Annapurna Pictures is making an animated film based on the hit game Stray. The media company’s Annapurna Animation division is overseeing and handling the production of the film that will depict the adventure of the cat-based video game.
Annapurna’s co-head of animation, Robert Baird, told Entertainment Weekly that he’s honed in on the term ‘Hopepunk’ as the genre of the film which was originally coined by the game’s developer BlueTwelve. Baird goes on to say,“I think, if we are going to do this adaptation justice, this is going to be the first and greatest hopepunk movie that’s ever been made.” Baird was also asked why Stray was an interesting choice for an animation film to which he explained that the lack of human characters makes its potential as an animation film all the more unique. He also mentioned the lack of characters does make the film a challenge to create. Baird elaborates a bit more on this subject by saying,“This is a game that’s all about what makes us human, and there are no humans in it,” he explained. “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.” Baird then answers the question of why the game was received so well, “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?” To conclude, Baird says,“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.”
Stray was critically acclaimed back when it released on PS4, PS5 and PC in July 2022. The game sees the player controlling a stray cat in a post-apocalyptic world. After falling through a hole in a walled city, you must find a way to return to the surface by interacting with many of the robotic citizens who reside in the city.