Mark Hamill made a thrilling impromptu appearance at the "The Wild Robot" panel on a bustling Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con, joining forces with director Chris Sanders and the film's esteemed voice cast—Lupita Nyong'o and Kit Connor—to delve into DreamWorks Animation's upcoming masterpiece. Hamill, lending his voice to the formidable grizzly bear, Thorn, recounted his initial invitation to the project, sharing that he dived straight into Peter Brown's novel upon which the film is beautifully crafted. "I was utterly captivated," he exclaimed. "I thought, if they could but capture a fraction of the magic from this book... well, let me tell you, they've surpassed all expectations with flying colors."
"The Wild Robot" embarks on an extraordinary journey with Roz, a super-intelligent android voiced by the enchanting Nyong'o, who discovers a fresh sense of purpose on a desolate island, where she coexists with the island's wild inhabitants and nurtures an abandoned duckling named Brightbill, brought to life by the charming Kit Connor.
The panel unveiled three breathtaking snippets from the film, painting vivid pictures of Roz's dramatic crash landing on the secluded shore, her gradual yet profound interactions with the island's animal kingdom, and the heartrending reason that compels her to embrace the role of Brightbill's mother.
One scene, particularly intense, showcases Roz confronting the RECOS—reconnaissance robots, the film's formidable foes, dispatched to reclaim her. "You are defective," a menacing RECOS declares. "I feel fine," Roz replies with resilience, only to be told, "You should not feel anything at all." This exchange encapsulates the film's intricate blend of adventure, emotion, and the profound bond between the unlikeliest of companions.
In a thrilling sequence, Roz finds herself in a breathless pursuit by a formidable bear, ultimately plummeting off a sheer cliffside. As she surveys the aftermath, her gaze settles on the devastation—a tree toppled, and within its grasp, a fallen mother goose. In a poignant moment echoing the pages of a tale, Roz realizes she's inadvertently ended the life of a mother, leaving behind a solitary, unhatched egg—destined to become Brightbill.
"What endears Roz to me is her adult facade masking a childlike innocence," Nyong'o muses. "She embarks on a journey of moral and ethical discovery, learning from the very creatures she encounters." The actress elaborates, revealing that Roz, drawing wisdom from nature's creatures, chooses secrecy over revelation concerning Brightbill's mother's fate, instead embracing the role of a surrogate mother with tenderness.
Turning to the realm of animated motherhood, Sanders, with a wry smile, divulges a behind-the-scenes nugget from his work on the iconic 1992 film "Aladdin." As a multi-faceted creative, he was instrumental in shaping the film's narrative and characters, including an early iteration of Aladdin that featured a prominent mother figure. "In those nascent stages of 'Aladdin,' our hero had a mother, a live-in mom, who played a significant role in the story," Sanders reminisces. "But as we delved deeper, I began to comprehend the subtle reasons why mothers are often absent from these fantastical tales. For instance, a responsible mother would never condone her son's reckless endeavors, like sneaking off to pilfer market goods. She'd be the voice of reason, stifling adventure before it even began."
The Comic-Con panel concluded with a hilarious sneak peek, showcasing a comical 'swim test' gone awry for Brightbill, hilariously launched down a hillside by Pedro Pascal's mischievous fox, Fink. Rounding out the star-studded cast, Catherine O'Hara lends her voice to Pinktail, while Matt Berry brings Paddler to life, further enriching "The Wild Robot's" enchanting narrative set to captivate audiences on September 27.
