IMPRESSIONISTIC REALISM

Trevor Hogg learns how the artisan aesthetic came to be for The Wild Robot

- Trevor Hogg

Undoubtedly it’s easier for animation studios to have an in-house style, but this isn’t the path DreamWorks Animation decided to take when adapting the illustrated children’s novel The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, where a ROZZUM unit 7134 robot gets stranded on an isolated island teeming with wildlife. "The magic is in how every aspect of this movie, we altered the animation process to fit the style and story that we're trying to tell," states Chris Sanders, the film's writer and director.

"Our animators worked closely with the rigging department. It's something we've become much better at in letting the animators take the lead as far as what they need for these characters and what expressions are required."

Being open-minded is a vital part of being a director. "I talk to animators predominantly like actors," Sanders explains. "I'll say, 'This is what the scene or moment is about.' Then their job is to solve that. I made a decision a long time ago that if somebody does something in a way that's different than what I saw in my head, but it checks all of the boxes and gets everything that we needed, then we're finished."

The technology and techniques were built on top of what was achieved in The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. "For the day-to-day of animation, I'm there usually to help develop and make sure that the rig and character is working, and that we're able to hit the poses and facial expressions, combined with the way that the fur is rendering looks right," says production designer Raymond Zibach.