Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero
Richard Lanni, Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero Director, Writer and Executive Producer, visits with Marcie and Lovey about his new intergenerational film about canine courage and the human animal bond. Stubby is a homeless mutt who embarks on an adventure with his new found friend, Robert Conroy, to become America’s most decorated dog. Set during World War I, this animated feature is based on the true story of a mutt that wandered off the streets of New Haven, Connecticut, and into the care of Robert Conroy (voice of Logan Lerman), an enlisted man who was then training with the 102nd Infantry Regiment.
At first, Conroy's superiors hesitate to take in Stubby. But after Conroy trains him to salute, Stubby becomes an official mascot. Listen in as Richard Lanni shares his insights about the film and the amazing cast which includes Logan Lerman, Helena Bonham Carter, Gérard Depardieu and the moving original score by award-winning composer, Patrick Doyle. This is a heartwarming “tail” of a little stray who befriends a soldier, goes off to World War I, becomes one of America’s most decorated military heroes, and goes on to travel the country and meet three sitting Presidents among earning many other honors!
BIO:
Richard Lanni is a historical filmmaker – producing, writing and directing for cinema, television and home
media – and is the founder of Fun Academy Media Group, Ltd. (formerly Labyrinth Media & Publishing),
operating from his homes in Cork, Ireland, and Normandy, France, with production and distribution offices
headquartered in Columbus, Ga.
Following a successful career in business, Lanni pursued his passion at film school with a goal of making
fun, engaging, educational media for mass markets. Prior to Fun Academy, Lanni found success in
documentary production. His series The American Road to Victory tells the story of three key engagements
in the European theater of World War II – D-Day, Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge
– from the perspective of the G.I.s who fought to end Nazi tyranny.
Conscious that many documentaries were too dry and academic, he was determined to find a style that
crossed over to general family audiences. Through a clever mixture of live-action narration, special effects
and on-location reenactment, he found a way to engage audiences who had turned their back on the
genre. To date, The American Road to Victory is the most aired WWII series of all time on American public
television with over 6,000 broadcasts since 2012. It has been licensed to 20 foreign territories and was
recently acquired for VOD by Netflix.
Lanni is also an accomplished battlefield tour guide as well as a media production partner with the
National Infantry Museum Foundation at Fort Benning, Georgia. It was during research for a WWI series
that Lanni discovered Sgt. Stubby. Shifting away from his documentary instincts, he realized that the best
way to reach families with this incredible true story would be through animation.