COVER STORY

A Friendship for the ages

‘RON’S GONE WRONG’ IS SURE TO CONNECT WITH AUDIENCES

By Heather Turk

For the past five years, English filmmaker Sarah Smith (“Arthur Christmas”) has been working hard on Locksmith Animation’s first feature film, “Ron’s Gone Wrong.” The hilarious and heartwarming tale of a socially awkward middle schooler named Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer, “Luca”) and his malfunctioning robot, Ron (voiced by Zach Galifianakis, “The Hangover”), the movie hits theaters on Oct. 22. Sunseeker caught up with Smith, who not only co-founded Locksmith Animation, but also executive produced, wrote and directed “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” to talk about the film and its important message.

Where did the idea for the story come from?

The idea first stirred when I watched the Spike Jonze film, “Her.” I just thought we [Smith and her longtime friend Peter Caynham, who co-wrote “Ron’s Gone Wrong” with her] had to make a film like that for kids. I was very aware of my 4-year-old entering the world of iPads, etc., and not having any awareness of the bigger world, agenda or voices behind what she was watching. Pete and I both had the experience of seeing our kids grapple with friendship issues — that feeling we’ve all had as a kid, and adult, that everyone else at the party has friends to talk to except you. That pressure becomes so much more complicated when you add social media. Suddenly, you have this brilliant tool for meeting people you have things in common with, yet you end up worrying even more about being on the outside. So, we wanted to find a way to show, basically, an animated iPad that is sold as “your best friend out of the box,” and the B*Bot was born!

What makes “Ron’s Gone Wrong” such a great back-to-school movie for kids to enjoy?

One of the key images in the movie is Barney standing on the edge of the schoolyard, staring out at every other kid who appears to him confident and socially sorted (because they all have B*Bots). I think every kid has that experience at some point. But Ron changes all that for Barney because he teaches him he’s worthy of friendship and shows him that all the others are going through the same stuff.

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It’s also just a heap of fun. It shows what happens when the socially awkward kid brings this crazy, unafraid, broken bot to school that just wants to rush around making friends with everyone. Without giving away too much, Ron triggers a huge chaotic bit of mad hilarity in the school in which every rule is broken — it’s every kid’s wish fulfilment!

The movie has a great cast. What did the main actors bring to their respective roles?

Jack is one of the most versatile voice actors I’ve ever worked with. He gives six different versions of every line, and he can make you cry in a heartbeat. Zach, meanwhile, is a comedy genius who totally got the helpful deadpan of Ron with just a hint of cheek! Ed Helms is a brilliant improviser. He’s so warm as Barney’s dad but also gave us reams of hilarious additional material and alternative lines that make his character so alive and real. Then there was Olivia Colman, dancing up and down to Bulgarian songs. They were such a lovely, generous cast to work with.

Were you at all awkward in middle school like Barney? If so, would you have loved to have had something like a B*Bot by your side?

Wasn’t everyone? It’s a nightmare of selfconsciousness! A B*Bot would have been awesome — a brilliant alternative to having to be funny and charismatic to other kids!

If you had one electronic device you’d consider “your best friend out of the box” today, what would it be?

Gotta be my iPhone — is it possible to live without them?

What message do you hope viewers take away from the film?

Things may be tough today, but you will find friends. And they don’t have to be anything like you, or agree with you or like the same things as you. It will be more fun if they don’t — if they bicker and argue and laugh, like Pete and I do.