Dogs had their shot at the multiplex this summer with Strays (and sadly didn't find too much love, notching up $27.4 million worldwide, which won't buy much Pedigree Chum) so cats, continuing the age-old struggle are striking back. Feline-focused sci-fi adventure game Stray is in the works as an animated movie from Annapurna Animation.
Nick Bruno, who was co-director on the excellent Nimona is herding the pixellation puss cats for this one, which originated with game developers BlueTwelve Studio (and was published by Annapurna Interactive).
Stray puts players in control of a stealthy cat who must traverse an underground city populated by robots and mutant bacteria with the help of a friendly drone, B-12. We liked the game — you can find our review here.
"This is a game that's all about what makes us human, and there are no humans in it," Annapurna Animation co-chief Robert Baird tells Entertainment Weekly. "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."
This one certainly makes sense to adapt, particularly at a time when video game movies are on a massive upswing thanks to the likes of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
And it's not the only Annapurna project to feature a veteran of Blue Skies (where Bruno worked, and where Nimona was originally developed). Chris Wedge, the man behind the mammoth (literally, in some cases) Ice Age franchise, has also set up his new movie there. FOO is reportedly about the first fish to ever climb out of the water and on to land – and who desperately wants to go back.