PARIS and COLUMBUS, Ga., Nov. 1, 2016 — Fun Academy™ Motion Pictures, an innovator in educational entertainment for digital cinemas, has partnered with award-winning animation house Mikros Image, a Technicolor company, to produce the animated feature film Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, slated to debut in theaters in April of 2018.
Mikros Image is an award-winning, highly regarded French production and post-production services company with a long track record of success in animation, feature films, visual effects, TV, and international advertising. With offices in France, Belgium, England, and Canada, Mikros Image’s team of artists is renowned as a global creative force. Their animation portfolio includes feature films Astérix: The Mansion of the Gods and Mune: Guardian of the Moon, as well as the Academy Award-winning® short film Logorama.
In 2015, Mikros was acquired by Technicolor. That same year, Mikros Animation and Paramount Pictures released The Little Prince, the first feature adaptation of the beloved children’s novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The film won the César Award for Best Animated Feature and has earned nearly $100 million internationally – the highest-grossing animated film in the history of French cinema – before being acquired in the U.S. by Netflix.
“Fun Academy and Mikros Animation are cut from the same cloth,” says Julien Meesters, Chief Creative Officer of Mikros. “We both believe in story-driven films and innovative production methods. The Sgt. Stubby project is a great creative endeavor with a genuine international appeal. Many thanks to Nicolas Trout – Mikros Animation’s executive producer – who identified the project and brought Fun Academy and Mikros together in an ideal creative collaborative setting.”
Fun Academy is thrilled to have Mikros on board for their first project, Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero. The film tells the incredible true story of a stray dog and the bond he forged with the doughboys of the 26 “Yankee” Division at the onset of America’s entry into World War I. For his valorous actions, Stubby was the first dog promoted to the rank of Sergeant in U.S. Army history.
“The story of Sgt. Stubby is a universal human tale of an underdog who rises to extraordinary heights as a hero and friend,” explains Richard Lanni, executive producer, and writer of the film. “This unwanted stray finds his best friend and together they survive one of the greatest conflicts in a young nation’s history. It’s a fantastic story for the whole family to experience together.”
Sgt. Stubby is currently in production at Mikros Animation’s Paris and Montreal studios. The film will feature a score by composer Patrick Doyle (Brave, Cinderella) and the voices of Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech, Harry Potter) and Gérard Depardieu (The Life of Pi).
Consulting on the film’s direction is Dan St. Pierre (Aladdin, The Lion King, Tarzan).
You can retrieve the announcement on Fun Academy’s website by clicking here.
