There were five of us in the studio with Kris Bowers During this recording of Variation Behind the songAnd when he stopped taking us through “I could use a boost”, it was not a dry eye in the room. It was proof of the emotional impact of his point – one that reasoned just as deeply with the audience all over the world.
Dreamworks’ ”The wild robot“Became a generally acclaimed success, largely thanks to its emotional story and a powerful point that left a lasting impression on the audience. “I could use a boost” emphasizes one of the film’s most gripping moments and captures the deep feelings of love, loss and growth. Given his first attitude to the film’s sound, Bowers shared how personal the project became for him. “My daughter was six months old when I got the call (to make this movie), and so I read the book on a weekend, mostly to her.” The themes for parental love and release reasoned with Bowers and shaped their musical direction from the beginning.
When it came to composing, Bower’s moments in the film sought a visceral emotional reaction. “This (scene) is the one who just spoke to me emotionally very clearly directly,” he explained. “The sequence feels like sending your child to college.”
Bower’s composition process involved improvisation at piano and channeled their own feelings of parenting. “I thought about how I will fail (my daughter) and how it will be moments where she feels like even though I tried my best, I got short,” he shared. These reflections were translated into the tender of the film, yet heartfelt points. Director Chris Sanders emphasized the emotional weight of the moments and called it “the most emotionally complex moment in the film.” The scene captures Roz who prepares Brightbill for life on his own, a departure filled with unspoken love and goodbye.
Originally, wrote to black and white storyboards, Bowers later took Sanders advice to compose independently. “Chris actually suggested that I write away from the picture,” he noted. “It doesn’t really happen ever, and it felt very liberating.”
Bowers explained that the arrangement is “mostly living instrumentation, over a hundred pieces in total when you add the choir.” The choir, a rare but powerful presence in the points, was also strategically used. “I wanted to try to be as intentional as possible when we use the voice,” Bowers explained. “If we comment that this robot becomes more human similar, then it should be a structure that we hear something that is used very sparingly.” The decision to keep the choir wordlessly is added to the feeling of the emotions and avoiding some geographical or linguistic ties.
The emotional power of the points met for Bowers when he shared it with his wife and daughter. “My wife started crying and watching it. And then my daughter asked: ‘Why are you crying? Is it because the baby bird left mom? ‘”At that moment, Bowers felt the importance of the impact of music and realized how deeply it reasoned not only with him, but with those he loved the most.
In the end, “I could use a boost” out as an orchestra masterpiece that captures the core theme for “The Wild Robot.” As the scene’s final sequence develops, Bower’s melodies and rhythms prepare, which creates a swelling, heartbreaking conclusion. “The melody begins to double,” he described and reinforced the feeling of time to slip away. It is a deeply known, beautifully designed piece that ensures that the audience experienced the same emotional journey as Roz and Brightbill – one of love, farewell and inevitable change.
