Pablo Berger’s film, based on the graphic novel by Sarah Varon and inspired by Buster Keaton and early 20th-century Hollywood films, chronicles the adventures and misfortunes of Dog and Robot in NYC during the '80s; J.A. Bayona’s film tells the harrowing tale of the tragic 1972 Uruguayan Air Andes mountain plane crash.
Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams took home the award for ‘Best Euopean Animated Feature Film’ at this past Saturday’s European Film Awards. The film faced stiff competition from the equally deserving A Greyhound of a Girl, directed by Enzo d’Alò; Chicken for Linda!, directed by Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach; The Amazing Maurice, directed by Toby Genkel; and White Plastic Sky, directed by Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó.
Félix Bergés and Laura Pedro took home the award for Best European Visual Effects for their work on Society of the Snow, director J.A. Bayona’s harrowing tale of the 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crash in the Andes mountains, where only 29 of the 45 passengers survived the accident and spent 72 days stranded in the harsh, frozen terrain. Ana López-Puigcerver, Belén López-Puigcerver, David Martí, and Montse Ribé took home the award for Best European Make-up & Hair for their work on the film.
Robot Dreams is set in New York City, sometime in the 1980s. In the film, a lonely dog spots a TV ad selling a robot companion and immediately orders it. After putting the robot together, the pooch and his new bud head out and explore the city, encountering life, music, companionship, and joy that had been missing from the dog’s life until then.
During a pleasant visit to Coney Island, Robot dries up, becomes paralyzed, and gets stuck on the beach. Dog is forced to leave Robot there until the beach re-opens in the summer. As the seasons pass, Dog tries to find new friends, while Robot can lie on the beach with his dreams. Will the friends ever find each other again?
Based on the graphic novel by Sarah Varon, Robot Dreams is beautiful yet eschews excessive chatter, relying more on facial expressions and rhythm. Inspired by Buster Keaton and early 20th-century Hollywood films, the film is a gentle, playful, loving, and refreshingly non-sarcastic take on friendship. It’s a story we all need.
Robot Dreams was previously awarded The Special Jury Prize during the 6th edition of Animation is Film (AiF), which ran October 18-22 in Hollywood, as well as the Contrechamp Grand Prix at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Mifa.
Source: European Film Awards
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