Adapted from Peter Brown’s children’s classic, DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” gifts Lupita Nyong’o with an unexpected triumph.
This slightly futuristic fantasy is set on an uninhabited island where the titular robot – with its resemblance to the Tin Man of “The Wizard of Oz,” — is a Rozzum 7134 aka Roz, voiced by the Oscar-winning Nyong’o.
Roz is programmed to be helpful but being accidentally dumped in this terrain, who can give her purpose? Then she meets and ultimately bonds with a smart, sly red fox (Pedro Pascal). Then a goose egg hatches a gosling, who attaches itself to Roz.
Writer-director Chris Sanders (“Lilo & Stitch,” “How to Train Your Dragon”) returns with this first animated picture in 11 years.
“Animation happens so slowly over a long period of time,” he said, sitting next to Nyong’o, 41, in a virtual press conference. “It’s all about collaboration, particularly with the actors.”
Nyong’o’s challenge was to convey a wide array of emotions only through her voice.
“I had an incredible partner in Chris. I asked him, Why me for Roz? He said he liked the warmth in my voice. So it was for me that evolution.
“I was inspired by Alexa and Siri,” she said of the A.I. on phones and computers. “What was similar in them was this optimistic politeness.
“After trial and error we had many versions of Roz over the two and a half years. As the script developed so did the voice. We had markers in the script where Roz is adapting and it was all about dialing it up.”
Roz must truly adapt to her often hostile environment. “We knew Roz had to be humanoid,” Sanders, 62, said, “but also wanted her surprising — and the animators exceeded.
“We never make things convenient for Roz to make her way through everything. We wanted her to bend and duck. And she doesn’t get it.”
As for any lessons learned in the recording booth?
“Did I ever! I had a lot of fun. Every time we got to a recording session it would be me giving notes on the new pages,” and she laughed.
“It was awesome to share a thought with Chris. He’d take a beat of silence and come back on the mic, having solved the problem. We had symbiotic relationship, where I always felt valued.
“So when I was seeing the final product I swelled with gratitude to see my fingerprints on it.
“Creating the right creative chemistry is so important. I learned to go easy on myself. I had a vocal accident on the earlier part of Roz and injured myself and was silent for three months. So I learned a lesson: To listen to my limitations.”
“The Wild Robot” is in theaters Sept. 27
