Interview With ‘The Wild Robot’s Chris Sanders, Jakob Hjort Jensen, Heidi Jo Gilbert, And Raymond Zibach

At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Dreamworks Animation’s The Wild Robot was among the most anticipated sneak peeks, and audiences who attended the event were well rewarded with emotionally resonant footage from the film. Written and directed by the three-time Oscar-nominated Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon), Wild Robot also marks his first animation directorial effort in over a decade.

Cartoon Brew sat down with Sanders in Annecy, where he gave inside details on the production of the upcoming film, set to release in the U.S. on September 27. Joining him in the chat are Wild Robot’s head of character animation Jakob Hjort Jensen, head of story Heidi Jo Gilbert, and production designer Raymond Zibach.

Sanders and crew spent time discussing the creative process behind uncovering the personality of Roz the robot, as well as the stylistic choices made in the film and how those choices work in service of the story. Watch the interview below with Cole Delaney: