'Dreams sometimes come true, and going to the Oscars was mine', says 'Robot Dreams' director

"And the Oscar goes to... Robot Dreams!" Pablo Berger imagines out loud after landing in Los Angeles, California.

Berger's 'Robot Dreams' is in contention for Best Animated Feature, and the filmmaker says that reaching the Oscars was a dream of his. "Sometimes, dreams do come true," he tells the Catalan News Agency.

The director's debut feature is up against blockbusters with multi million-dollar budgets, but the optimism he used to pull off a major project five years ago has now turned him into a hopeful to pick up the prize in Sunday's gala.

Among the competitors, Pixar's 'Elemental' stands out with a budget of €184.9 million and 'Spider-Man: Crossing the Multiverse' with €138.7 million, while 'Robot Dreams' has a budget of only €6 million.

"Everyone knows how the story of David against Goliath ended. I can see the statuette, it would be exciting to bring the Oscar home," he says.

In Los Angeles, at the gates of the annual film academy ceremony, the director of 'Snow White' and 'Torremolinos 73' is calm and hopeful when speaking about his chances, knowing 'Robot Dreams' is competing against the odds.

"The viewers' empathy towards the protagonists is what has made Robot and Dog in Los Angeles, they have gone down well with American audiences," he says.

For days he says that he has been practicing, half jokingly, his speech in the shower, and he is clear who he will be thanking: "There are hundreds of names. Without them, the film would not have been possible".

According to the director, the key to the success of this love story between a robot and a dog lies in the fact that it takes on universal themes such as loneliness, the fragility of relationships, and overcoming loss through memory.

"These are topics that any viewer of any age from anywhere in the world can understand," he explains, adding that he has received "wonderful" comments from American academics who have "laughed and cried" in equal measure with the film. 

From the beginning of the project, Berger had a Cannes opening and an Oscars finish in his sights. "Directors always see light at the end of the tunnel, our role is to fight against the adversities of the day while shooting, or in an animation production like 'Robot Dreams'."

"Dreams sometimes come true, this time it was not Robot's but Berger's," he says.