Annapurna Animation is gearing up for its next phase of movies, including Stray, following the success of its debut feature, Nimona.
The animation studio has several projects in the works, including a new film from Nimona co-director Nick Bruno and the next title from Ice Age director Chris Wedge.
One of the intriguing projects on their agenda is an animated movie adaptation of the award-winning adventure game Stray, developed by BlueTwelve Studio. The game puts players in control of a stealthy cat navigating an underground city filled with robots and mutant bacteria.
Robert Baird, the head of Annapurna Animation, describes it as a “buddy comedy”.
He shared, “This is a game that’s all about what makes us human, and there are no humans in it. It’s a buddy comedy about a cat and a robot, and there’s such a hilarious dynamic. So, there’s comedy inherent in this, but there’s not one human being in this movie. I think it’s one of the reasons why the game was incredibly popular, that you are seeing the world through the point of view of an adorable cat. How did they pull that off, and how are we going to pull that off in the movie? We will, even though sometimes it feels impossible, but we know that’s the essence of the game and the key to telling the story.”
Annapurna is also considering other game adaptations, but Stray was chosen first due to its popularity and the challenge of respectfully translating it into a film.
In addition to Stray, Annapurna Animation has hired Nick Bruno as an in-house filmmaker already working on an untitled original animated movie. Chris Wedge is also developing FOO (fish out of water). The film follows the story of the first fish to climb out of the water and the comedic struggle to get back in.
