YouTuber builds Wall-E-like cute robot sidekick from scratch for sci-fi film
From 3D-printed parts to Arduino-powered insides, Newt was built to perform real-time actions on camera.
The first time Davis DeWitt saw the character concept for Newt, he may have thought of Wall-E. But unlike Pixar’s animated robot, Newt is real—and ready for the big screen. This functional robot was designed and built entirely from scratch by DeWitt, a YouTuber and the founder of Backhaul Studios.
Newt will star in the upcoming sci-fi adventure The Lightning Code, which is scheduled to hit theaters on May 9, 2025. The family-friendly movie follows a teenage inventor who discovers a way to create limitless energy. But after corporate villains steal his invention, the teen must join forces with friends—and a charming little robot—to stop them from turning his work into a weapon.
Director Kali Bailey had one rule from the start: no full CGI for the robot. She wanted the actors to engage with a real character on set. So she reached out to Backhaul Studios, giving DeWitt a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—building a robot that would play a starring role in a Hollywood movie.
Bringing a robot character to life
To meet the needs of the movie’s storyline, Newt couldn’t just look good. The robot had to act, move, and feel like a living character. That meant the build started with a lot of creative brainstorming. The team worked through concept sketches to imagine what Newt would look like in the film. From there, DeWitt began creating digital 3D CAD models to finalize the design.
After several rounds of revisions, they settled on a look—Newt would have a unique projector-style head. With the digital design locked in, it was time to bring the robot into the real world.