And I feel that what occurred was, there’s a tipping level we lastly reached, the place we are able to lastly technologically transfer past the place we had been.

What latest animated films have actually stood out to you in that vein?

I feel I might be stunned if anyone didn’t say Spider-Verse in answering that query. That movie was such a wake-up name, and it put everyone on discover that issues have modified. That was a sea change. The second one got here out, and was equally as incredible. However the first Spider-Verse, I feel everyone was buzzing about that after they noticed it. You couldn’t cease speaking concerning the look of it, and the model and the texture of it. I’m so glad that it truly it had an important field workplace and it was acknowledged at awards season.

So I do know I’m citing one thing you stated nearly 20 years in the past, however there’s a quote from again in 2007, if you left Disney to go to DreamWorks, the place you stated you preferred the best way DreamWorks checked out animation. Do you bear in mind what you meant by that?

I think what I used to be in all probability speaking about was… It feels like a destructive, but it surely’s truly a optimistic. We don’t actually have a home model [at DreamWorks], that means they’re not obligated to a sure look the place in the event that they abandon that, they’ll be dinged for it. And I feel this [movie] is a good instance of that energy. We’re capable of discover completely different appears for various movies, relying on what’s going to be the simplest search for the movie.

What was it like returning to DreamWorks for The Wild Robotic? Did something change? What stayed the identical?

Studios at all times evolve. Artists come, artists go, and all of us flow into between studios. I used to be at Disney for some time, for a very long time, after which got here to DreamWorks, and I could go someplace else sometime! So it has developed. However the factor about DreamWorks, I feel, that has stayed constant is an obligation to the audacity of the dimensions of the movie.

That’s one thing [Disney veteran and DreamWorks co-founder] Jeffrey [Katzenberg] was at all times actually good at. We as filmmakers are inclined to get nearer and nearer and nearer to a undertaking till, like, you’ve received this monocle on, and also you’re a watchmaker these little tiny components. And Jeffrey had this smart way of simply kind of figuratively grabbing you by the collar and pulling you again and making you have a look at the movie as a complete. Are you doing the large, large issues that you just anticipate from a movie? He at all times was nice in specializing in the dimensions and the extent of audacity in these films.

What was one thing you labored on early in your profession that actually formed the best way you checked out animation and filmmaking going ahead?

There’s fairly a couple of, fairly a couple of issues… I ought to preserve a listing of these items! Each movie, you study one thing. Find out how to Prepare Your Dragon. Magnificence and the Beast. The Croods. Mulan. You study one thing from every certainly one of them.

Probably the most necessary issues I realized from Lilo & Sew from [composer] Alan Silvestri was that music is among the simplest storytelling instruments you might have in your arsenal. I’ve come to actually, actually depend on that. In Find out how to Prepare Your Dragon, an important instance can be a sequence we name “the forbidden friendship.” That was when Hiccup discovered himself alone in that cove with Toothless. We simply turned the dialogue off, and music turns into the voice of the film. It’s one of the vital enchanting issues you are able to do, is have characters speaking on occasion. It actually makes individuals concentrate.

We try this lots in The Wild Robotic. One of many issues I’m actually, actually happy with on this explicit movie is the tempo we had been capable of obtain. We had about 50% of the dialogue that these movies usually have, so now we have much more wide-open areas. Nonetheless, I nonetheless designed what I might name “homes for music” inside the film. We simply drop dialogue and let music take over. So there’s fairly a couple of locations the place Kris Bowers, our superb, superb composer, was carrying the narrative for us.

The place do you most wish to see animation go sooner or later?

I’d like to see it go in all kinds of instructions. We lastly escaped the gravitational pull of planet CG, and I really feel like we’re all free to maneuver. So simply myself, personally, I can not wait to discover completely different types, relying on the kind of story that we’re telling. Animation is extra alive and properly than ever earlier than. One of many issues I’m getting such a kick out of is seeing how animated movies are actually doing properly this yr within the theaters. [Ed. note: As of publication time, Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, and Kung Fu Panda 4 were all top 10 biggest box-office earners for 2024.] They’re a few of the finest movies this yr, flat-out, proper?

I really like seeing animated movies get their due so far as simply good viewers participation. I feel that tackling extra severe material… You possibly can inform a narrative for any viewers, any age group, so long as you’re conscious of what age group you’re talking to. You possibly can capitalize issues. So The Wild Robotic truly tackles some fairly grown-up stuff and a few fairly heavy themes, however we do it in a method that’s comprehensible and digestible to anybody. So I feel [American animation is] simply broadening the spectrum of the varieties of tales that we inform.

The Wild Robotic hits theaters on Sept. 27.