North American distributor NEON announced today that Robot Dreams, the critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated animated feature debut of Spanish director Pablo Berger (Blancanieves), will open in New York City on May 31 at the Film Forum and AMC Lincoln Square.
Based on the graphic novel by Sara Varon, the dialog-free, 2D-animated movie tells the story of Dog, a lonesome canine living in 1980s NYC. One day, Dog decides to build himself a robot companion. Amidst the bustling cityscape, their friendship blooms — until one summer night, Dog is forced to abandon Robot on the beach. Berge notes that he was attracted to the original story in part because of its “subtle emotional observations about human relationships, love and loss.”
Robot Dreams made its premiere at Cannes 2023, followed by a screening at Annecy and theatrical releases in Spain and France at the end of the year. In addition to its Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, the film’s many accolades include two Goya Awards (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Animated Film) out of four nominations, the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature – Independent, plus four nominations, and best feature film honors from the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival.
Berger directed the pic and wrote the screenplay, as well as producing alongside Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé, Sandra Tapia, Jérôme Vidal and Sylvie Pialat. Robot Dreams is produced by Arcadia Motion Pictures (Spain), Noodles Production (France), Les Films du Worso (France), the Spanish public television service RTVE and platform Movistar Plus+.
