Director Chris Sanders Reveals His Upcoming Film The Wild Robot Will Make Viewers Cry ‘Very Badly’

Three-time Academy Award nominee Chris Sanders’ much-awaited animated film The Wild Robot has been in the headlines ever since its inception. As the film inches closer to its theatrical release on October 18th, the anticipation among audiences is palpable. Amid mounting excitement, Universal Pictures India (distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery) brought popular stand-up comedian Abish Mathew on board for a unique pre-release interview. In this engaging conversation, Mathew spoke with Sanders as well as actress Lupita Nyong'o, who lends her voice to Roz, the film’s central character, as they share some insights about their highly anticipated venture.

During the exclusive interview, Abish Mathew, an animation nerd himself, delved into The Wild Robot's creative process with director Chris Sanders and voice actor Lupita Nyong’o. Mathew then spiced things up with a special rapid-fire round of fan questions, sourced from 'Reddit.' Each question posed by eager Indian fans was delivered in a different voice, adding a playful banter to the conversation. Mathew set the tone by saying, " Rapid fire, quick questions, quick answers, except I'm going to try to do it as characters, just so that you get a flavor of what kind of questions these are. Are we good to go? " To this, Sanders laughingly replied, " Okay, I'll warn you, I may be bad at this. Yeah, so I'm not a quick-answer person, so I'll do my best. I'm so excited. If I can't answer, I'll go pass."

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The rapid-fire segment offered fans some exclusive insights into Chris Sanders' thoughts, including his excitement for the film's music and the emotional impact it may have on viewers.

The conversation took an interesting turn when Abish Mathew asked Sanders, “How did you balance action, adventure, and heart in The Wild Robot?” The director replied, “Through many iterations. And, by having a crew around me that is willing to disagree and point out my mistakes and my editor going, this doesn’t belong; we should move it." When another fan asked, "How badly is this movie going to make us cry? I need to prepare in advance," Sanders responded, "Possibly very, very badly. Be prepared" Another fan followed up with, "What message do you hope audiences take away from the movie?" to which he thoughtfully noted, "That sometimes you may have to exceed your programming; change your programming in order to accomplish a mission. And that kindness is definitely a strength." Mathew wrapped up the segment, adding, "The Wild Robot, a story that's going to make you laugh, cry, and want to call your mom immediately."

Check out the interview here:

Based on Peter Brown’s #1 New York Times bestseller novel, The Wild Robot follows the journey of Roz, a robot stranded on a remote forest island, learning to survive in the wilderness. Featuring a star-studded voice cast that includes Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Kit Connor, and Stephanie Hsu, the film promises a moving blend of adventure, empathy, and courage. Following its celebrated premiere at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival, The Wild Robot is slated to hit theatres in English and Hindi across India on October 18th, 2024.

The Wild Robot | Official Trailer 2 (Universal Pictures):

द वाइल्ड रोबोट (The Wild Robot) | Official Hindi Trailer 2 (Universal Studios):