Stray, the much-loved cat adventure from developer BlueTwelve Studio and publisher Annapurna Interactive is being turned into an animated movie by Annapurna Pictures’ animation arm – which produced DNEG Animation’s recently released Nimona.
Stray – which launched last summer on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC – deposits players in a dystopian sci-fi metropolis for some exploration, adventure, and mystery, as its four-legged protagonist searches, with a little help from their robot companuon B12, for a way home.
News of Stray’s animated adaptation comes via Entertainment Weekly, and while specifics are limited at this seemingly early juncture, there’s a least a of hint at what Annapurna Animation will be trying to achieve in its “respectful” adaptation.
“This is a game that’s all about what makes us human, and there are no humans in it,” Annapurna Animation head Robert Baird told the publication. “It’s a buddy comedy about a cat and a robot, and there’s such a hilarious dynamic.” He noted the animation team is trying to capture “something so emotional” in its adaptation, adding, “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.”
“I think, if we are going to do this adaptation justice,” Baird continued, “this is going to be the first and greatest hopepunk movie that’s ever been made.” Hopepunk, if you’re wondering is described as “optimism is a form of resistance”.
There’s no word as to when a Stray adaptation might be looking to hit cinemas, but there should be ample time to play through the video game original if you haven’t already done so. Eurogamer’s Lottie Lynn called it a “touching story about the human desires of those who, at a glance, lack humanity” in her Recommended review last year.