'A simple film with a lot of heart': The secret of Robot Dreams' success

A film brought to life through simple strokes, a romantic touch, and a lot of heart. That is the secret behind the success of Robot Dreams. 

Basque director Pablo Berger's first animated feature has already gained prestigious international recognition, picking up gongs at the Annie Awards and European Film Awards. At this Sunday's Academy Awards, the Catalan production hopes to add another one –  the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.  

When illustrator Daniel Fernández Casas was offered the opportunity to work on Robot Dreams, his first impression was that it was "very simple, with a romantic touch that reminded him of childhood."  

This was both a "challenge" and a "release," the film's lead character designer told the Catalan News Agency (ACN), because it was totally different to projects he had worked on before, like The Secret Life of Pets, Klaus, and the Minions saga. 

"It's a humble, unpretentious project that takes its time to tell a story," he says. 

A lot from a little

Work to bring the characters to life began by creating a library of all sorts of animals in various scales and sizes, based on the original comic by American graphic novelist Sarah Varon. 

"The characters' movements and attitudes are very well defined. With minimal expression, a lot is communicated," Fernández Casas says. 

The film could be viewed as overly "plain and simple," he admits, but in reality "has substance, spirit and is able to convey the feelings of the characters."  

The secret, he says, is the original story – "complex and simple at the same time. We need simple stories," he says.

Dog and Robot, two ways of seeing the world 

The two protagonists - Robot and Dog - represent two different ways of seeing the world. Robot is "innocent", like a "small child eager to discover new things," while Dog is a character who has "lived, who has more experience." 

Both, however, have "very pure and human" ingredients, a fact that makes the relationship between them "very special" and one that can be understood in "many ways," the artist says. 

"They could be a couple, or at the beginning like parent and child, or two friends, one younger and one older." 

"Everyone can identify with it," he adds. 

Reaction

The film's lead character designer admits that the reaction to the film, picking up prizes around the world, was unexpected. 

"I didn't expect it. In fact, and I confess this, I enjoyed it a lot, but I thought it was too simple." 

After witnessing the movie's reception and reflecting again "calmly," he realized that "it is one of the jobs that I worked on that I like the most." 

"I am proud of it, frankly." 

Love letter to New York

Robot Dreams follows the story of Dog and his robot companion. It is set in 1980s New York City and is a "love letter" to the place director Berger called home for ten years.  

The script of the film – a story about friendship, its importance, and its fragility – was written by the director and is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by American artist Sara Varon. 

Since it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Robot Dreams has won multiple awards, including the Contrechamp Grand Prix at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, and prizes at Spain's Goya Awards and Catalonia's Gaudí Awards. Its Spanish premiere came at Sitges Film Festival, where it won the Grand People's Choice Award. It also won the Special Jury Prize at the Animation is Film Festival in Los Angeles. 

The film was produced by Barcelona-based Arcadia Motion Pictures.