€3m raised for cartoon about dog who became US army sergeant
IRISH investors have raised €3m to finance a cartoon movie that depicts the real life story of a dog who became a sergeant in the US army in World War I.
Named ‘Sgt Stubby: An Unlikely Hero,’ big names such as Helena Bonham Carter and Gerard Depardieu are involved in the project.
The story is based a plucky Boston Terrier who served for 18 months and participated in seventeen battles with the US 102nd Infantry Division. As well as being a mascot, he was able to detect gas attacks before they hit. In one early morning incident, he roused sleeping soldiers by running through the trenches barking and nipping at them, according to the Smithsonian Institute.
He located wounded men between the trenches on no man’s land, barking until medical help arrived.
The idea to make a film about Stubby was that of businessman-turnedhistorical filmmaker Richard Lanni.
Mr Lanni, who is based in Cork and France, was the founder of Fun Academy Media Group.
He previously directed the WWII series ‘The American Road to Victory,’ which was the most-aired WWII series of all time on American public television with over 6,000 broadcasts since 2012.
Investors in Cork raised €3m to fund the Stubby movie, which represents 20pc of the net production cost.
The balance of the funds were raised in the US.
“It’s a rare thing to have the chance to be involved in something as heart-warming as Sgt Stubby,” said executive producer Tom Sheehan, from Co Cork. “I was thrilled to have the opportunity of being involved with an Irish production company and in helping to raise funds for the production.”