Ron’s Gone Wrong Filmmakers on How Film Deals With What Kids Go Through Now

With 20th Century Studios and Locksmith Animation’s Ron’s Gone Wrong opening in theaters this weekend, I recently had the chance to speak with screenwriter Peter Baynham and Locksmith Animation co-founder and co-director Sarah Smith about making the animated movie. If you haven’t seen the trailer, Ron’s Gone Wrong is about a socially awkward middle-schooler named Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer), and Ron (Zach Galifianakis), his malfunctioning B*Bot that is supposed to be his “best friend out of the box.” If you’re curious what a B*Bot is, imagine if Apple released a robot that was always with you and incorporated aspects of Facebook like friend requests and likes. While the film is primarily about the two of them and their relationship, Ron’s Gone Wrong also deals with what kids are going through in the social media age. The rest of the voice cast includes Olivia Colman, Ed Helms, Justice Smith, Rob Delaney, Kylie Cantrall, Ricardo Hurtado, Marcus Scribner and Thomas Barbusca. The film is also co-directed by Pixar veteran Jean-Philippe Vine and Octavio Rodriguez.