The Wild Robot: Meet the Voice Actors

The Wild Robot is an upcoming animated film by DreamWorks Animation, based on the book series (of the same name) by Peter Brown. The film is set to be released on 18^th October in the UK and is high up on our must-watch list this Autumn.

In this epic adventure, a robot named ROZZUM Unit 7134, or “Roz” for short, finds herself shipwrecked on an abandoned island. The film follows the journey of Roz gradually building relationships with the local wildlife, and taking on the role of the adoptive parent to an orphaned gosling named “Brightbill”.

The cast of The Wild Robot is star-studded, to say the least. We’ve had a look into the voices behind the characters, and some notable works that you’ll be sure to recognise them from.

‘ROZZUM Unit 7134 (Roz)’ – Lupita Nyong’o

ROZZUM Unit 7134, otherwise known as ‘Roz’, is voiced by Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o.

“You have to convey everything through your voice. So there are some challenging limitations, but it was also kind of liberating. You can do whatever you want in the booth. You can move your body however you want to get the effect you’re looking for in your voice.”

–Lupita Nyong’o, interview DEN OF GEEK magazine

Nyong’o is best known for her acting roles in 12 Years A Slave (for which she won an Academy Award!) Black Panther, and Us. However, she is no stranger to working within the voice over industry; having previously lent her voice to characters such as Raksha in The Jungle Book and Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

‘Fink’ – Pedro Pascal

Fink is a sly fox that inhabits the island in which Roz is shipwrecked and is voiced by the one and only, Pedro Pascal.

Pascal rose to fame after acting in a series of hugely popular TV shows such as; Narcos (fun fact: Matinée produced the voice over for the video game version of Narcos), Game of Thrones, and The Last Of Us, which is definitely one to watch if you haven’t already!. Pascal is especially well known for his portrayal of antiheroic father figure-type roles, so it will be interesting to see how he takes on the role of Fink!

Much like Nyong’o, Pascal has also taken part in his fair share of voice over work over the years, such as the animated series The Mandalorian, and the video game Dishonoured 2.

‘Brightbill’ – Kit Connor

Brightbill is an orphaned runt goose, who Roz takes on as her own within the film. The voice behind Brightbill is that of Kit Connor, an English actor, who has been working within the acting industry since the age of 8!

He landed his first major acting role back in 2019, portraying a teenage Elton John in Rocketman. Since then, he has become very well known for his lead role of Nick Nelson in the LGBTQ+ Netflix series, Heartstopper.

Connor has previously taken part in voicing an animated mouse named Pantalaimon, for the HBO/BBC TV series, His Dark Materials.

‘Pinktail’ – Catherine O’Hara

Hollywood superstar Catherine O’Hara voices the character of Pinktail, a mother opossum – who plays a vital part in helping Roz raise Brightbill as her adoptive son in the film.

Catherine O’Hara started working in the film and television industry in the 1970’s and has not looked back since. She has landed roles in huge movies over the course of her career, such as Beetlejuice, Home Alone, After Hours, and A Series Of Unfortunate Events.

O’Hara has worked as a voice artist for a lot of animated films throughout her career, some of her best-known work has been for; The Nightmare Before Christmas, Chicken Little, Over The Hedge, Frankenweenie, and The Addams Family.

‘Longneck’ – Bill Nighy

Bill Nighy is the voice behind Longneck, a wise older goose.

Nighy has been in the industry for decades, best known for his acting roles in big blockbusters such as; Love Actually, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Emma, and The Beautiful Game, to name a few.

Nighy has had a huge amount of experience within the voice acting sector throughout his career. Previously, he has voiced characters within Flushed Away, Rango, The Magic Roundabout, G-Force, Detective Pikachu, and Arthur Christmas. What a filmography!  

‘Thorn’ – Mark Hamill

Just when you think the cast could not get any more legendary; the incredible Mark Hamill is the voice behind Thorn, the grizzly bear.

Hamill is best known for his iconic role of Luke Skywalker within the Star Wars franchise and became a huge Hollywood name off the back of his work within these films. However, when approached to take part in The Wild Robot, Hamill couldn’t resist after reading the original novel by Peter Brown.

“I was just knocked out. I thought if they can capture just a small percentage of this effect of this book… I have to tell you, they just did a fantastic job.”

–Mark Hamill, interview with Variety magazine

Hamill is the most experienced within the voice acting industry among the cast, as he has been recording his voice for projects since the 1970s! He has the amazing ability to change the way his voice sounds for roles, sometimes to the point of being completely unrecognisable – earning him the title of one of the ‘most popular voice actors in the industry’.

Are you in need of a voice over for your animated content? We’re here to help.

Here at Matinée Multilingual, we have a vast database of talented voice artists who specialise in everything from explainer videos to interactive toys. Whichever language you require a voice over in (we offer over 80!), and whatever your next project is, let us help you bring it to life with our expert voice over services. 

We’ll help you connect and engage with your audience with the perfect voice over, all the way from offering a selection of hand-picked voice demos, to recording and editing the final audio file. 

Why not get in touch with us today and find out more about how we can help you? 

Call us on +44 (0) 118 958 4934 

Or email project@matinee.co.uk