An upcoming film from DreamWorks Animation starring actor Mark Hamill has him reminiscing about another movie — from a galaxy far, far away.
The focus of a San Diego Comic-Con panel over the weekend, director Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot follows the misadventures of a robot known as Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) learning to connect with animals after getting shipwrecked on a remote island. Hamill voices the character of Thorn, a ferocious grizzly bear. He first came to learn of The Wild Robot after reading the New York Times best-selling children’s book by Peter Brown, which captivated young readers in 2016 with its touching story and beautiful illustrations.
“I thought, ‘If they could capture just a small percentage of the effect of this book,'” Hamill told the crowd about the film that hits theaters Sept. 20. “And I have to tell you, they did a fantastic job.”
The actor — who was joined onstage by Nyong’o, Sanders and fellow voice actor Kit Connor — said that the project reminded him of his first feelings about the 1977 movie Star Wars, in which he originated the iconic role of Luke Skywalker.
“You just have to see it,” Hamill said of The Wild Robot. “It reminds me of back in the day when I was trying to describe Star Wars to people who hadn’t seen it. It’s sumptuous. It’s emotional. It works on so many levels. The kids will love it. The whole family will love it.”
Alongside Hamill, the ensemble voice cast includes Nyong’o, Connor, Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu and Catherine O’Hara.
During a panel for The Wild Robot held last month at the Annecy Animation Festival in France, Sanders presented an assortment of footage and earned a rousing standing ovation. At that time, Sanders said he hoped the film would convey “analog warmth and soul.”
