Annapurna Interactive is giving the highly acclaimed video game Stray a new life in the form of an animated movie. The game, developed by BlueTwelve Studio and originally released last summer on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, will be adapted by Annapurna Pictures’ animation division, which was also behind the recently released film Nimona.
Entertainment Weekly confirmed the news of the animated adaptation, which is currently in the early stages of production. Robert Baird, the head of Annapurna Animation, gave some insights into the team’s vision for this project. “This is a game that’s all about what makes us human, and there are no humans in it,” he said. “It’s a buddy comedy about a cat and a robot, and there’s such a hilarious dynamic.”
Stray takes players on an adventurous journey through a dystopian sci-fi world, guided by a cat and its robotic companion, B12. The game is lauded for its exploration, adventure, and the element of mystery that hooks players as the feline protagonist searches for a way home.
Despite the challenges of adapting a story without human characters, Baird remains optimistic. “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,” he said.
Baird also expressed that the adaptation would aim to do more than just faithfully capture the game’s essence. “I think, if we are going to do this adaptation justice,” he elaborated, “this is going to be the first and greatest hopepunk movie that’s ever been made.” The term ‘hopepunk’ is generally described as optimism being a form of resistance, and it seems this will be a central theme in the movie.
While there has been no official announcement about the movie’s release date, fans of the original game have ample time to play it if they haven’t done so already. With the team at Annapurna focusing on capturing the emotional and thematic nuances of the original game, this adaptation has a lot of promise for both newcomers and long-time fans alike.