Colorado director’s “The Wild Robot” just became one of the most nominated movies in Golden Globes history
Colorado Springs-born Chris Sanders also has a "Lilo and Stitch" live-action movie in the works.
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“The Wild Robot” has just become one of the most-nominated animated films in Golden Globes history, following this morning’s reveal for the 82nd annual awards.
The DreamWorks Animation and Universal release, which hit theaters on Sept. 27, won universal acclaim for its sensitive characters, painterly design and humanistic themes. It’s another high point in the career of Colorado-born director Chris Sanders, known for a string of animated hits such as “Lilo and Stitch” (more on that below), “The Croods,” and “How to Train Your Dragon.”
Related: “The Wild Robot” finds inspiration in director’s Colorado childhood
The only other animated films to get as many Golden Globes nominations are “Beauty and the Beast,” with four, and “Aladdin,” which got 6, but those were both before the category was added in 2007. (And many were for the songs.)
“I wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the members of the Golden Globes, a group of people from all over the world, for their recognition of this story of a lost robot whose relentless kindness and compassion changes everything,” Sanders wrote in a statement provided to The Denver Post. “Your four nominations for our film … mean so very much to everyone who lent their precious talents and time to a movie that struck out into uncharted territory.”
“The Wild Robot” was nominated for Best Motion Picture — Animated; Best Original Score; Best Orginal Song; and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, a newer award category.
Adapted from Peter Brown’s 2016 book, the film features an all-star cast of Oscar winners and nominees including the voices of Lupita Nyong’o (as the titular robot), Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, and Ving Rhames. (Note: expect to see an Oscar nom for this film, too).
“When I got into the book and the journey of the story, I realized these were really fresh characters I could attach myself to,” Sanders told The Denver Post in September. “I got inside them immediately and understood their relationships are more subtle and intricate and felt more real than they would in a fairytale.
“I’ve worked on those before, and am proud of those projects,” he continued. “But as fanciful as the (‘The Wild Robot’s’) plot is, this felt like it was really happening because the relationships are believable.”
Audiences seemed to agree, with the film winning its opening weekend and earning a so-far impressive $322 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. As its first huge awards test, the Golden Globes telecast is scheduled to air Jan. 5, 2025, live on CBS and the Paramount+ streaming platform.
Sanders is also gearing up for the live-action debut of his “Lilo and Stitch” characters. The Disney hand-drawn favorite, first released in 2002, is based on the mischievous Stitch character Sanders created in 1985 and has voiced ever since. While he’s not directing this outing, which is scheduled to drop in May 2025, he will be voicing Stitch once again.
Despite its record number of nominations, “The Wild Robot” is up against some tough competition at the Golden Globes, with critical darlings “Flow,” “Memoir of a Snail,” and “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” joined by Disney mega-blockbuster/sequel “Inside Out 2” and the just-released “Moana 2.”
