54. DreamWorks The Wild Robot with Writer & Director Chris Sanders Artwork

Creators Society Animation Podcast

Join host Michael Wakelam of the Creators Society as he interviews animation industry icons and innovators from companies such as Pixar, DreamWorks, Disney, Netflix, Sony, and many more! Tune in to hear from top executives, animators, writers, and producers, their inspiring career journeys, and the projects they are working on next!Michael Wakelam is an animator, writer, director, and the founder of Anthem Studios. Michael develops original children's media content and live-action screenplays from his studio in London. The Creators Society is a professional society for all disciplines of the animation industry. Our mission is to bring the animation community together to build strong relationships, provide education, and form a better understanding of the different roles we all play in creating stories. We celebrate and promote the love of animation, and all the talented Creators who breathe life and imagination into their work.

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Creators Society Animation Podcast

54. DreamWorks The Wild Robot with Writer & Director Chris Sanders

October 05, 2024 • Season 4

The Wild Robot is here - a film I and a lot of the industry have been looking forward to getting their eyes on since we first saw the teaser.

Most of the major animated feature hits of late have been sequels and spin-offs, so when I got a glimpse of The Wild Robot from DreamWorks, I was very excited. First of all, I love robots of course. But there is something about the fish-out-of-water scenario of putting a robot into the wilderness that is immediately striking. Even the name of the film depicts so much and immediately you want answers to some questions that pop into your head.

And no, it's technically not an original because it's based on existing IP, a book - but it feels fresh and new - and Dreamworks seems to do that a lot with book source material. Not only does it feel fresh visually - and stunning - but I was really curious about the process of adapting the source material. So in this chat with Director Chris Sanders, we talk about that in detail, as well as many other things.

Just to let you know, there are some spoilers in this one - nothing devastating, but also because of the breakdown in the story and writing process, this one is best listened to after you've seen the movie. If you're a writer, I'd also recommend reading the book so you can better see the adaptation process.

Chris was super generous with his time, and we got to cover a lot of things, so I hope you enjoy it.

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