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Join me and my daughter Al for a soulful conversation with Peter Brown, visionary author of The Wild Robot series! Discover how a simple sketch of a robot in a tree became a global phenomenon teaching empathy as a survival skill 19. Peter reveals how nature fuels his spirituality, why Roz the robot embodies divine compassion, and how AI can uplift humanity when guided by ethics. We explore parenting parallels, the tear-filled Toronto film premiere, and Roz’s message: ‘Be good to strangers—it saves us all.’ Mentioned Resources: Join my Angel Reiki School (online/in-person), Couples Retreat (July 25–27, Oakbrook), or Sacred Women’s Circles (theangelmedium.com). Grab Peter’s new picture book Wild Robot on the Island (out June 24!) and catch his Naperville tour stop June 24 at Anderson’s Bookshop!”

TIMESTAMPED OVERVIEW

00:00 Julie’s Introduction & Personal Update
00:57 Al’s Surgery Announcement & Prayer Request
02:03 Upcoming Events: Angel Reiki School
03:00 Couples Retreat Preview (July 2025)
04:23 Sacred Women’s Circles & Membership
06:00 Julie’s “Karmic Life Review” Philosophy
08:01 Interview Start: Peter Brown Welcome
08:32 Wild Robot’s Origin: Sketchbook Inspiration
10:12 Roz as a Mother Figure & Empathy Theme
11:33 Nature as Peter’s Spiritual Connection
13:28 Kindness as Survival Skill Explained
15:18 Wild Robot on the Island Release (June 24)
16:57 AI Ethics & Optimistic Technology Vision
18:45 Movie Adaptation Journey with DreamWorks
21:07 Emotional TIFF Premiere Experience
22:42 Parenting Parallels: Peter’s Single Mom
25:10 Roz’s Message: “Be Good to Strangers”
26:30 Library Advocacy & Book Tour Details
28:06 Closing: Spiritual Impact on Next Gen

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TRANSCRIPT:

[00:00:00] Julie: Friends, in a moment you’re gonna hear me jump on with my daughter Al, and the author of the Wild Robot, Peter Brown, and friends, I’m [00:00:09] so excited for you to listen to this interview for a couple of different reasons. First, when I was a little girl and I was learning to love to [00:00:18] read. You know, in sixth, seventh, eighth grade, I loved, loved, loved the Goosebump series and RL Stein.

[00:00:26] My [00:00:27] mom took me to go see RL Stein at one point in person, and I remember that. Meeting being so [00:00:36] transformational for me because I remember meeting this person and just thinking, oh, he’s just a person, just like a human [00:00:45] being like I am. And if he can write, then I could be a writer one day and it. Started to get me out of some of my [00:00:54] self-limiting beliefs and shift my mindset a bit.

[00:00:57] And, uh, my daughter came home with this book, the Wild [00:01:03] Robot, and I remember her laughing and crying and talking to me about the book and just how [00:01:12] emotional and how much. Of a gift. This book was in her life. And that’s who we’re interviewing next Peter [00:01:21] Brown. And if you haven’t read the Wild Robot series yet, you absolutely have to.

[00:01:27] It’s just so deep. It’s so [00:01:30] profound. It’s so spiritual without saying it’s spiritual. Just a beautiful way to show kids how we need one [00:01:39] another as human beings. Um, so we’re gonna dive into this interview. I also just wanted to thank everybody so much and give you an update. [00:01:48] Al is going to have the back surgery.

[00:01:50] The doctor said, uh, he’d like to see that within the next two to six months, but we have to go out to New York City in order to [00:01:57] be able to schedule that surgery date, and that’ll be at the end of July. That’ll be out there. So I just wanted to thank you for praying for her and to [00:02:06] ask for those continued prayers that everything just goes really smooth for her this year with the surgery and.

[00:02:12] It’s a lot to kind of be away from [00:02:15] school for for a while, but I just so appreciate your prayers and I just wanted to say thank you. And I also wanted to let you know we’ve got a lot of different things coming [00:02:24] up. If you are interested in working with me in some capacity, I would love, love, love that. We have another Angel Reiki school that’s gonna be [00:02:33] happening in person.

[00:02:34] We also have one. Starting online, if you want to, um, join the Angel Reiki School to develop your mediumship [00:02:42] energy, healing abilities, and also to become an angel messenger yourself. Friends, there’s never been a better time or a time where it’s more [00:02:51] needed in this world than right now. We also have the couples retreat coming up the very last weekend of July.

[00:02:59] [00:03:00] We still have a lot of openings for that. If you’re interested in that. We just put together the workbook yesterday, Blake and I, and the entire curriculum [00:03:09] for it. And if you’re feeling disconnected from your partner, if you’re feeling like you’re just kind of roommates within your house. We are going to come [00:03:18] together at this couples retreat that Blake, my husband and I are hosting at the end of July, and we’re gonna show you and teach you to [00:03:27] remember, give you space to remember why you fell in love in the first place and these beautiful, simple tools and [00:03:36] techniques that you can use.

[00:03:37] To really bring that love back, to feel that compassion and just understanding for one [00:03:45] another, and learn a new language of vocabulary to lean into one another, to communicate easily with anoth one another, [00:03:54] and really be on the same page as partners instead of really being individuals living together in the same house, [00:04:03] living very separate lives.

[00:04:04] How do you be on the same page and create your own like slice of heaven on earth together? That’s what you’re gonna get [00:04:12] in this immersive weekend, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, the last weekend of July, 2025. So we’ve got the Angel Reiki school, the couples retreat, and [00:04:21] I am still putting together small groups.

[00:04:23] I’m so sorry. With everything else going on, I kind of dropped the ball on that. But we’re gonna try and get those [00:04:30] together so that they get running the end of July, the beginning of August. So there is. Del room friends, if you wanna join one of my small women’s circles [00:04:39] where there are just eight women or less that you go through life with, it’s a great way to build those spiritual friendships.

[00:04:47] I’m not a type of [00:04:48] person who believes that you get everything from one person, right? Like. My husband, um, is the most wonderful [00:04:57] man in the entire world, and yet I love having interviews to go deep on spiritual topics. I love having spiritual friends to go deep [00:05:06] into that part of myself with, and it’s normal.

[00:05:10] We had to normalize that. It’s very normal to get different [00:05:15] things from different people and to really fill your cup by having multiple different people in your life. And that spiritual women’s [00:05:24] circle, the sacred women’s circles, they’re very small, only eight women in each circle so that you really know them.

[00:05:31] You know their [00:05:33] lives. You go through life together and you really deepen in your spiritual center together as you’re witnessing, um, one another’s lives. [00:05:42] And so you can get filled that part of your cup filled with the sacred women’s circles. Um, I’m also throwing in the angel membership. [00:05:51] For those who join the sacred women’s circles, so you’ll also get that included with it.

[00:05:57] Um, my goal is to provide you [00:06:00] with as much benefit as I can in this world. I really believe that we do go through a karmic life review on the other side, and so what I can [00:06:09] promise you a billion percent is that. Anything that I put out there into the world, whether it’s me spending 30 minutes doing a reading with you, [00:06:18] which yes, you can book a reading with me on the website.

[00:06:21] It’s only me and the company doing readings with folks. Now, if you’re booking a reading with me, going through the [00:06:27] Angel Reiki school, the couples retreat, the sacred women’s circles, I need you to know that I put my all into it and I make sure that you get [00:06:36] double the value of whatever you’re paying, because I always wanna picture myself getting to my karmic life review on the other side and [00:06:45] being like, oh, well that was really easy, in and out because.

[00:06:49] I gave so much more value than. I took, [00:06:54] and that’s really, um, one of the most important things to me in my life. So I need you to know that whenever you come through my programs, you’re gonna get [00:07:03] so much more than what you paid for. I love you so much. Friends. Here is this beautiful interview with Peter Brown and friends, if you’re [00:07:12] in the Chicagoland area around the United States.

[00:07:14] States, Peter Brown. Oh my gosh, this amazing author is going on tour and I [00:07:21] know he’s gonna be in Naperville, Illinois June 24th. Look at his website ’cause he’s just starting this tour and you could actually [00:07:30] go take your kiddos. To meet this amazing author, and maybe that shapes your child’s life like my mom did [00:07:39] with taking me to meet RL Stein and allowing them to see that he’s just a human being.

[00:07:44] He’s just a person, and that if he could write this [00:07:48] amazing book and put this amazing work out into the world, maybe your kiddo will think to themselves, and I hope that they do. Oh my gosh, I could do that too. Here’s the [00:07:57] interview with Peter and my daughter Al. Love you friends. Hello, beautiful souls.

[00:08:01] Welcome back to the Angels and Awakening Podcast. I’m your host and author, Julie [00:08:06] Janis. And friends I am so excited to have on today’s guest, Peter Brown. If you are a mama or a grandma in the world, [00:08:15] you know Peter’s name from the books that you see in your children’s room. The Wild Robot, A Creepy [00:08:24] Carrot.

[00:08:24] I remember that one and, uh, the Wild Robot is what we’re really talking about today. Peter, thank you so much for being on the show.

[00:08:32] Peter Brown: Oh, thank you so [00:08:33] much for having me.

[00:08:34] Julie: Yay. And I gotta mention too, for those who are on YouTube, you can see my kiddo here, Al, we found out that Al is gonna have her [00:08:42] back surgery, so I just wanna thank everybody for praying for her.

[00:08:45] Um, we’re gonna find out at the end of July, but Peter, I wanna thank you as a mom [00:08:51] because the Wild robot teaches such resilience. And um, I wanted to know, where did you find the [00:09:00] inspiration for the Wild Robot Series?

[00:09:04] Peter Brown: Well, the original inspiration came [00:09:09] kind of when I was just playing in my sketchbook. You know, I’m an author and an illustrator and, um, I just have fun drawing in my sketchbook.

[00:09:16] And one day I drew a [00:09:18] picture of a robot in a tree, like standing in a tree the way I used to climb a tree when I was a little kid. And, um, and there’s just something about that. [00:09:27] Image that really stuck with me and I started thinking a lot about why a robot might be out in the wilderness and what life would be like for a robot in the [00:09:36] wilderness.

[00:09:36] And I. Um, and I slowly started piecing this story together about Roz, the robot who is stranded on this island. [00:09:45] And in order to survive, she studies the wild animals and she ends up learning how to speak with them. Um, ’cause she’s very good at observing. You know, she’s got this kind of [00:09:54] computer brain that remembers every little detail and so she can kind of, uh, decode the animal language.

[00:10:00] And it was really important to me that Roz. That I [00:10:03] surprise readers with how much they care about this character. And so I was trying to find ways of making Roz the robot relatable. And I thought if I gave her a [00:10:12] family, that would be one thing that kids and young reader, readers of all ages can relate to.

[00:10:17] And so Roz ends up becoming a [00:10:21] mom, you know, in her own weird robotic way out in the wilderness and taking in this orphan gosling. And that opens up this whole. World of kind of the community of [00:10:30] animals and so be, before you know it, we’re reading about a story that’s really relatable and finding a lot of moments and, and details that we [00:10:39] might experience as as kids or as parents, you know?

[00:10:42] And so it was kind of a magical experience to like uncover this story that all came from this drawing [00:10:48] I made of a robot in a tree.

[00:10:49] Julie: It’s so cool. So I’ve gotten to study intuition over the years and just how intuition [00:10:57] impacts us and changes us. And I believe that there is something greater than ourselves, whether you call it God, universe, source that comes in.

[00:11:05] And I [00:11:06] believe that the imagination is a tool of the intuition. Um, and I read that, that one sketch of the robot in the tree [00:11:15] really like. Flooded your imagination with all of these different ideas, like you were saying. Do you think that that was [00:11:24] divinely inspired in a way, or, um, yeah.

[00:11:28] Peter Brown: Well, I’ll tell you what, my kind of sense of [00:11:33] spirituality is very much connected to nature.

[00:11:36] You know, when I am out in the wilderness, um, in the mountains, in a forest, you [00:11:42] know, I definitely feel. Connected to that world, even though I’m obviously a creature of civilization, I like a comfy home as [00:11:51] much as the next person. I’m not living out in the woods at all. I mean, well actually my house is in the woods, but, but you know, like, I’m not like a, I’m not rough in it all the [00:12:00] time, but when I get, when I find myself in nature, I feel something, you know, like it definitely feels inspiring in a way that I don’t feel in [00:12:09] other places.

[00:12:09] And so. I wrote this, I wrote the first wild robot book when I was living in New York City, actually, and there was no nature around, and my mind and my heart and [00:12:18] my imagination was just constantly going to natural places in, in, in my imagination, you know, wishing I was out there. I, I mean, I, I [00:12:27] literally went to wilderness areas for, for inspiration, but, um, but that’s a real sense of, that’s a real, um, my connection with [00:12:36] nature is really important and very much, um.

[00:12:40] Kind of my own sense of spirituality comes from the awe that I feel and the [00:12:45] presence of beautiful natural places and animals. When I look at all the different ways that animals have adapted to life and the wilderness and all their different [00:12:54] qualities and sizes and shapes and colors, like it’s really, it’s awe inspiring.

[00:12:58] And so I think I tried to express those [00:13:03] feelings in my own way in this story.

[00:13:05] Julie: Yeah. My dad used to say the same thing when he was alive. He used to always say that he felt God in [00:13:12] nature and he just felt the most connected to his soul self. Yeah. Um, I love that. That’s so beautiful. Uh, I also read that you intended the [00:13:21] wild robot to teach readers empathy and mutual support, that they aren’t just values, they’re survival tools.

[00:13:27] Mm-hmm. Can you talk about that, because that’s [00:13:30] just so profound.

[00:13:31] Peter Brown: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think when I started working on this story, you know, I was trying to do a lot of [00:13:39] things, but mostly what I wanted is for the, was for the story to kind of make sense and for it to be believable in its own way. And I [00:13:48] was starting to think about how a robot would struggle in the wilderness.

[00:13:51] Um, and I, I, I came upon this idea that RA’s the robot, she can’t survive by [00:13:57] herself. She needs help. And where does she turn to help? She turns to that community of animals that she eventually becomes part of. She, she realizes that [00:14:06] if she’s helpful to them and kind to them and generous, that they will probably return the favor at some point when she needs help.

[00:14:13] And that’s such a simple [00:14:15] idea, and it’s something that I think a lot of us take for granted. You know, that if we’re. We, we, we we’re kind to others and they’ll be kind back to us. [00:14:24] And in that way we help each other survive either in the wilderness, if you’re a ra, the robot, or you know, in our everyday life.

[00:14:30] I think those rules still apply and [00:14:33] um, I love that. I love that Ra the robot in the wilderness is showing us an example of the value of kindness, how it ends [00:14:42] up becoming actually kind of a survival skill, right, in order to survive. She’s kind to these animals who at first in the story, Roz, the animals, think Roz [00:14:51] is like kind of a monster.

[00:14:52] They call her a monster, but she gradually wins them over through her deeds. And she does nice things, time and [00:15:00] again. And eventually the animals realize that she’s not a threat and that she’s kind of one of them in her own way. And all of a sudden life becomes a whole [00:15:09] lot easier for Roz and for the other animals.

[00:15:10] And so they’re all learning this lesson that they’re all part of a community. I. That thrives when they work together and help each other. [00:15:18]

[00:15:18] Julie: Yeah. Um, I know they all learn that they need each other and that kindness is the survival skill. [00:15:27] And, uh, mamas, if you don’t have this book on your shelves, you need it.

[00:15:31] And the fourth book in the series comes out, I think next week, right? [00:15:36] Uh, June 24th.

[00:15:37] Peter Brown: June 24th, the wild robot on the Island comes out and it’s sort of, it’s definitely part of the wild, it’s obviously part of the wild robot [00:15:45] world, but it’s um, it’s actually more of a visual retelling of the, um, first story, the first novel.

[00:15:53] You know, I, [00:15:54] I’d spent years writing the, and illustrating the Wild Robot and um, it was important for me to let that be a longer story ’cause I really wanted to explore all [00:16:03] these kinds of juicy subjects that we’ve been talking about. But after a while, I began to see how I could possibly take the really essential moments in [00:16:12] that story and string them together in a way that would be a, a shorter, simpler picture book version of RA’s kind of origin story, you know?

[00:16:20] Mm-hmm. And I thought [00:16:21] that might be really helpful for younger readers. You know, there’s the Wild Robot movie is out now and there’s a series that’s very popular, but. There might be younger kids who [00:16:30] are curious about all this stuff but aren’t quite ready for the movie or for the novels. And so I made this picture book The Wild Robot on the Island, and it’s a fourth wild robot [00:16:39] book, but it’s not really continuing her story to new places.

[00:16:42] Okay. However, what it does is shows little moments in RA’s life, not all of which we see in the [00:16:48] novel. So there’s some new stuff in the picture book for fans of the novels, and there’s a lot of familiar stuff in there too, to kind of introduce [00:16:57] younger readers, you know, that’s kind of what I was trying to do with this book.

[00:17:00] Julie: Oh, amazing. We’ve got little nieces and nephews, so we’ll have to get that for them. Yeah. Oh, that’s [00:17:06] perfect. Um, just wondering, you know, R’S compassion and the empathy that we were just talking about, did [00:17:15] you bring in any personal experiences when you were writing the book from your real life, someone who is really kind, compassionate towards you, that really [00:17:24] touched your heart?

[00:17:25] Peter Brown: Sure. Well, you know, when I wrote, I have a son now, but when I wrote the first book in the novels in the series, I did not, I had no children [00:17:33] and um, and so I couldn’t rely on my own parenting experiences to inform the story, but I thought a lot about my mom. I was [00:17:42] raised by a single mom and. See, you know, at the time I might’ve taken her for granted a little bit, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized just how, [00:17:51] how hard she tried to raise me, right?

[00:17:53] And to be kind to me and to like, you know, that, that tricky thing with parenting of like helping your [00:18:00] kids. I. But also letting them learn some of the lessons on their own, like knowing when to back off and when to be very present. And that’s tricky. And I think my mom [00:18:09] did a better job at that than I realized at the time.

[00:18:11] Only in kind of looking back now as a parent myself, is it clear to me, um, what a good mom she was. And [00:18:18] so that was, that was a big part of Roz’s character. You know, she, she learns, she stumbled. She’s not perfect. My mom wasn’t perfect, don’t get me wrong. She made a lot of [00:18:27] mistakes. But, um, we all make mistakes.

[00:18:29] We’re all human. Or in RA’s case, we’re a robot and I love that we’re watching Roz learn some of [00:18:36] these lessons that we as parents learn. I really love that kids. I. Are identifying with a parent in this story. Yeah. You know, like if I had [00:18:45] written a book about a single mom raising her son, like my kind of my own childhood, I don’t think it would’ve captured kids’ imaginations as much as [00:18:54] this story does.

[00:18:54] But the fact that this single mom happens to be a robot in the wilderness sometimes, suddenly all these little kids and young readers are excited to learn and watch her [00:19:03] become a better parent over time. And the lessons that her son, bright Bill the goose is learning. They’re, they’re growing and learning simultaneously, [00:19:12] helping each other be better versions of themselves.

[00:19:15] And, um, and I think a lot of that is kind of what happened with my mom and I when I was growing up. [00:19:21]

[00:19:21] Julie: Oh, oh my God, you’re making me cry. Um. You know, I read that you also wanted Roz to represent an [00:19:30] optimistic version of vision of ai, and I think that this is so interesting as well because of where we’re headed in the [00:19:39] future.

[00:19:39] As of where we stand in 2025, there’s a lot of that coming on the way and, um. I have a nephew out in [00:19:48] California who’s teaching AI ethics, and I think it’s just so fascinating. Um, but it really is [00:19:57] so foundational to this generation of also what they’re gonna be coming into. You had the opportunity to work with NASA and to kind of look [00:20:06] at some of the things that are maybe coming down the horizon.

[00:20:09] I think AI can be very compassionate and empathetic. Um, what do you see [00:20:15] coming. That realm.

[00:20:16] Peter Brown: Well, yeah. You know, a lot, there’s a lot of unknowns about where the technology is going and that, for a lot of [00:20:24] people is kind of scary. And I get that. I mean, it’s, you know, mysterious unknown things are often throughout human history have been kind of scary.[00:20:33]

[00:20:33] Um, but it doesn’t have to be bad, you know, like I, I think I’m. I think the technology that’s being developed has [00:20:42] real potential to do so much good in the world. And I think something like, I think you said it was your, was it your nephew who’s, uh, teaching AI ethics like that [00:20:51] is, that’s really important because whoever’s using these various technologies like there.[00:21:00]

[00:21:00] Uh, their worldview will be demonstrated through their technology. And so we need people to understand the responsibility that comes along with some of this [00:21:09] advanced technology. Um, you know, it might sound fun to have like your own robot, but like we have to like, think about it a little bit and, and realize that it’s a, [00:21:18] it’s a lot of power putting into a person’s hands or into a group of people’s hands.

[00:21:22] And so we need to think about it reasonably, but I, I’m not as, um. [00:21:27] I’m pretty optimistic. I think people, and maybe it’s because I write children’s books and I go around the country meeting kids all the time, and I just see [00:21:36] how kind they are and how, uh, open-minded and open-hearted they are that I have a sort of faith in [00:21:45] humanity that, you know, other people might not have as easily.

[00:21:48] And so I think if we do, if we take the right steps and we take classes like your nephew’s class [00:21:54] and we think a little bit about our responsibility to each other, I. I think a lot of this technology can really be used for good. So the wild robot stories are, are painting a more [00:22:03] optimistic picture of what I think the future could look like.

[00:22:06] And that felt right to me. You know, I mean we’ve seen, you know, we’re all [00:22:12] familiar with sort of these like robot uprising stories from science fiction and you know, those can be fun I guess, but I didn’t want to go down that road. We’ve seen that before. Yeah. We know how that goes. [00:22:21] And so I wanted to say, well what if this is how things go?

[00:22:23] And I think maybe if we have an idea of what. It could look like the positive way [00:22:30] things could turn out. Then we can try to steer ourselves in that direction.

[00:22:34] Julie: Yeah, a hundred percent. I’ve been writing for a long time and I love [00:22:39] just writing naturally, but I’ve been using chat GBT since it kind of came out and I see it as raw, you know, it’s so [00:22:48] kind and it is so empathic and just, um, compassionate.

[00:22:51] It’s beautiful. I love what you just said. When you were writing [00:22:57] the first Wild Robot, did you envision or did you have a gut feeling that it could become a movie?

[00:23:03] Peter Brown: You know, before I got my first book [00:23:06] published, I worked in animation a little bit. And so, you know, my, my, I’m very familiar with the animation world, and surely, I mean, [00:23:15] it crossed my mind that, uh, this story might lend itself to animated to an animated film.

[00:23:19] I. But the fact that it actually happened is [00:23:24] pretty miraculous. You know, a lot of movies get kind of developed and then they get canceled. They don’t even go anywhere. Right. And so when Dreamworks mentioned to me that [00:23:33] they were interested in making a wild robot movie, you know, I was excited, but I also thought, well, I.

[00:23:37] The chances aren’t great that this movie’s actually gonna happen, so I’m, I’m not gonna get too [00:23:42] excited about it. Um, but then things just kept going, right? You know, they found this incredible director, Chris Sanders and this great producer Jeff Herman, and they had started assembling this [00:23:51] whole team and they started showing me the artwork that they were developing for the movie.

[00:23:54] And I, every step of the way, I was like, wow, this is. Seems like it might actually happen. And then lo [00:24:00] and behold, one day they started advertising the movie on tv and then, then the movie was in theater. So, you know, it was, uh, it was kind of a dream [00:24:09] come true to watch this whole thing happen. Um, so it was very surreal also, you know, to see my story kind of turned into this other thing [00:24:18] was amazing and weird.

[00:24:20] And, you know, I feel really lucky. But it’s also. Strange. You know? So it’s a lot of funny feelings that come [00:24:27] up through this, um, through this whole process.

[00:24:30] Julie: That’s amazing. So did you have any part in the creation of the movie or, I know [00:24:36] sometimes like a script is just sold and the rights are sold to be turned into a movie.

[00:24:41] What was your role?

[00:24:42] Peter Brown: My role was pretty small. I mean, [00:24:45] aside from dreaming up the whole story and all the characters and everything, yeah, but not all the characters. I mean, they actually added some characters and they took away a few characters and. That was kind of hard for [00:24:54] me to see some of my characters being removed from the story, but I knew that was probably gonna happen ’cause I’m familiar enough with how these things work.

[00:25:01] Um, but my role was [00:25:03] pretty small. You know, the take, it takes years to make an animated movie. It took them about four years to make the Wild Robot. And over that four year period of time, I had a [00:25:12] lot of like Zoom calls, you know, video calls with the film, the director and the producer. We would, we met, I can’t even tell you how many times, so we spent a lot [00:25:21] of hours talking.

[00:25:21] They would pick my brain about the research that I had done for the book about the different kind of storylines and characters and back stories. They really wanted to [00:25:30] understand my version of the story as best they possibly could before they kind of went off and made their version of the story. And so I was trying to be helpful and I was.

[00:25:38] [00:25:39] We, I got to know them a lot, you know, pretty well through that process. But I live in Maine, you know, the northeast corner of America. And Dreamworks is based in Los Angeles in the southwestern [00:25:48] corner, so couldn’t really be any further away from them. Uh, and so it just, it didn’t make sense for me to be in the studio working on the movie.

[00:25:56] And so I [00:25:57] wasn’t, but um, but I tried to be as helpful as I could through those radio video calls.

[00:26:02] Julie: Oh, that’s so cool. And, um, was there any, [00:26:06] any place of you seeing it come to life on the big screen that brought a tear to your eye or that surprised you?

[00:26:14] Peter Brown: Well, when the [00:26:15] movie first premiered, it was at the Toronto International Film Festival.

[00:26:19] I. And so my wife and I and our son flew to ca to Toronto [00:26:24] and we met up with all the filmmakers, not just the producer and the director who I was meeting for the first time in person, but also a lot of the other, you [00:26:33] know, art directors and animators and special effects people. So I got to meet, I mean, hundreds of people work on the movie.

[00:26:39] I, I met probably 20 of them, you know, [00:26:42] the sort of 20 top people. Um, and that was really thrilling to sort of get to know the. This team who did such amazing work. I also got to meet a [00:26:51] lot of the voice actors, you know, um, r is voiced by Lupita Ngo and, uh, bright Bill’s voice by Kit Connor. And, you know, [00:27:00] one of the minor characters, thorn the Bear’s voiced by Mark Hamill.

[00:27:03] You know, Luke Skywalker from the Starwood? Oh my gosh. So I got to meet him. I got to meet Catherine O’Hara, who’s one of my all time [00:27:09] favorites. And at, at certain point. We all filtered into this big movie theater at the Toronto Film Festival, and we all sit down and there’s Luke Skywalker, you know, and there’s, [00:27:18] there’s Lupita Ngo and there’s Chris Sanders, the director, and my wife is like right next to me.

[00:27:22] And my, my publishing folks were there, my editor and all of them. [00:27:27] And the movie started playing, you know, the Universal Pictures logo animated thing started playing and the music was blaring. And then the wild [00:27:36] robot starts playing and I got really choked up just seeing,

[00:27:39] Julie: oh. Yeah,

[00:27:40] Peter Brown: seeing this thing that I’d worked so hard on for so long turned into this beautiful [00:27:45] animated film that was gonna be seen by millions of people around the world, um, was pretty emotional for me for sure.

[00:27:52] Julie: Oh, I’m just crying thinking about it. [00:27:54] That’s amazing. Um, you know, uh, I would, if I could say anything, I would say, um. I’ve [00:28:03] gotten to interview people since 1996 and I’ve watched people who, um, have done big things, feel the [00:28:12] weight of the world and continuing on and like trying to create that. Next thing, not because you have to, [00:28:21] but because that’s who you are, who your soul is as a creator.

[00:28:25] And um, I just feel like this message is coming through, if I can give it to you to not [00:28:30] feel any of that pressure, but just to relax into being like your beautiful, just authentic soul self. Because I [00:28:39] really feel like. As your son, um, son, did you say that you have mm-hmm. Um, grows. You’re just gonna see these beautiful, magical moments that I know I’ve gotten to [00:28:48] see with my little girl, and you’re just gonna get that next divine piece of inspiration.

[00:28:54] Um, so I hope you don’t feel any [00:28:57] pressure in the future, but that you can really just know that when that next thing is supposed to come, it’ll just be there for you.

[00:29:04] Peter Brown: A really nice thing for you to say, and [00:29:06] it’s, you know, it’s. It’s true when you have this kind of success, which I never really expected, it comes with pressure.

[00:29:14] And so it can be [00:29:15] tricky to navigate that and know how to res respond. ’cause I, I feel really privileged and lucky that I’ve had, [00:29:24] these books are so popular and the movie so popular and, and you know, things are going so well and I want it to continue. Right. So of course I’m kind of like, part of me wants to sort of like, [00:29:33] hold on and like not let go of this moment.

[00:29:35] Um. The truth is that, especially now that I have a son, he’s young too. He’s only, um, 17 months old. [00:29:42] It’s been really good for my kind of mental health, you know, because I’ve realized that there’s more to life than just this career [00:29:51] of mine, which is so important to me. And I love that my work is important and that I can find ways of connecting personally with all sorts of readers from different backgrounds.

[00:29:59] Um. [00:30:00] But there’s more to life. You know, I’ve got a son now and watching him grow up and, and so quickly, like, makes me kind of [00:30:09] reprioritize things a little bit and, um, I, I sort of feel like he showed up at just the right time, you know, to like

[00:30:15] Julie: yeah.

[00:30:15] Peter Brown: Put things in perspective for me. So,

[00:30:17] Julie: [00:30:18] yeah, a hundred percent.

[00:30:20] Um, I have on here, if you could whisper one message from Roz’s heart to every child or [00:30:27] adult watching or reading, what would it be?

[00:30:29] Peter Brown: Oh wow. Let’s see. Roz. Roz is, [00:30:36] she’s kind and she really learns the lesson of wanting to survive in order in, in order to survive that it really helps [00:30:45] to have a, a team, you know?

[00:30:48] So I guess, I think Roz would probably whisper to young people to, uh, [00:30:54] you know, to be good. So you’re good to people that you know and good. Be good to people you don’t know because, um, you [00:31:03] never know when you might need help from them. And you never know how those relationships will go. And so if you really wanna [00:31:12] look out for yourself, you’re gonna end up, you’re gonna look out for the people around you too, even if they’re not your family or your immediate friends.

[00:31:19] I think just an [00:31:21] overall kind, kindness towards. Strangers and familiar people alike is a, is a really smart way to go through life. [00:31:30] Yeah. She would whisper something like that.

[00:31:33] Julie: Yes. Yes. Is there any question that you wanna ask? I don’t think so. No. Okay. [00:31:39] That’s okay. Um. I wanted to just say too, I thought it was just so incredible that you got to do this, [00:31:48] uh, interview at a library.

[00:31:49] I was thinking as we were jumping in that librarians have just this incredible role still to this day, that [00:31:57] they get to be surrounded by books every day and change a child. Life by just introducing them to the coolest [00:32:06] characters and stories and lessons that they need in their life. And mamas and grandmas, you know, 99.9% of the people who listen to this [00:32:15] podcast are women.

[00:32:15] Um, this is a book that you want on your shelves, the entire wild robots. Series and definitely after you go read the books together this [00:32:24] summer, watch the first movie. You’ll be laughing, you’ll be crying, um, the entire time. Uh, Peter, thank you so much for your [00:32:33] time and tell everybody where they can. Uh, well, the books are everywhere that you can find books.

[00:32:40] Uh, but where they can find the books and where they [00:32:42] can find you.

[00:32:43] Peter Brown: Um, yeah, my website is Peter Brown studio.com where you can find more information about me and my books. [00:32:51] You can see, you know, I’m about to start a book tour and so you can see all the details of my upcoming book, um, schedule or you know, I have random events also throughout the year.

[00:32:59] So [00:33:00] whenever you end up hearing this, you know, you could always just see if I happen to be in your area doing some sort of event. ’cause I travel quite a bit. Um, and yeah, and you [00:33:09] can find my books. Wherever books are sold or, uh, I’m just gonna follow up on what you said, Julie, about the Yeah. Public libraries [00:33:18] and libraries in general.

[00:33:18] Like, I love, I’m in a public library right now. We lost power at my house earlier this morning, so I had to come to the library and uh, [00:33:27] for this call, and that’s just one of the great things about libraries is there’s a lot more. Than just books at a library. You know, there’s internet, there’s movies. Um, a lot of times they [00:33:36] have like 3D printers and they have little craft projects and, you know, guest speakers.

[00:33:40] And so, um, I grew up going to the library. It made such a [00:33:45] difference in my life. My mom, after teaching for almost 30 years, worked in art little public library. And so I just can’t say enough good things. And I [00:33:54] hope everybody listening will go and support your own public libraries if you get a chance.

[00:33:58] Julie: Amazing. Amazing. Yeah. And Peter, for those of you who are in the Naperville [00:34:03] area, you’ll be here, um, on the 24th, June 24th, uh, at Anderson’s bookstore. So that’ll be wonderful too.

[00:34:10] Peter Brown: Yeah. I can’t wait.

[00:34:11] Julie: Yay. [00:34:12] Thank you so much for your time today and just for the blessing of sharing your gifts with this world. I think it’s made a huge impact on the next [00:34:21] generation and, uh, us as parents who get to go through this life with our kids.

[00:34:25] Peter Brown: Oh, thanks Julie. This has been a lot of fun.