Upcoming Animated Film ‘The Wild Robot’ Is Based on a NYT Best Seller — Features an All-Star Voice Cast

DreamWorks recently released the trailer for The Wild Robot from the filmmakers that brought us the loveable How to Train Your Dragon franchise. The trailer opens inside a robot’s eye (or should we say camera lens?) as a fish eye effect focuses on otters gathered around the metallic being that seems to have crash-landed on their uninhabited island. As the otters crawl across the robot’s body and face, one furry ball of cuteness hits a button, and blue lights emerge from the robot whose head begins to spin rapidly. The otters jump away in fear and gaze from a distance in the nearby river until the robot awakens to make fierce eye contact. Friend or foe? Innocent stranger or dangerous intruder?

 “A Wonderful World” begins to play in the background, as the robot explores the “trees of green” and “clouds of white” — stumbling upon various creatures of the day and night: butterflies, bears, geese, foxes, birds, and crabs. The robot is a fish out of water who must learn to function in a world it does not understand. The robot begins to make relationships with the various island creatures — even adopting a little orphaned gosling in need of a guardian. As the trailer closes, a soothing yet powerful voice begins to speak, “Sometimes, to survive, we must become more than we were programmed to be.” The trailer manages to build a high level of excitement with virtually no dialogue. So, for more insight, let’s look into the source material. 

The Wild Robot is based on the children’s picture book of the same name by Peter Brown. Brown is well known for his children’s masterpieces, penning the likes of Creepy Crayon, The Curious Garden, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, Fred Gets Dressed, and many more. 

The Wild Robot follows Roz —  short for ROZZUM unit 7134 — who opens her eyes for the first time to discover she is isolated on a remote island. Why is she there? Where is she from? Roz’s only hope for survival is to learn from the various creatures who inhabit the island. Once Roz gets a bit cozy, she comes to care for an orphaned gosling, and the rest of the furry creatures come to her aid — accepting her as a member of their inter-species herd. Just as the island starts to feel like home, Roz’s past creeps in — threatening the very peace she has come to discover. It should come as no surprise that some Tinseltown folk decided to adapt this story, as it is not only a New York Times bestseller, but also an IndieBound bestseller, a New York Public Library Best Books for Kids Pick, an Entertainment Weekly Best MG Book of the Year, and an ALA Notable Book for Children. 

Chris Sanders, known for his work as a writer and director on hits such as Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Croods, directs the upcoming animated feature with an all-star ensemble signing on to voice the various animals. 

Lupita Nyong’o — well known for starring in Us, The Black Panther, 12 Years a Slave, and Queen of Katwe — voices Roz the Robot. To round out the primary voice cast is Pedro Pascal of The Mandalorian and The Last Of Us as a fox, Catherine O’Hara of Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone as an opossum, Bill Nighy of Love Actually and Pirates of the Caribbean as a goose, Stephanie Hsu of Everything Everywhere All At Once and Joy Ride as Vontra (a robot who will clash with Roz’s island existence), Mark Hamill of Star Wars and Invincible, Ving Rames of Mission Impossible and Pulp Fiction, and Kit Connor of Heartstopper as the adopted gosling. 

A release date has yet to be announced, so check back with Thought Catalog for updates surrounding The Wild Robot movie.