There’s a lot of talent behind DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming film wild robotincluding writer-director Chris Sanders (“Lilo and Stitch”, “How to Train Your Dragon”) Starring Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal. But one of the supporting characters was voiced by an actor of particular interest to San Diego Comic-Con goers, who were excited to see Star Wars The legendary Mark Hamill was a surprise addition to the film’s panel.
Of course, Hamill is also a legendary voice actor in addition to his work in A Galaxy Far Far Away (as well as other projects like Mike Flanagan’s Netflix horror series) The Fall of the House of Usher). He brings his vast experience to bear as the voice of Grizzly Thorne in this animated film adaptation of Peter Brown’s graphic novel. But he explained what drew him to the project in the first place.
“When they asked me to consider getting involved [with The Wild Robot], the first thing I did was order the book, and I was blown away,” Hamill said. “I thought, if they could capture even a fraction of the effectiveness of the book – I have to tell you, they did a fantastic job. When I went in for the audio session, they had the recording. I thought, well, that’s the best. One of the things is to read the book and they retain that.
“But it just – you have to see it,” he said. “I feel like I’m going back in time when I try to describe Star Wars No one has seen it. [The Wild Robot] It’s emotional, it works on so many levels. Kids will love it, but everyone will love it. Remember when I was little, my children [I’d] Take them to see these movies [like] Garbage Pail Kids Movie, [and you had to] reserve your opinion [because the kids are] Enjoy it. [But] This is a product the whole family will love.
When it came to voicing Thorne, Hamill explained, “We always had to take a step back and say, what is my role in the movie, to make everything work? What is my role in the book and the movie?” The aspect is, all these different animals are put into situations where they have to restrain themselves. Obviously, bears are predators, but they have to work for the greater good, so they live in peace with the animal, which is often their dinner.
Thorne is just one of the creatures the robot Roz (voiced by Nyong’o) encounters when she is accidentally stranded on an island filled with wilderness unlike anything she has ever encountered. This is a family story full of science fiction elements. It’s also a story about Pascal voicing a sly fox. The rest of the voice cast includes Catherine O’Hara as Possum, Bill Nighy as Goose, Kit Connor as Goose, Stephanie Hsu ) plays the robot antagonist, and Matt Berry plays the beaver. Ving Rhames is also in the cast.
wild robot Releases September 27th.
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