Ron's Gone Wrong is the story of Barney, a socially awkward and lonely middle schooler who longs for the latest high-tech digitally-connected device that all the other kids have got: a B-Bot, which is advertised as a "best friend out of the box". But when he finally gets one, he discovers that his B-Bot is not quite like the others.
Ron's Gone Wrong is written by Peter Baynham and Sarah Smith (Arthur Christmas), directed by Sarah Smith and Jean-Philippe Vine, and is the first feature film from UK-based Locksmith Animation.
Here's everything you need to know about Ron's Gone Wrong...
Ron's Gone Wrong release date
The world premiere of Ron's Gone Wrong will take place at the London Film Festival on Saturday October 9, followed by a UK cinema release on Friday October 15, and a US release one week later on Friday October 22.
A release date on home streaming services has not yet been confirmed — watch this space for further details.
What's the plot of Ron's Gone Wrong?
Teenager Barney is desperate to get a B-Bot, the latest walking, talking digital device that advertises itself as a "best friend out of the box", since he's the last person at his school without one.
When Barney gets a B-Bot for his birthday, he thinks that all of his prayers have been answered — but his B-Bot is damaged and doesn't behave like all the others. Initially, an embarrassed Barney tries to take the robot, Ron, back to the store to exchange him for one that works, but after Ron stands up to the school bullies that have been tormenting Barney, he starts to look at his new android pal in a different light...
"Their relationship starts in the most dysfunctional way possible," says co-director Jean-Philippe Vine. "But one of the key things to us was the idea that you should hang on to messy friendship, and celebrate it. It's not about being the same as each other, it's about knowing each other in a deeper way."
Who is in Ron's Gone Wrong?
The film features a spectacular array of voice talent bringing the characters to life, including Jack Dylan Grazer (It, We Are Who We Are) as Barney, and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover, Baskets) as the voice of Ron.
Other stars in the film include Ed Helms (The Hangover, The Office) as Barney's dad, Olivia Colman (The Father, The Crown) as his grandmother Donka, and Rob Delaney (Bombshell, Catastrophe) and Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Get Down) as the manufacturers of the B-Bots who are alarmed when Ron's rogue code is brought to their attention.
"The actors really made it their own," says co-writer and co-director Sarah Smith. "Ron has a very specific way of talking, but Zach was amazingly generous at letting us work with him on that, and he also brought his own ideas. When you're writing, you sort of do the voices to each other and I used to do Donka. My version of her was kind of fierce, but Olivia made her way more lovable and sweet!"
Is there a trailer for Ron's Gone Wrong?
There is! You can check it out below:
