DreamWorks Animators share behind-the-scenes stories of 'The Wild Robot'

DreamWorks Animation's 'The Wild Robot' premieres in Korea on Oct. 1, showcasing a heartfelt story of a robot guardian. The film marks the studio's 30th anniversary and features significant contributions from Korean artists.

A still from animated film ″The Wild Robot″ [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

Marking DreamWorks Animation's 30th anniversary, “The Wild Robot” is set to hit Korean theaters on Oct. 1, and its Korean creators showed massive confidence in the film, admitting that they shed tears every time they watched it.

“I think I saw the film about 20 times, but I shed tears at different points every time I watched it,” said Huh Hyun, the head of modeling who oversaw the design of the film’s main character, Roz. “’The Wild Robot’ is one of my best works.”

Digimatte Artist Park He-jung, who worked on the backgrounds, also cried during the film's first screening, during which only a rough cut was shown. It was the first time she'd ever cried while watching a rough cut, the artist said.

Directed by Chris Sanders, behind DreamWorks Animation's “How To Train Your Dragon” (2010), the film is an adaptation of Peter Brown’s book of the same name. It follows the journey of robot Rozzum — Roz, for short — who gets stranded on an uninhabited island after a shipwreck and becomes the guardian of an orphaned goose named Brightbill.

Numerous Koreans participated in the upcoming film. Two of them, Huh and Park, discussed their behind-the-scenes experience with reporters in a video interview on Friday.

Korean animators of Dreamworks Animation's film "The Wild Robot," from left, Huh Hyun, the head of modeling, and Park He-jung, the film's digimatte artist [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

“The Wild Robot” is DreamWorks Animation's first film with a robot as the main character, and that meant that Sanders and Brown had a number of demands.

“The baseline was that the robot should have the fundamental structure of a human being but shouldn’t be too human, meaning it should look like a robot even when seen far away,” Huh said. Sanders and Brown requested “a robot whose entire body could transform into a multifunctional tool, like a Swiss army knife or a gadget arm, while having an innocent and kind-looking figure” as well as one that could “adapt to a human environment and collaborate with humans, functioning like an artificial intelligence.”

Based on those prerequisites, Huh said he worked hard to create a character that would exude warmth rather than coldness. To do so, he used a lot of curves.

A still from animated film ″The Wild Robot″ [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

A still from animated film ″The Wild Robot″ [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

“I incorporated circles, as circles overall embed a warm feeling. I also wanted to maintain a simple aesthetic using the most basic shape, the circle, making the design recognizable even from a distance, like how Shrek or Mickey Mouse can be noticed just by their outlines.”

The minute he presented his design, Huh said, Sanders knew it was the one. “There was a minute's silence, so I thought it had gone wrong. But then the director said, 'You did it' and told people to stop making more designs.”

Huh was the first Korean citizen ever hired DreamWorks and has worked there longer than 20 years, having joined in 2003. Its atmosphere, he said, has kept him in the United States longer than he expected it would.

A still from animated film ″The Wild Robot″ [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

“DreamWorks Animation really cares about its people and I appreciate the feeling that it doesn’t treat its people as tools,” Huh said.

Park agreed, adding that “the film resonates with DreamWorks Animation itself.”

Park explained that she'd worked hard to make the film's backgrounds look two-dimensional, even though they were created in 3-D, in order to create a picturesque atmosphere.

A still from animated film ″The Wild Robot″ [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

The digimatte artist encouraged viewers to look out for Roz's eyes. “The only factor that shows Roz’s emotion is its eyes,” Park explained, encouraging audiences to “closely follow the subtle emotions felt in its eyes.”

“I strongly insist people see the film on a big screen,” she added.

Both animators encouraged families, regardless of age, to watch the movie.

“I think a film that suits the 30th anniversary of DreamWorks Animation has come out,” Park said.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]