Have you seen The Wild Robot? The 2024 Dreamworks Animation release stars Lupita Nyong’o as the main character. I’ll say no more, but fair warning: I was absolutely in tears long before the conclusion.
As I wiped my eyes and gathered my jacket, I wondered: would there be a list of production babies?
WHAT ARE PRODUCTION BABIES?
When the very first Pixar movie, Toy Story, debuted in 1995, the studio established a fascinating tradition.
They’ve listed the names of any babies born to the staff responsible for the movie in that film’s credits.
Those names appear at the very end, under the heading Production Babies. Because, well, these babies arrived during the movie’s creation.
Other studios have followed the same custom. Pixar parent company Disney does, of course. But so does rival Dreamworks. After all, it’s a small industry and a widely recognized practice.
If I were an animator? A permanent birth announcement for my new arrival would absolutely be a solid perk.
After all, animated movies take a long time – often years – to go from early concept to finished product. And the team involved with the process is big, big enough to guarantee at least a few new arrivals. The Wild Robot’s list is smaller than most Pixar productions, but it’s still a dozen names strong.
Worth noting: Production Babies lists remain anonymous-ish.
The end credits share first names, but not gender, date – or even year – of birth, or the parent’s role on the film. A handful of lists might note twins. Occasionally, if two Production Babies share a first name, an initial (of their surname or possibly a middle name) is also included.
Readers have confirmed that parents decide how their children’s names appear. A name listed as Ellie, for example, might be short for something, or not – but we only know what the parents choose to share.
But that really doesn’t take away from the sheer delight of getting a peek at the names chosen by the creative minds behind our favorite films.
ABOUT THE WILD ROBOT MOVIE
Based on a series of books by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot is the tale of Roz, a robot who finds herself crash-landed on an uninhabited island. She not only survives, but becomes the caretaker of an orphaned baby goose.
There are lots of lovely naming notes in the story, like how Roz gets her name (shades of Finn in the Star Wars universe), as well as the process of naming the little goose.
THE WILD ROBOT PRODUCTION BABIES: THE LIST
- Cassian
- Emma
- Hank
- Harry
- Jackson
- Julian
- Logan
- Lou
- Oliver
- Rafael
- Serafina
- Shai Be’eri
ABOUT THE WILD ROBOT NAMES
Classics and Current Favorites
As is often the case, many of The Wild Robot production babies names can be described as classics or current favorites. Emma, Jackson, Julian, Logan, and Oliver are all at home on any playground in the English-speaking world – if not even farther beyond.
Spanish Language Influence
In the US, the influence of the Spanish language is significant. Names like Liam, Mia, and Noah succeed because they sound so good in English and Spanish, too. Rafael is a fast-rising name in this category, appealing to parents across languages. And while it’s Seraphina with a PH that recently entered the US Top 1000, the widespread popularity of Sophia and Sofia suggests that the Spanish Serafina won’t be far behind.
Trendsetters
Cozy, casual names remain a significant trend in naming now. While these children may have formal names, in the credits they’re listed as Lou, Hank, and Harry.
Lou might just be the next Charlie. It’s a unisex name with a long history of use, brief and complete, somewhere between Jack and Blue.
Hank and Harry both come from classic, Top Ten name Henry – and both feel just a little fresher and less expected than that classic name.
Pop Culture Powerhouse
Cassian is an ancient name revived by the Star Wars universe, but it succeeds for plenty of reasons. It follows fellow -ian enders like Julian and Sebastian, and our love of softer, longer names for boys in general. Factor in the popularity of Pedro Pascal and his character, and Cassian has the makings of a pop culture powerhouse.
Global Village
The last name on the list is fascinating: Shai Be’eri.
Both names are Hebrew. The more familiar Shai means gift.
As for Be’eri, it’s a Hebrew name meaning well or fountain. It appears in the Old Testament as a masculine name. Like Shai, it’s sometimes unisex. I couldn’t find it listed in the Kveller database, but it is a place name, too. I suspect Be’eri might be given in memory of the Israeli kibbutz by the name and the tragic events that took place there in 2023. Be’eri, in turn, was named for a writer instrumental in establishing the community.
It also suggests that the parents made a deliberate choice to share Shai’s first and middle in the credits.
This movie is my younger nephew’s favorite movie. His name is Casper – he is 8. If I have the chance to see it with him…he likes to watch his favorite movies again, I will tell him about these production babies!
I like Julian. It is my nickname for a very dear friend of mine.