Meet a new friend. He’s small, rotund, knows everything about you and he’s here to help you meet even more new people. His name is Ron and he’s the less-than-hi-tech star of animation ‘Ron’s Gone Wrong’, made by new British outfit Locksmith.
In a world where every youngster has their own robotic “Best Friend Out Of The Box” socially awkward Barney is the odd one out. He doesn’t have one and that’s hardly likely to change as his dad doesn’t have the money. But, when Barney’s birthday comes around, he relents. The trouble is, the bot he gives his son is like no other. Ron is incomplete, missing essential features, not behaving like all the others and getting Barney into all kinds of trouble. Yet, with all his faults, there’s something strangely human about him and he helps the boy learn about the true nature of friendship.
In these exclusive interviews, we talked to the people behind the film – director/writer Sarah Smith, and writer Peter Baynham – about being the new kids on the animation block, the origins of Ron’s appearance and voice and unexpectedly working with the biggest animation company of them all. Disney.
‘Ron’s Gone Wrong’ is released in cinemas on 15 October.
