An animated film based on the hit 2022 strategy adventure game Stray is in development.
Stray is a third-person action game that follows a stray cat that falls into a walled city inhabited by robots and machines and sets out to return to the surface with the assistance of a drone companion, B-12. The game was released in 2022 by Annapurna Interactive and created by BlueTwelve Studio.
The game takes place in a cyberpunk world full of robots and machinery. The player assumes control of a stray cat that must traverse the city, solve puzzles, and avoid danger. The cat is capable of climbing walls, jumping over platforms, and crawling into vents. They can also interact with their surroundings by knocking over things, opening doors, and triggering switches.
The project is springing forth from Annapurna Pictures' increased exploration into the animation field, as they're adding the Nimona creative team of director Nick Bruno and producer Julie Zackary to their animation division.
Annapurna co-produced Nimona alongside Vertigo Entertainment and it seems they're keen to expand into the world of animation after previously producing hit indie features such as Her, American Hustle, and Booksmart. Nimona actually started out at Fox's Blue Sky Studios (creators of Ice Age) and was an unfortunate casualty of Fox's acquisition by Disney. Mickey Mouse and co. shuttered Blue Sky in 2021.
Along with Stray, Annapurna is teaming up with Blue Sky founder Chris Wedge on an original animated pic, titled FOO. animated film.
Annapurna's animated division is led by Robert Baird and Andrew Millstein.
On Stray, Baird told Entertainment Weekly, "This is a game that's all about what makes us human, and there are no humans in it," he says. "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."
Baird also touched on Foo, stating, "It's a not-perfect acronym for 'fish out of water,' and that's what the story is abou. It's about the first fish ever to climb out of the water and onto land. What you learn in this movie is that was the last thing in the world that that fish wanted to do. It's about his hilarious struggle to get back into the water, but to get back will require a lot of effort and a lot of change on this fish's part. That was the pitch that came out of Wedge's brain that we just loved."