It seems like children’s book author William Joyce is the new go-to guy for a fresh take on animated stories. We’ve already seen the trailers for The Guardians or as we like to call them, “The Fairy-Tale Avengers” and now here’s a first look at the next animated adaptation of one of his books, Epic.
It’s filled with pint-sized warriors, lush forest scenery, thrilling cinematography and what appears to be a tiny shark riding a crow while shooting some kind of biological weapon bow and arrow. Epic indeed.
Blue Sky studios may not be as much of a household name as Pixar or Dreamworks – which is quite surprising given how loved their Ice Age series has become – but they certainly know how to craft a gorgeous looking film. Epic looks spectacular, with the lush green world just popping off the screen.
My only point of concern about the trailer is the fact that tonally (and this is probably due to the choice of Snow Patrol’s The Lightning Strike as the accompanying music) it’s a bit confusing. While it starts off very emotive and wondrous it then does a complete 180 and ends up in the realm of lighthearted slapstick. At this point I’m not entirely sure exactly what type of film we’re going to get, but I do know that I prefer the earlier approach more.
We also don’t get to hear much of the star studded voice cast (including Colin Farrell, Beyonce Knowles and Steven Tyler) besides for Amanda Seyfried as Mary Katherine, the young girl transplanted to this lilliputian world, and Aziz Ansari as the unfortunate slug which Josh Hutcherson’s forest warrior, Nod, decides to use as an air-brake.
Synopsis:
Based on William Joyce’s children’s book “The Leaf Men”, “Epic” is a 3D CG action-adventure comedy that reveals a hidden world unlike any other. From the creators of “Ice Age” and “Rio,” “Epic” tells the story of an ongoing battle deep in the forest between the forces of good and the forces of evil. When a teen age girl (Amanda Seyfried) finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she must band together with a rag-tag team of fun and whimsical characters in order to save their world…and ours.
Last Updated: June 27, 2012
