Copperheart Entertainment, led by its founding head Steven Hoban, is set to commence financing for the animated adaptation of André Alexis’s novel, Fifteen Dogs, during the inaugural Animation Days at the European Film Market (EFM) in February. This event, part of the Berlinale film festival, will take place from February 12 to 14, 2024, and will include project showcases, pitching sessions, and networking opportunities.
The adaptation, directed by Chris Landreth, who is known for winning an Academy Award for his animated short film Ryan, marks a significant creative shift for Copperheart Entertainment. The company previously found success with the animated family feature Night of the Zoopocalypse in 2025. This new project aims to delve into more sophisticated themes, targeting teen and adult audiences.
The narrative of Fifteen Dogs begins with a conversation between the Greek gods Hermes and Apollo in a Toronto bar. They wager whether animals would be happier if endowed with human-like intelligence and language. The decision to grant a group of ordinary dogs these abilities leads to an exploration of their newfound awareness of love, power, and mortality. The story centers on Majnoun, a black poodle, whose emotional journey reveals that the essence of life is defined not solely by intelligence, but by love, belonging, and the inevitability of death.
Hoban, who previously co-wrote Night of the Zoopocalypse, is currently writing the screenplay for Fifteen Dogs. Landreth’s directorial approach, known as “psychorealism,” will visually articulate the emotional and psychological experiences of the characters. He stated, “From the moment we read André Alexis’s masterpiece, we felt it demanded a cinematic treatment that was as bold, strange, and emotionally truthful as the book itself.”
As they enter the financing phase, both Landreth and Hoban express eagerness to engage with international partners who share their vision for ambitious, adult-oriented animation. Landreth emphasized the project’s fundamental themes: “Fifteen Dogs is ultimately a deeply human story about mortality, love, curiosity, and the terror that comes with that curiosity. Animation allows us to move fluidly between realism and abstraction in ways that make those ideas felt rather than explained.”
Production is set to take place in collaboration with L’Atelier Animation, based in Montreal, which has contributed to projects such as Night of the Zoopocalypse and 10 Lives. The project is currently in the design phase and has received support from Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates.
As financing is initiated at the EFM, the anticipation surrounding Fifteen Dogs continues to grow, reflecting a shared belief in the potential of animated storytelling to address complex human experiences.
