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EXCLUSIVE: Chris Sanders Reveals How Pedro Pascal, Lupita Nyong'o Came Onboard The Wild Robot; Says Casting Directors Don't Get Enough 'Recognition'
In an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, renowned filmmaker and animator Chris Sanders spilled beans about his upcoming animated film and the casting process for its star-studded ensemble. Deets inside!
In an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, famous filmmaker and animator Chris Sanders — who’s created features like Lilo and Stitch, The Croods, Mulan, How To Train Your Dragon, and many others — shared insights on his new animated film The Wild Robot.
The film explores a heartwarming connection between animals and a stranded robot and features a star-studded ensemble that includes Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Lupita Nyong'o, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamil, and Kit Connor.
When asked about his casting decisions, the filmmaker gave credit to the project’s casting director Christi Soper. “Sometimes I think casting directors don't get enough credit,” he said. “This is something I’m no good at, and Christi is a genius,” he added. Sanders further elaborated on how Soper started the casting process.
Sanders makes sure that whatever he has written comes across in a way that would be descriptive of the character and its requirements. Based on her observations, Soper would come up with suggestions.
“She understands the characters and then matches them to the actors and their voices. So full credit to her,” he added. Fortunately, their first casting choice for each of the characters said yes.
Sanders shared another tidbit about the process, revealing that they find “bits and pieces of dialogues” from their earlier works and place them against the character design. “Not so much to know if the voice is correct it’s more to make sure our character design is appropriate for that voice,” the filmmaker explained.
The Wild Robot is about an intelligent robot named Roz who finds himself stuck on a deserted land after a shipwreck. “To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose,” says the official synopsis. Described as a family adventure, the film will likely be an emotional rollercoaster about a computerized robot discovering new feelings.
The Wild Robot will hit the theaters on October 18 and later stream on Netflix.
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