The Wild Robot

Last updated

The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Chris Sanders
Screenplay byChris Sanders
Based on The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
Produced byJeff Hermann
Starring
CinematographyChris Stover
Edited byMary Blee
Music by Kris Bowers
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • September 8, 2024 (2024-09-08)(TIFF)
  • September 27, 2024 (2024-09-27)(United States)
Running time
101 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$78 million [2]
Box office$323.2 million [3] [4]

The Wild Robot is a 2024 American animated science fiction adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Peter Brown, it was written for the screen and directed by Chris Sanders and features the voices of Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames. The film follows Roz (Nyong'o), a service robot shipwrecked on an uninhabited island who must adapt to her surroundings, build relationships with the local wildlife, and become the adoptive mother of an orphaned goose, Brightbill (Connor).

Contents

Sanders first encountered the original book through his daughter and years later was offered an opportunity to direct a film adaptation at DreamWorks. The film's visuals utilize a watercolor aesthetic, inspired by classic Disney animated films and the works of Hayao Miyazaki. It was the final film to be animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks, as the studio will begin relying heavily on outside vendors for future films. Kris Bowers composed the score, marking his first score for a fully animated film.

The Wild Robot premiered at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and was released in the United States on September 27. The film received universal acclaim for its animation, visuals, story, portrayal of the titular character, and emotional depth. It was also a commercial success, grossing $323.2 million worldwide on a production budget of $78 million and becoming the fifth-highest grossing animated film of 2024. At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, The Wild Robot received nominations for Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, becoming the most-nominated animated film in the ceremony's history. A sequel is in development.

Plot

A storm causes a Universal Dynamics, Inc. cargo ship to lose six ROZZUM robots, which wash up on an uninhabited forest island. Only ROZZUM Unit 7134, nicknamed "Roz", survives and is accidentally activated by wildlife. Initially, Roz frightens the animals and injures herself while trying to help them. She learns their language but fails to find anyone who needs her services. While signaling for retrieval, Roz is struck by lightning and attacked by animals. While trying to escape from an aggressive grizzly bear, she accidentally destroys a goose nest, killing the parents and all the eggs except for one.

Roz protects the egg from a hungry fox named Fink, and a gosling hatches from it; he imprints on her and breaks her long-range transponder. Following advice from Pinktail, an opossum with seven children, Roz cares for the gosling to ensure he can fly before the winter migration, with Fink accompanying Roz as she builds a shelter and names the gosling Brightbill, with all three cohabiting. After weeks go by and Brightbill grows up, he starts learning to swim, but is mocked by other geese, during which he also discovers Roz killed his family, and so angrily leaves.

Roz reconstructs one ROZZUM unit, ROZZUM 6262 nicknamed "Rummage", who advises her to return to the Universal Dynamics factory but Roz decides instead to finish helping Brightbill to fly, enlisting the help of a falcon named Thunderbolt and receiving advice from Longneck, the goose flock's leader. Brightbill masters flying and joins the geese's migration. Roz, missing Brightbill and unsure of her continued purpose, reactivates her transponder but shuts it off immediately, but not before Universal Dynamics receives her signal.

During the migration, along with Brightbill, a thunderstorm forces the geese to shelter inside a Universal Dynamics greenhouse where a contamination alert triggers hostile RECOs robots to attack them. Longneck sacrifices himself so Brightbill can lead the flock to safety as the captain. Meanwhile, Roz and Fink save the wild animals during a severe snowstorm, urging them to a temporary truce before Roz powers down. Spring arrives, Roz reawakens to find all the animals still following the peace and Brightbill returning, hailed as a hero.

As Roz is about to reunite with Brightbill, Universal Dynamics sends a retrieval robot, Vontra, to recover her. Roz flees with Fink, pursued by RECOs dispatched by Vontra. The animals band together to fight off the RECOs, but Vontra captures Roz and starts a forest fire by detonating the damaged RECOs. Brightbill attacks the Universal Dynamics dropship to save Roz as Fink and the others put out the fire. Despite Roz appearing to have been shut down by Vontra, her love for Brightbill restores her systems. Roz and Brightbill destroy Vontra and escape as the dropship explodes.

Roz decides to return to the Universal Dynamics headquarters to protect the island from more attacks, but promises to return. Sometime later, Roz works at another Universal Dynamics greenhouse. Brightbill secretly approaches Roz, who in turn secretly reveals she retains her memories, and they both embrace.

Voice cast

Lupita Nyong'o voices Roz and Rummage. Lupita Nyong'o at Berlinale 2024 Ausschnitt.jpg
Lupita Nyong'o voices Roz and Rummage.

Production

Development

Peter Brown, creator of The Wild Robot book series, pictured in 2014. Peter Brown in 2014.jpg
Peter Brown, creator of The Wild Robot book series, pictured in 2014.

On September 28, 2023, DreamWorks Animation announced an animated film adaptation of the book series The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, with Chris Sanders set to write and direct, Jeff Hermann set to produce, and Sanders' longtime creative collaborator Dean DeBlois set to serve as executive producer. Other crew members were announced, including production designer Raymond Zibach, editor Mary Blee, and head of story Heidi Jo Gilbert. [9]

Sanders first encountered Brown's book through his daughter, though he never read it himself. Years later, while looking for his next project at DreamWorks, Sanders was offered an opportunity to direct an adaptation of the book for the studio. [10] Upon reading it, Sanders immediately fell in love with the story and felt he was the right person to adapt it to film. He described the book as "deceptively simple" and "emotionally complex". [11] Sanders had previously considered the idea of a creature bonding with animals in a forest for his directorial debut Lilo & Stitch (2002). [12] Sanders contacted Brown and would later describe the phone call as critical to the film's development. Brown told the production team that his intended theme for the book was that kindness could be a survival skill. Sanders sought to weave that theme through the film and felt he achieved that goal. [13] Another theme in the story that Sanders was drawn to was that of motherhood. He felt he had never done a story of this nature before. [13]

Chris Sanders, writer-director of The Wild Robot film, pictured in 2014. 41st Annie Awards, Chris Sanders.jpg
Chris Sanders, writer–director of The Wild Robot film, pictured in 2014.

Changes were made to the book's story for the film. In the book, Roz is in constant search of a task but also in the wrong place and with no one to give her tasks. [13] Sanders felt that she risked becoming monotonous at points in the story, so he strived to make Roz constantly interesting and compelling throughout. [13] Some character roles from the book were reduced in order to give others more substantial screen time and impact. The changes to the characters and their roles were also made to prevent the film from becoming too crowded. [13]

Casting

Cast members Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O'Hara, Bill Nighy, Kit Connor, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames were revealed on March 5, 2024, with the release of the film's first trailer. [5] [14]

Sanders wanted Roz to be a compelling character and felt an extraordinary voice performance was necessary to achieve this. He wanted to avoid a two-dimensional fictional take on a robot, where they go straight from being emotionless to emotional. [13] Nyong'o was tasked with finding a voice for the character and evolving it as the story progressed. The actress's role was particularly important as Roz did not possess facial articulation. This meant Nyong'o's voice was the main way of signifying Roz's emotions. [13]

According to Hamill, who voiced Thorn, he learned about the film after reading the book The Wild Robot. Hamill says that The Wild Robot reminded him of his first feelings about Star Wars (1977), in which he originated the role of Luke Skywalker. [15]

Animation and design

The Wild Robot would be the final film to be animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks, as Cartoon Brew reported on October 6, 2023, that the studio would be shifting away from producing films in-house in their Glendale campus to relying more heavily on outside studios after 2024. [16]

After reading the book, Sanders felt the story's innocent tone and natural setting required a look that strayed away from the standard CGI photorealism in many modern animated films. [11] He and production designer Raymond Zibach wanted the film in its finished state to still resemble the concept paintings. [11] To achieve this, the production team built upon the technologies used in two of DreamWorks' earlier films, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Bad Guys (both 2022). [11] While the characters were made up of CGI geometrical shapes, their surfaces possess a hand-painted look. This painterly style philosophy was carried onto every visual element in the film, including the sky and environments. [13]

Sanders took inspiration from classic Disney animated movies and the works of Hayao Miyazaki, resulting in a stylized CG visual style that he described as "a Monet painting in a Miyazaki forest". [17] [18] He considered Bambi (1942) and My Neighbour Totoro (1988) as the biggest influences on the visuals. [13] The works of Syd Mead served as inspiration for the futuristic parts of the film. [13]

Sanders wanted Roz's design to be iconic and memorable and one that would take its place among fiction's most famous robots. Taking inspiration from C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars and Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet (1956), he wanted Roz to have little facial articulation. [13] Sanders and the rest of the design team made several prototype designs during production. One of the designers, Hyun Huh presented his Roz design to the crew, which became the basis for the one seen in the film. The crew immediately fell in love with Huh's design, with Sanders describing it as simple and appealing. [13] Brown's original book described Roz with great detail, so Sanders and the team knew they had to leave some design elements out. Although on behalf of Brown's description of what a ROZZUM unit's purpose was to humans, they aimed for Roz's design to be humanoid. [13]

Music

In March 2024, Kris Bowers was revealed to be composing the score, his first score for a fully animated film. [19] Additionally, two original songs were announced to be made for the film, performed and co-written by Maren Morris. The first, "Kiss the Sky", was released on August 28; the second, "Even When I'm Not", along with the full soundtrack album, was released on September 27. [20] Morris and her team of co-writers were inspired to write a second song for the film, "Even When I'm Not", which is featured in the film's end credits, when they screened the finished film. [20]

Release

The Wild Robot had its world premiere as the opening front runner of the Toronto International Film Festival Grand Opening celebration on September 8, 2024. [21] [22] It was released in theaters in the United States on September 27, 2024, [23] and in the United Kingdom on October 18. [24] The film was originally scheduled for September 20, 2024, [25] but was pushed back a week to avoid competition with Transformers One . [23]

Marketing

The first trailer for the film, featuring a rendition of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World", plus a poster, were released on March 5, 2024. [26] The trailer debuted in theaters three days later in front of screenings of DreamWorks' other new film Kung Fu Panda 4 . [27] Writing for Polygon , Tasha Robinson compared the design of Roz to familiar film robots such as BB-8 (the Star Wars sequel trilogy), WALL-E (in his titular film), Baymax (from Big Hero 6 ), and The Iron Giant (in his titular film), and noted that the only words spoken in the trailer - "Sometimes, to survive, we must become more than we were programmed to be" - evoked the message of The Iron Giant (1999). [28]

Home media

The Wild Robot was released to rent on digital streaming on October 15, 2024, [29] and on Blu-ray and DVD on December 3. [30]

As part of Universal's long-term deal with Netflix, the film will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, before moving to Netflix for the next ten, and returning to Peacock for the remaining four. [31] [32]

Reception

Box office

As of December 12,2024, The Wild Robot has grossed $142.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $180.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $323.2 million. [3] [4]

In the United States and Canada, The Wild Robot was released alongside Megalopolis , and was projected to gross $24–30 million from 3,962 theaters in its opening weekend. [2] [33] The film made $11.2 million on its first day, [34] including an estimated $1.9 million from Thursday previews. [35] The film went on to debut to $35.8 million, [36] slightly above predictions and topping the box office. [37] In its second weekend, the film made $18.9 million (a drop of 47% from its first weekend), finishing in second behind newcomer Joker: Folie à Deux . [38] [39] In its third weekend the film made $14 million (dropping just 25.9%), finishing in second behind newcomer Terrifier 3 . According to The Hollywood Reporter , theater chains treated the unrated Terrifier 3 as an R-rated film, turning down attendees 17 or younger if unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. Distribution sources speculated that more people saw the film than reported, theorizing that a "noticeable bump" in the earnings for The Wild Robot's third weekend was the result of teenagers buying tickets to the film and then sneaking into screenings of Terrifier 3. [40] [41] The film then made $10.1 million and $6.8 million in its fourth and fifth weekends, respectively. [42] [43]

Critical response

The Wild Robot received critical acclaim. [44] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 97% of 233 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10.The website's consensus reads: "A simple tale told with great sophistication, The Wild Robot is wondrous entertainment that dazzles the eye while filling your heart to the brim." [45] It is DreamWorks Animation's second highest-rated film on the site, behind Sanders' How to Train Your Dragon (2010). [46] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [47] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 96% overall positive score, with 62% saying they would definitely recommend it. [37]

Natalia Winkelman of The New York Times called the film "a dazzling triumph of animation" and wrote "this is a work that cares most about two things: big feelings and great beauty." [48] Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood said, "If Spielberg's E.T. had been an animated film instead, it might resemble what writer-director Chris Sanders has created here. However, Wild Robot weaves its own magic and for that we can all cry tears of joy." [49] Adrian Horton, writing for The Guardian said: "Clever, heartfelt and frequently stunning, The Wild Robot offers the type of all-ages-welcome animated entertainment that will delight kids and leave a lump in one's throat." [50] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph gave the film a five out of five scoring, saying, "DreamWorks was founded 30 years ago this month, and this well-timed anniversary release is their richest, most moving film since 1998's reputation-making The Prince of Egypt ." [51] In his review for Vulture, Bilge Ebiri praised Nyong'o's performance and found that it "turn[ed] this heartwarming family film into an unforgettable one." [52]

Collider thought it was one of Sanders' best films yet, [53] while Screen Rant called it the best animated film of the year. [54]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
San Sebastián International Film Festival September 28, 2024 Lurra - Greenpeace AwardThe Wild RobotWon [55]
SCAD Savannah Film Festival November 2, 2024Virtuoso Award Lupita Nyong'o Won [56]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 20, 2024 Best Original Score – Animated Film Kris Bowers Won [57]
Best Original Song – Animated Film "Kiss the Sky" – Maren Morris, Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson & Stefan JohnsonWon
Winter IndieWire Honors December 5, 2024Spark Award Chris Sanders Won [58]
Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards December 8, 2024 Best Animated FeatureThe Wild RobotWon [59]
Best Voice Over Performance Lupita Nyong'o Won
Pedro Pascal Nominated
December 8, 2024 Best Original ScoreKris BowersNominated
Best Original Song"Kiss the Sky" – Maren Morris, Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson & Stefan JohnsonNominated
San Diego Film Critics Society December 9, 2024 Best Adapted Screenplay Chris SandersNominated [60]
Best Animated Film The Wild RobotRunner-up
Michigan Movie Critics Guild December 9, 2024Best Animated FilmWon [61]
Celebration of Cinema and Television December 9, 2024Composer AwardKris BowersWon [62]
Seattle Film Critics Society December 16, 2024 Best Original ScorePending [63]
Best Animated Film The Wild RobotPending
Golden Globe Awards January 5, 2025 Best Animated Feature Film Pending [64]
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Pending [65]
Best Original Song "Kiss the Sky" – Maren Morris, Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson & Stefan JohnsonPending
Best Original Score Kris BowersPending
Saturn Awards February 2, 2025 Best Animated Film The Wild RobotPending [66]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards January 12, 2025 Best Animated Feature Film The Wild RobotPending [67]
Best Song "Kiss the Sky" – Maren Morris, Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson & Stefan JohnsonPending
Best Score Kris Bowers Pending

Sequel

On September 7, 2024, when asked about a potential sequel, Sanders stated, "I would very much like to. This was a labor of love on the part of everybody at the studio, and yes, I think I'd love to go and stay here for a while." [68] On October 12, 2024, he confirmed that a sequel is in development. [69]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DreamWorks Animation</span> American animation studio

DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA) (also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio owned by Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The studio has released a total of 49 feature films, including several of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Shrek 2 (2004) having been the highest at the time of its release. Its first film, Antz, was released on October 2, 1998, and its latest film, The Wild Robot, was released on September 27, 2024. They have an upcoming theatrical slate of films, which includes Dog Man on January 31, 2025, How to Train Your Dragon on June 13, 2025, The Bad Guys 2 on August 1, 2025, Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie on September 26, 2025, and Shrek 5 on July 1, 2026.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Sanders</span> American filmmaker (born 1962)

Christopher Michael Sanders is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. His credits include Lilo & Stitch (2002) and How to Train Your Dragon (2010), both of which he co-wrote and directed with Dean DeBlois; The Croods (2013) with Kirk DeMicco; The Call of the Wild (2020); and The Wild Robot (2024). He created the character Stitch in 1985, wrote the film's story, and voiced Stitch in almost all his media appearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean DeBlois</span> Canadian filmmaker (born 1970)

Dean Allan DeBlois is a Canadian filmmaker and animator. He is best known for writing and directing the Oscar-nominated animated feature films Lilo & Stitch for Walt Disney Animation Studios, the How to Train Your Dragon film trilogy for DreamWorks Animation, and directing the documentary Heima about the Icelandic band Sigur Rós.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Meledandri</span> American film producer (born 1959)

Christopher Meledandri is an American film producer and founder and CEO of Illumination. He previously served as President of 20th Century Fox Animation, and has worked as the producer for the film series of Ice Age, Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets and Sing. In 2021, he joined Nintendo's board of directors after working with the video game company on The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Meledandri also collaborates with Illumination's corporate sibling DreamWorks Animation.

<i>The Croods</i> 2013 film by Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders

The Croods is a 2013 American animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, both of whom also wrote the screenplay and were credited with conceiving the story alongside John Cleese. The film stars the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The film is set in a fictional prehistoric Pliocene era known as "The Croodaceous" when Grug, patriarch of the Croods, is threatened by the arrival of a genius named Guy, who comes up with revolutionary new inventions as they trek through a dangerous but exotic land in search of a new home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupita Nyong'o</span> Actress (born 1983)

Lupita Amondi Nyong'o is an actress who has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Daytime Emmy Award, as well as nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award.

<i>The Croods: A New Age</i> 2020 animated film directed by Joel Crawford

The Croods: A New Age is a 2020 American animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The sequel to The Croods (2013) as well as the second installment of The Croods franchise, it was directed by Joel Crawford from a screenplay by Paul Fisher, Bob Logan, and the writing team of Dan and Kevin Hageman, based on a story by Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders. The film features the returning voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The film also makes new additions to the cast, including Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, and Kelly Marie Tran. The film follows the Croods, Guy, and their pets Belt, Chunky, and Douglas as they discover an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of their needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Bettermans, a family a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Pictures Animation</span> American theatrical animation studio

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation (WBPA), formerly known as Warner Animation Group (WAG), is an American animation studio that serves as the animated feature film label of Warner Bros.' theatrical film production and distribution division, Warner Bros. Pictures. Established on January 7, 2013, by Jeff Robinov, the studio is the successor to the dissolved 2D traditional hand-drawn animation studio Warner Bros. Feature Animation, which shut down in 2004, and is also a sister to the regular Warner Bros. Animation studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkeypaw Productions</span> American production company

Monkeypaw Productions is an American independent film and television production company founded by Jordan Peele in 2012. It is known for producing horror films, such as Get Out, Us, Candyman, Nope, and Wendell & Wild, as well as other films, such as Keanu and Monkey Man.

<i>Trolls</i> (franchise) DreamWorks Animation media franchise

Trolls is an American animated media franchise created by DreamWorks Animation, inspired by the successful line of Troll doll toys created by Thomas Dam. It follows the adventures of a pair of trolls named Poppy and Branch as they live among their village of pop-singing trolls. The franchise consists of three feature films, Trolls, released in 2016, Trolls World Tour, released in 2020, and Trolls Band Together, released in 2023. The franchise has been supplemented by two holiday television specials titled Trolls Holiday and Trolls: Holiday in Harmony, and two animated series: Trolls: The Beat Goes On! on Netflix, and Trolls: TrollsTopia on Hulu and Peacock. The Trolls franchise made $5 billion in retail sales by 2005.

<i>The Wild Robot</i> (soundtrack) 2024 film score by Kris Bowers

The Wild Robot (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album for the 2024 film of The Wild Robot. It features the original score composed by Kris Bowers, his first for a fully animated film. It also includes two original songs, "Kiss the Sky" and "Even When I'm Not", co-written and performed by Maren Morris. The album was released on September 27, 2024, by Back Lot Music.

References

  1. "The Wild Robot (U)". British Board of Film Classification . September 2, 2024. Archived from the original on September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (September 25, 2024). "Francis Ford Coppola's $120 Million-Budgeted 'Megalopolis' Could Open to Disappointing $5 Million". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Wild Robot (2024)". The Numbers. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "The Wild Robot (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reul, Katie (March 5, 2024). "The Wild Robot, Animated Film Starring Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal, Gets Gorgeous First Trailer". IGN . Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  6. "The Wild Robot lives!". Peter Brown Studios. March 24, 2016. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  7. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  8. Taylor, Drew (June 11, 2024). "Annecy: 'The Wild Robot' Footage Debuts to Thunderous Applause, Standing Ovation". TheWrap. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  9. Taylor, Drew (September 28, 2023). "Director Chris Sanders Returns to DreamWorks Animation With 'The Wild Robot' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  10. "In conversation with Writer/Director of Dreamworks' The Wild Robot, Chris Sanders". IMAX. September 23, 2024. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Zahed, Ramin (June 13, 2024). "Soul of the Machine: 'The Wild Robot' Director Chris Sanders Unboxes DreamWorks' Emotive Automaton". Animation Magazine . Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  12. Ebiri, Bilge (September 26, 2024). "'When CG Came Along, We Couldn't Escape' How The Wild Robot's director, Chris Sanders, found a sweet spot between hand-drawn and CG animation". Vulture . Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Radulovic, Petrana (August 31, 2024). "With The Wild Robot, Chris Sanders finally set computer animation free". Polygon . Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  14. Franklin, Garth (March 5, 2024). "First Trailer: The Wild "Robot"". Dark Horizons. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  15. Little, Anita (July 31, 2024). "Mark Hamill Explains Why His New Film Wild Robot Brings Back First Star Wars Feelings". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  16. Amidi, Amid (October 6, 2023). "Dreamworks Shifting Away From In-House Production In Los Angeles; Sony Imageworks Is A New Production Partner". Cartoon Brew . Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  17. D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 10, 2024). "DreamWorks Previews 'The Wild Robot' Unfinished Footage: 'A Monet Painting in a Miyazaki Forest'". Variety . Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  18. "CinemaCon: Universal Reveals Unfinished The Wild Robot Footage from DreamWorks, Sneak Peek at Despicable Me 4". Animation Magazine. April 10, 2024. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  19. Music Reporter, Film (March 5, 2024). "Kris Bowers to Score Chris Sanders' The Wild Robot". Film Music Reporter. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  20. 1 2 Sharpe, Josh (August 8, 2024). "Maren Morris Writing Two Original Tracks for DreamWorks' The Wild Robot". Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  21. "The Wild Robot". Toronto International Film Festival . Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  22. Kay, Jeremy (June 18, 2024). "Toronto film festival world premieres to include 'Nightbitch', Elton John doc, 'The Wild Robot'". Screen Daily . Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  23. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 23, 2024). "DreamWorks Animation's 'The Wild Robot' Will Go One Week Later In The Fall". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  24. Warner, Sam (August 9, 2024). "Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal's new movie confirms UK release date". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  25. D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 19, 2023). "DreamWorks Animation's 'The Wild Robot' To Bring Life To Early Fall 2024 Box Office". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  26. Lang, Jamie (March 5, 2024). "Watch The First Trailer For Chris Sanders' Upcoming Dreamworks Feature 'The Wild Robot'". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  27. "Watch the beautiful trailer for The Wild Robot". Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  28. Robinson, Tasha (March 5, 2024). "DreamWorks' new movie The Wild Robot blends Star Wars, The Iron Giant, and more". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  29. "THE WILD ROBOT Digital Streaming Release Date Revealed". whentostream.com. October 12, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  30. Lovell, Kevin (October 14, 2024). "The Wild Robot; Arrives On Digital October 15 & On 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD December 3, 2024 From DreamWorks – Universal". Screen Connections.
  31. Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  32. Moon, Mariella (July 14, 2021). "Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US". Engadget . Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  33. D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 24, 2024). "The Wild Robot Set To Walk Through Weekend With $20M+ Opening; Megalopolis Finally Happens – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  34. "Domestic Box Office For Sep 27, 2024". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  35. Jeremy Fuster (September 27, 2024). "'The Wild Robot' Opens Up Box Office Run With $1.95 Million in Previews". TheWrap . Archived from the original on September 28, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  36. "Domestic 2024 Weekend 39". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  37. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 29, 2024). "Wild Robot Powers To Third Best September Animated Pic Debut With $35M; Megalopolis Collapses With $4M & D+ CinemaScore; Saturday Night Alive In Limited Release – Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on September 29, 2024. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  38. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 6, 2024). "No One's Laughing Now: Joker Folie à Deux Falls Down With $39M-$40M Opening: How The Sequel Went Sideways – Sunday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on October 5, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  39. "Domestic 2024 Weekend 40". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  40. McClintock, Pamela (October 15, 2024). "Terrifier 3 Not Clowning Around: How the Uber-Gruesome Pic Upended the Movie Ratings System". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  41. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 13, 2024). "Clown Vs. Clown: Terrifier 3 Shows Teeth With $18M+ As Joker 2 Posts Record Drop For DC Character Pic; Awards Season Darlings Shriek – Sunday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  42. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 20, 2024). "Smile 2 Happier With $23M Opening; A24's We Live In Time Making Dime With $4M+, Anora Wows With Massive $90K Theater Average – Sunday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  43. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 28, 2024). "'Venom: The Last Dance' Trips Stateside With $51M Opening, But Makes Up For Shortfall Abroad – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  44. Montgomery, Daniel (September 27, 2024). "'The Wild Robot' reviews: A 'stunning,' 'magnificent' film with 'remarkably subtle' Lupita Nyong'o performance". GoldDerby. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  45. "The Wild Robot". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 27, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  46. "All 47 DreamWorks Animation Movies Ranked". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  47. "The Wild Robot". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  48. Winkelman, Natalia (September 26, 2024). "'The Wild Robot' Review: Wonder and Whimsy That Does Compute". The New York Times . Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  49. "'The Wild Robot' Review: Stunning Animation And A Story With Wit, Excitement And Soul Make This Gorgeous Film One From The Heart – Toronto Film Festival". September 8, 2024.
  50. Horton, Adrian (September 26, 2024). "The Wild Robot review – heartfelt animated adventure is a soaring success". The Guardian. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  51. Collin, Robbie (October 13, 2024). "The Wild Robot: The most moving animation in decades". The Telegraph. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  52. Ebiri, Bilge (September 26, 2024). "The Wild Robot Will Ruin You". Vulture. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  53. Weatherhead, Shaina (September 9, 2024). "'The Wild Robot' Review: Lupita Nyong'o Brings Maternal, Mechanical Warmth to One of Chris Sanders' Best Yet". Collider. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  54. Brizzell, Molly (October 1, 2024). "Yes, The Wild Robot Really Is The Best Animated Movie Of 2024". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  55. "Festival de San Sebastián". sansebastianfestival (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 29, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  56. Feinberg, Scott (September 26, 2024). "SCAD Savannah Film Fest: 'Blitz' to Open, 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Anora' Stars Among 11 Honorees". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  57. Willman, Chris (November 6, 2024). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Blitz,' With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees". Hollywood Music in Media Awards . Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  58. Jones, Kate Erbland,Marcus (November 14, 2024). "Denis Villeneuve, Pamela Anderson, Steve McQueen, and More to Be Celebrated at IndieWire Honors". IndieWire. Retrieved November 15, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  59. Pond, Steve (November 25, 2024). "'Wicked' Leads Nominations for Astra Film Awards". TheWrap . Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  60. "AwardsWatch - 2024 San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations". AwardsWatch. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  61. "AwardsWatch - 2024 Michigan Movie Critics Guild (MMCG) Nominations: 'Anora,' 'The Brutalist' and 'Wicked' Lead". AwardsWatch. December 6, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  62. "The Critics Choice Association Announces Full Slate of Honorees for the 7th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema and Television – Critics Choice Awards" . Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  63. "AwardsWatch - 2024 Seattle Film Critics Society Nominations: 'The Brutalist,' 'Dune: Part Two,' 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'". AwardsWatch. December 6, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  64. Zahed, Ramin (December 9, 2024). "Six Animated Movies Are Nominated for the 2025 Golden Globes Awards" . Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  65. "The 2025 Golden Globe Award Nominations" . Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  66. Hipes, Patrick (December 5, 2024). "'Dune: Part Two', 'Fallout' Lead Saturn Awards Nominations". Deadline . Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  67. Evans, Greg (December 12, 2024). "Conclave And Wicked Lead Critics Choice Awards Film Nominations – Full List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  68. Gomulka, Stephanie (September 27, 2024). "'Could There Be a Sequel to The Wild Robot? Director Chris Sanders Says…". NBC.
  69. Goodfellow, Melanie; Ntim, Zac (October 12, 2024). "'The Wild Robot' Sequel In The Works At DreamWorks With Director Chris Sanders". Deadline. Retrieved October 27, 2024.