Voice actors Lupita Nyong'o, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Stephanie Hsu & Kit Connor, along with director Chris Sanders discuss 'The Wild Robot' at the Variety Studio at TIFF.
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00:00What would you say to people who are worried about just, like, ugly crying and the emotion they're going to feel when they see it?
00:05Embrace it.
00:07Crying is healthy. Crying is good.
00:10It's cathartic.
00:20Sometimes, to survive, we must become more than we were programmed to be.
00:29Chris, I wanted to start with you.
00:31How did you first come across this book?
00:33And when you were reading it, did you picture it as a movie?
00:36How did you know that it needed to be adopted in this format?
00:39You know, I was just looking for my next gig, and I dropped into DreamWorks to see what was in development.
00:44And they laid some things out on the table.
00:46Amongst them was the book The Wild Robot.
00:49And the briefest description of it let me know that that would be the right thing for me to do.
00:55And so, as I read it, I immediately saw the imagery in my head and knew that it was the scale that we needed.
01:04The scale was going to be huge.
01:06And yeah, that's how it started.
01:09And for the cast, how does your preparation differ for animation as opposed to live action?
01:15And is there anything specific you do to get into character?
01:18Lupita, if you want to start.
01:21Well, I think animation is a much longer process, a much more sporadic process.
01:31So, I think for me, the preparation was ongoing, kind of, with every iteration of the script.
01:40And I found myself really relying on instinct and intuition in order to know what to do every time.
01:49It's sort of like, hold on tightly, let go lightly.
01:53Things are going to change and you just have to go with the flow, right?
01:59I depended on Chris.
02:01Chris directed every line I said.
02:04And I really appreciate it.
02:06Because, you know, you do prepare.
02:08You prepare as much as you can.
02:10But as you say, it's over a long period of time.
02:13And you do prepare and you try to make the right decisions for your character.
02:18But in every scene, Chris just made it, for me, funnier and more interesting.
02:25Because Chris so knows what he wants.
02:28It was lovely to be able to trust somebody.
02:31Wonderful.
02:34I suppose I would also say that because of the fact that it was such a long process,
02:39you do find yourself sort of adjusting the character as well over time.
02:44Sometimes Chris would say, maybe now Bright Bill wants to sound more like a robot or more like a goose.
02:53So it's kind of like a slight adjustment in that sense.
02:58I feel like one of my favorite aspects of animation and also this process is the symbiotic duration of time.
03:07As you're finding the character, there's also a camera in the booth.
03:12So the animators as well are kind of starting to adapt to the physicality that is naturally coming through you.
03:19And there's kind of a marriage that starts to happen.
03:22And then you get to see sketches for the first time and see how different characters are moving.
03:27And that sort of informs how you want to deepen your character too.
03:31That's one of my favorite parts of animation.
03:33I read the book and I thought, if they can capture even a fraction of the appeal and the charm,
03:42this is so wonderful an experience.
03:47The ultimate fish-out-of-water story of this high-tech robot dropped into the wilderness.
03:53But as you say, the director has everything in his mind.
03:58You really have to rely on his vision.
04:01And a lot of times you record together.
04:06In this instance, I never met anybody until it was finished.
04:11So each animated project is different.
04:16And Stephanie, you kind of alluded to how your voice performances shape the characters.
04:22But I'm wondering for all of you, do you feel like there are little ways in which you ended up influencing the character you played?
04:29Maybe that wasn't on the page when you first read the script?
04:33I think you can't help. It's all you have.
04:39It's hard not to bring yourself into it, I think.
04:42In my character's case, it was fun.
04:46For me, anyway.
04:48For me, when I was considering doing this project,
04:53one of the questions I asked Chris was, why me?
04:57And he spoke of what he appreciated about my voice.
05:04And about the texture and dimensions that I could bring to the character.
05:11At the end of Roz's arc, she sounds a lot more like me.
05:17And so it was kind of like reverse engineering where she comes from before she has adapted to this island.
05:24Before she's evolved into the more individualized being that she becomes.
05:31And finding that as well.
05:33So it was nice to search for myself in the character.
05:40Did anyone else want to add?
05:43Yeah, I suppose the youthfulness of it was...
05:46I think I auditioned when I was maybe 17.
05:50And I think that you can't help but put your own spin on it.
05:56And I'd imagine what led to me getting chosen for it
06:04was just the youthfulness and the awkwardness of the character.
06:10It probably just came through.
06:14You did it so well.
06:15That's me.
06:17Wonderful.
06:18So endearing.
06:19I was sorry I didn't get to work with Matt Berry.
06:22Because I worked with him on What We Do in the Shadows.
06:24And this guy is hilarious.
06:26He does the lines, but then he adds improv.
06:30Usually horribly obscene dialogue.
06:33And you're meant to keep a straight face.
06:35Because my character loathed him in the story.
06:38But Mark Hamill finds him hilarious.
06:40Although, I think it's too bad you didn't consider another actor.
06:46Because it would have been so great to say,
06:48and Jerry Mathers as the Beast.
06:51Yeah.
06:52But Matt's wonderful.
06:54That's great.
06:55Chris, you have such a long history in animation.
06:58And I'm wondering how the medium has evolved over the years.
07:02What have you noticed has changed?
07:05I was really fortunate to start this whole thing
07:07when it was much more traditional.
07:09And everything was drawn by hand.
07:11And then CG came along.
07:13And we got so many more tools.
07:15The least of which is the ability to move a camera in space.
07:17This is something we couldn't do before in traditional.
07:19And the emotional impact of that is huge.
07:24But we lost touch with some things as well.
07:28There's an analog warmth that you get from a hand-painted, hand-drawn thing.
07:32That we were obligated to leave that behind.
07:37And for quite a while now,
07:39we've been doing our best to try to fake it.
07:41But with this particular film,
07:43DreamWorks had reached a point in their technology
07:46that we could get away from wrapping geometry with textures
07:50and go back to hand-painting.
07:52So the technology allowed our artists to hand-paint things dimensionally.
07:58And so underneath the characters, there's geometry.
08:02But they are also coated and completely covered by hand-painted textures.
08:06So every single thing in this is hand-painted.
08:10And so we have now, I really think,
08:12come full circle with this film.
08:15And rejoined something that we left behind.
08:17But we've kept all the wonderful things that we got with CG.
08:21But now we got back to the analog warmth
08:24that we used to have with films like Bambi.
08:26So it's really a technological achievement
08:30that allowed human beings to reconnect with everything.
08:34Well, and that process is so meta for the movie too.
08:39I feel like it's such a beautiful joining of nature and technology
08:43and what is naturally available to us artistically.
08:46And these shapes and the advancements in technology that we have.
08:50That's what I love about the film so much.
08:52It feels nostalgic as well as futuristic at the same time.
08:56So I am not a parent myself, but I spoke to some parents
09:00who are worried to see the movie
09:02because they think they're going to be an emotional wreck when they see it.
09:06So what would you say to people who are worried
09:08about just like ugly crying and the emotion
09:10they're going to feel when they see it?
09:12Embrace it.
09:13Crying is healthy. Crying is good.
09:16It's cathartic.
09:20What I love about it is its appeal is across the board.
09:25As a father of three who took them to see
09:28so-called children's movies as a kid.
09:31And you'd suffer through some horrible moments.
09:35I never would say to that because they were loving it.
09:38And you want them to.
09:40But this one effortlessly appeals to every age.
09:44The parents will have as good a time as the kids.
09:48And that's rare to hit that sweet spot.
09:51And maybe bring a pack of tissues if you need that.
09:54Tissues and gummy bears.
09:58Gummy bears? Why not?
10:01I'm thinking of a certain kind.
10:03Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:05Mine was more innocent.
10:11I've watched it only one time.
10:13But it was heartwarming at the end of the day.
10:16And that kind of cry is worth it.
10:19And unlike so many children's films,
10:22the soundtrack doesn't tell you what to feel.
10:26You just feel it.
10:28And also just bringing out children's compassion
10:32is a lovely, beautiful thing.
10:36Yeah, tolerance, understanding what you don't know.
10:41Again, and it's not hitting you over the head.
10:43You just glean that experience from what happens in the film.
10:49It's really wonderful.
10:53So if you had to be stranded on a deserted island
10:56with another character that you've played,
10:59who would it be and why?
11:01Sharp turn.
11:05I wanted to be the fox.
11:08Any role that you've ever played.
11:10That you've ever played.
11:12Oh, I would want to be with Roz.
11:15That sounds like a good show.
11:17She could do a lot for me, including building a shelter.
11:19That's true.
11:20Which I can't do.
11:22Okay, copy. Roz.
11:24Yeah, never played Roz.
11:26Character you've played.
11:28We're doing that thing where you ask us a question,
11:30but we're actors, so we're going to answer
11:32a completely different question.
11:34And we're all choosing Roz.
11:36Right, we're staying on brand.
11:39No one, come on.
11:41Oh, God.
11:45Stuck on a deserted island?
11:47None of the characters I've ever played have skills like that.
11:51But maybe they're a good time to be around.
11:55A last hurrah before impending doom.
11:59Yeah, yeah.
12:03I don't know.
12:05I played a young Elton John once,
12:07so maybe Elton John on the island would be fun.
12:09He'd just sort of, you know,
12:11sing me into oblivion. That would be fun.
12:13This movie, as you all mentioned,
12:15does have a lot of heartwarming themes.
12:17When you were making the movie,
12:19and maybe even watching it for the first time,
12:21were there any life lessons that you took away
12:23that have stuck with you?
12:25Go.
12:27No, you.
12:29Well, I think what I love about this story
12:31is I, myself,
12:33find, I don't know, technology
12:35to be really scary
12:37and overwhelming and sometimes
12:39overly nostalgic of a time
12:41that we're no longer in.
12:43And I feel like the themes of this movie
12:45and just following the character of Roz
12:47in the wildness
12:49is a really important
12:51togetherness and symbiosis
12:53of where we are,
12:55how we are currently evolving
12:57as a society.
12:59And that, in itself, brings me
13:01so much peace and comfort
13:03to where we are currently at.
13:05That it's not like a one or the other,
13:07but maybe it's a together.
13:09That's great.
13:11I think the journey that Roz goes on
13:13as this robot
13:15that finds herself
13:17with the task of being a mother
13:19kind of illuminates the fact
13:21that every parent
13:23is doing it for the first time.
13:25And there's a learning curve
13:27that every parent is going through.
13:29They're living their lives for the first time
13:31and we see that projected
13:33on Roz, who
13:35has that sort of
13:37naivete of a child
13:39but
13:41in the role of a parent
13:43that we expect to know everything.
13:45I just think it's a lovely story
13:47that gives grace to what it means
13:49to become a parent.
13:54It's funny that you relate
13:56to the robot
13:58because
14:00there's no one else to relate to.
14:02You imagine, what if I was
14:04dropped into
14:06the wilderness?
14:08It's curious
14:10that of all the characters
14:12she's the one that's most relatable
14:14to me anyway.
14:16How would I survive?
14:19But
14:21what do I know?
14:27When we first
14:29started the project, my first call was to
14:31Peter Brown who wrote the book
14:33and one of the things he
14:35revealed to us was that while he was writing
14:37the book, the thing that was guiding him
14:39the guiding principle that was on his mind
14:41was the idea that kindness could be
14:43a survival skill. And it was something that was never
14:45written down in the book and I immediately wrote that down
14:47and said, I'm going to get that up on screen.
14:49And so the heart and soul of this
14:51story is about a character
14:53who has this unrelenting
14:55kindness and what that does
14:57and without
14:59Roz has no agenda to do
15:01anything but complete a task
15:03but in the completion of it, I think it
15:05is that kindness and her willingness
15:07to go off script
15:09and to change her programming
15:11that changes the culture of the entire
15:13island. And I think that for me was the most
15:15the lesson that I took away
15:17from this whole thing that I still think about now
15:19because we had this long journey together
15:21but this whole story
15:23is infused with the idea
15:25that kindness is strength.
15:29Well, thank you guys so much for being here.
15:31It was great to have you at our studio.
15:33Thank you very much.