DreamWorks Reveals The Wild Robot 2 Title, New Director, and Everything We Know So Far
DreamWorks powers up The Wild Robot 2 with a fresh title, a new director, and more, building on the 2024 Chris Sanders film from DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures based on Peter Brown’s novel and featuring Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the wild robot.
The Wild Robot sequel finally has a real pulse, and it comes with a title, a new director, and a bit of a creative shuffle. If you were waiting to hear what happens to Roz after the first film, this is the update you wanted.
New title, new leadership
The sequel is officially called The Wild Robot Escapes, matching the second book in Peter Brown's series. Chris Sanders, who wrote and directed the first movie, is handing off the director's chair this time. He is still writing the screenplay.
Troy Quane will direct, with Heidi Jo Gilbert on as co-director. Jeff Hermann is back to produce.
For context: the sequel was first announced back in October 2024, and then things went quiet. Now we know who is steering it and what they are calling it.
Who is Troy Quane?
Quane has bounced around animation and story departments for years and has helmed a couple of crowd-pleasers. A quick snapshot of his track record:
- Co-director: Spies in Disguise (2019), Nimona (2023) with Nick Bruno
- Director: The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol (2011)
- Animator: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999), Titan A.E. (2000), Osmosis Jones (2001), Eight Crazy Nights (2002), Curious George (2006)
- Storyboard artist: The Wild (2006), Enchanted (2007), 9 (2009), Arthur Christmas (2011), Hotel Transylvania (2012), Ferdinand (2017)
In short: he knows his way around mainstream animation and family adventure, which fits Roz's world pretty cleanly.
What story are we getting?
The first film, released in U.S. theaters in 2024 by DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures, adapted Peter Brown's 2016 novel and featured Lupita Nyong'o as Roz, the titular wild robot. The sequel pulls from Brown's second book, which pivots from island survival to the challenges of the human world. Or, as the official book description puts it:
'Shipwrecked on a remote, wild island, Robot Roz learned from the unwelcoming animal inhabitants and adapted to her surroundings - but can she survive the challenges of the civilized world and find her way home to Brightbill and the island?'
That shift should give the movie a different texture than the first one: less fern and tidepool, more fences and consequences.
Timing and where to watch the first film
The Wild Robot Escapes does not have a release date yet. If you want to catch up or rewatch, The Wild Robot is currently streaming on Netflix.