Renowned animation director Chris Sanders told China.org.cn how his crew were very driven while creating "The Wild Robot" as well as other intriguing insights during an interview promoting the film in China earlier this month.

Director Chris Sanders speaks at a special screening event held for "The Wild Robot" at Peking University in Beijing, Sept. 5, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures]

"One of the things that was unusual in this film, which I had never experienced before, was that the entire crew making this film was so excited about it that they really couldn't be stopped from doing their jobs," Sanders highlighted an extraordinary level of enthusiasm among his team during the production of "The Wild Robot," which hit Chinese theaters on Sept. 20. 

Usually, scenes are first discussed one by one by the director and animators during an animation production process . However, animators for "The Wild Robot" were so keen to create that they often completed scenes before any discussions were held with the director. 

Sanders recalled how animators would "stop" him during discussions for scene development to explain how they had already completed the scene after breaking "into the database" to get information on the scene's general concept. "And this happened more than once," Sanders added.

This enthusiasm extended to the songwriting team as well, who composed a song for the end credits without the usual preliminary meetings, but simply because they felt inspired by the film. "So that's another example of how this film almost wanted to make itself. It was putting itself together, even when we weren't around. It was an absolutely amazing experience to have that happen. Everybody was working so hard and was so inspired to do what they were doing."

A Chinese poster for "The Wild Robot." [Image courtesy of Universal Pictures]

Both directed and written by Sanders, acclaimed for animated hits like "Lilo & Stitch" (2002) and "How to Train Your Dragon" (2010), "The Wild Robot" is a new sci-fi animation based on a popular children's novel of the same name by American illustrator and author Peter Brown. 

The film follows a robot named ROZZUM unit 7134, or "Roz" for short, who was programmed to serve humans but finds herself shipwrecked on a deserted island. After adapting to the harsh, uninhabited environment, she then bonds with the island's wildlife, even becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling. By acclimating to these new circumstances, Roz breaks boundaries and surpasses programming. Roz is voiced by Lupita Nyong'o, with other characters being voiced by Pedro Pascal, Mark Hamill and Ving Rhames. The film is set for North American release on Sept. 27. 

During the China.org.cn interview, Sanders stated that when DreamWorks Animation presented various projects for him to direct, he was immediately drawn to "The Wild Robot." He later realized why this project interested him: his daughter had previously read the Peter Brown's book and he had, at one point, also brainstormed an idea for an animated picture about a machine being lost in a forest, making this project feel familiar. It seemed destined for him to direct it and his daughter was excited when she heard the news, even contributing ideas for the film's creation. Also, Brown's objective with the story that "kindness could be a survival skill" deeply touched and resonated with Sanders.

"It was a very powerful story," Sanders said. "We all might have to change our programming at some point as there are always challenges in our lives, you may have to change the way you do things in order to prevail. That's a really powerful message of the story. I hope that people who watch this film, no matter what their age, really find something to relate to in it."

He also stressed that one of the most memorable parts of this entire project was engaging with the actors as they helped bring the characters to life. For the animated picture's visuals, Sanders took inspiration from Disney animated classics and the works of Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki, giving the film a unique style that combines both CGI animation and illustrations done by hand. 

"We were always trying to get back to something that animation had at the very beginning, which was the hand-painted warmth that you see in films like 'Bambi' and 'My Neighbor Totoro.' Those films have such beautiful human warmth that comes from their handmade painted backgrounds. We were always trying to get back to that," he said.

Director Chris Sanders poses for a group photo with special guests and the audience at the China premiere for "The Wild Robot" held in a cinema at Universal Beijing Resort in Beijing, Sept. 4, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures]

Another aspect he remembers fondly is working with famed composer Kris Bowers, who Sanders had the most meetings with during the animation's development. "So, it's one of the things I'm really excited for people to experience — not only the visuals, the voices and the story, but also the music. It's one of my very favorite scores of all time."

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