October 29th, 2020 
Jackson Murphy 
Viva Kids presents another great new family film to add to their collection. Terra Willy is now available on Digital and through Video on Demand. It’s about the 10-year-old son of a couple explorers who gets separated from his parents and must wait to be rescued on a mysterious planet. Director Eric Tosti shares what makes this feature so special. (This interview was conducted as an Email Q&A.)
Jackson Murphy: What films or TV shows inspired some of the designs and technology we see on the spaceship in the early scenes?
Eric Tosti: I would say Star Wars, The Black Hole, Silent Running, Alien… and also Back to the Future and Tron for the video game.
JM: How much of you comes through in Willy – especially in his spirit and emotions?
ET: I was inspired by my own children, their curiosity, their strength of character … their passion for video games.
JM: I love that Buck the robot’s eyes are like the “loading” wheels on a computer. That’s so clever. How did you come-up with that?
ET: We wanted to give Buck a very simple “retro-futuristic” aspect, with a minimum of expression. We thought that the “loading wheel” was a well known symbol expressing the faculty of the machine to think on his own.
JM: What did you hope to explore with Willy and Buck’s relationship and their discoveries of friendship?
ET: The idea was to show how the contact with someone else, however different (or frightening) we might be, could make us grow up, make us a better version of ourselves. Friendship is one of the best ways to overcome life’s challenges.
JM: Which creatures were the most challenging to animate?
ET: Flash was certainly the most complex creature to animate, because of his 8 legs: the animator’s nightmare! The animation of the stone monsters was also a great challenge to us. We wanted to be able to express the degree of threat linked to their size.
JM: Willy has a very personal attachment to Flash. Have you ever had that kind of bond with a pet, or know someone who has?
ET: Not really. Personally, I am extremely afraid of dogs! However, I often observed my children with their grandparents’ dogs, and I saw how much they could enjoy their company.
JM: Without giving too much away, the story takes a major time jump in the third act. Was this always planned? Why did you decide to go in this direction?
ET: At the beginning, we thought of showing the passing time with a “montage” … Then we realized it would be more powerful if we added a real time ellipse. In any case, it was initially planned that Willy would live on the planet for a very long time, in order to broach the subject of resilience, and the amazing ability of a child to adapt to a new environment … until considering it’s his own home.
JM: What makes Willy a strong role model for today’s 10-year-olds?
ET: Willy is courageous, optimistic by nature and confident in others. He is open minded, curious and without prejudice. That’s why he could be a role model to other children. Trusting can always help you cope!
JM: How do you feel about your film being released now for families to watch at home during these challenging times?
ET: I think that the film’s values perfectly match with the difficult times we are going through. Like Willy, we are all confronted with the unknown, but we have to continue exchanging and opening to the world, while remaining careful … without getting discouraged. We have to deal with new constraints while continuing to play, to dream, to live! I hope the movie will allow families to escape their daily routine.
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