DreamWorks Animation, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, today announced that it will preview never-seen footage from the studio’s breathtaking new film, The Wild Robot — from three-time Academy Award nominee Chris Sanders and starring Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o — at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which will run from June 9-15.
The announcement follows news that the theatrical release of the new animated feature has been slightly pushed back, now set to open on September 27 instead of September 20.
A stunning adaption of Peter Brown’s beloved literary sensation and award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot is an epic adventure that follows the journey of a robot — ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island 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 will showcase The Wild Robot on June 11, with a filmmaker presentation from writer-director Chris Sanders, whose previous films include How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods and Lilo & Stitch; and with an Artists’ Panel featuring a discussion with five of the film’s creative leadership team. The evening will conclude with an outdoor screening of Chris Sanders’ and Dean DeBlois’ landmark DreamWorks Animation film, How to Train Your Dragon. On the morning of June 12, the studio will also offer a signing session with filmmakers.
“As we approach our 30th anniversary this fall, DreamWorks Animation continues to reach for new levels of artistic excellence, with stories that ignite the hearts and minds of audiences around the world, and no film embodies that mission more than Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot,” says DreamWorks Animation President Margie Cohn. “Chris and producer Jeff Hermann have lovingly translated Peter Brown’s renowned literary sensation into a genuine work of art. We have no doubt that the film they’ve created is a classic in the making, and we’re proud and honored to share this exclusive look at their achievement at Annecy this year.”
The Wild Robot stars Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o as robot Roz, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as fox Fink, Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara as opossum Pinktail, Oscar nominee Bill Nighy (Love Actually) as goose Longneck, Children’s and Family Emmy Award winner Kit Connor (Heartstopper) as gosling Brightbill and Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Vontra, a robot that will intersect with Roz’s life on the island. The film also features the voice talents of Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows), Golden Globe winner Ving Rhames and Daytime Emmy winning pop-culture icon Mark Hamill.
The film is written and directed by Sanders and is produced by Jeff Hermann (The Boss Baby 2: Family Business; co-producer, Kung Fu Panda franchise).
Brown’s The Wild Robot, an illustrated middle-grade novel first published in 2016, swiftly reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The book has since inspired a trilogy that now includes The Wild Robot Escapes and The Wild Robot Protects. Brown’s work on this series and his other bestselling books have earned him a Caldecott Honor, a Horn Book Award, two E.B. White Awards, two E.B. White Honors, a Children’s Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year, two Irma Black Honors, a Golden Kite Award and a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award.
Writer/Director Chris Sanders Presents a First Look of The Wild Robot
On Tuesday, 11 June at 10:30 a.m. at Bonlieu Grande Salle (Main Theatre), DreamWorks Animation will host three-time Academy Award nominee Chris Sanders to present a preview of never-before-seen footage from The Wild Robot. Highlighting his influences from impressionism and classic animation, Sanders will take the Annecy audience on a journey through the world of Rozzum 7134 and the wilderness of an island uninhabited by humans, as Roz sets out on an adventure that will change the course of her original programming.
Designing the World of The Wild Robot
In the evening of 11 June, from 6 p.m. – 7:15 pm at Volière, DreamWorks Animation will present The Wild Robot Artists’ Panel, featuring the acclaimed leaders of the film’s creative team including production designer Raymond Zibach, head of story Heidi Jo Gilbert, head of character animation Jakob Hjort Jensen, visual effects supervisor Jeff Budsberg and head of look Baptiste Van Opstal. Zibach will lead a conversation with the team about how they, inspired by impressionism and classic animation, set out to achieve the vision of writer-director Chis Sanders: to bring a painting to life.
How to Train Your Dragon Outdoor Screening
The evening panel will be followed by a 10:15 p.m. outdoor screening at Paquier of Chris Sanders’ and Dean DeBlois’ landmark DreamWorks Animation classic How to Train Your Dragon, with an introduction by Chris Sanders. Since 2010, when How to Train Your Dragon introduced audiences to the unlikely friendship of an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon, the astonishing adventures of Hiccup and Toothless have captivated fans across three blockbuster films, grossing more than $1.6 billion worldwide.
Filmmaker Signing Session
On Wednesday, June 12 at Bonlieu at 11 a.m., attendees are invited to participate in a signing session with The Wild Robot filmmakers.
