Lupita Nyong’o brings her outsider experience to “The Wild Robot”

Fictional films often pit machines against nature, but Lupita Nyong’o says DreamWorks’ new animated film “The Wild Robot” will show viewers that you don’t have to choose one or the other to survive.

“I think what makes ‘The Wild Robot’ a compelling story is that we’re witnessing this robot adapting to the natural world,” she said in a video interview. “And we’re witnessing the natural world adapting to a robot.”

“The Wild Robot” is based on the popular picture book series of the same name by New York Times bestselling author Peter Brown.

Nyong’o voices Roz, a task-oriented robot from a futuristic world who becomes stranded on a remote island inhabited by wild animals.

Born in Mexico to Kenyan parents, Nyong’o said she has a close bond with Roz because she can easily identify with her situation as an outsider.

“Even though I was born there, I felt very foreign,” she said of her years in Mexico. “What I’m most proud of is that I was able to adapt to my new surroundings. But I stayed true to myself and held on to my essence.”

And when she reflects on her experience in Mexico, Nyong’o says that even as a foreigner, you can grow. Although learning Spanish was hard,, Nyong’o described it as “the most fulfilling thing to broaden my horizons in this way and be able to have conversations in Spanish.”

She lived there “during a very formative period” of her life. And through adjusting, she explained, it now feels very much a part of her DNA.

Likewise, the robot Roz finds herself in a new place that she does not understand until she develops a relationship with her surroundings.

“You have to adapt to find a sense of belonging and ease,” she said.

Roz eventually adapts to the conditions on the island, befriends the animals and begins to care for an orphaned gosling, whom she names Brightbill (voice: Kit Connor).

Some viewers may compare Roz to Rosie – the cheeky domestic robot from the 1960s and 1980s space cartoon The Jetsons. But the two show very different snapshots of the future. Rosie’s classic retro design shows a domestic robot – a round and bulky metallic blue body with a domed head and big red eyes. Roz, on the other hand, has a simple and practical design with a large round torso made of smooth, hard metal and long arms and legs.

But while Rosie’s personality is already developed and pre-installed, Roz undergoes a major transformation, from an emotionless and logical robot to a compassionate, caring and confident human being.

This fundamental difference in behavior is one of the core themes of the story.

“At its core, the film is a celebration of the power of kindness,” Nyong’o said.

And this kindness, she thought, can come from looking at a strange place with new eyes.

“Perhaps,” she said, “one of the advantages of being a foreigner in a new country is that you are just far enough away to be able to offer a new perspective.”