A few new images have been released for the upcoming Blue Sky CG animated film Epic. A trailer was released for the film a few months ago and although it had a couple of fun moments I don't think the movie looks very interesting. When I showed my kids the trailer for the film they didn't really seem interested either so that's not a good sign.
The film is based on William Joyce's 1996 book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. It was directed by Chris Wedge (Ice Age) and has a solid cast of voice actors that includes Beyonce Knowles, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Knoxville, Aziz Ansari, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, Blake Anderson and Judah Friedlander.
Wedge talked about the movie saying, the movie is based on a world "we may not know exists but it surrounds us. There is a battle going between the forces of life and the forces of decay."
This film is an evolution for us. In the technology, in what we put on screen and in the storytelling. It has the fun character comedy and depth of emotion that are found in the Ice Age films. But while Bill wrote a wonderful book, it is a quaint story. We wanted to make a gigantic action-adventure movie.
Check out the photos below, and I've included a little character description with each one.
Typical of any teenager, Mary Katherine (voice of Amanda Seyfried) questions her dad, Prof. Bomba (Jason Sudeikis), about whether a hidden world of leaf-armored warriors really exists in the woods. "Bomba is one of my favorite characters, " says director Wedge. "He is an ersatz scientist who wears kooky head gear." Says Wedge of Amanda Seyfried, the 'Mamma Mia!' star who speaks for MK, "She has tremendous acting range. I never picture Amanda anymore when I hear her voice."
Queen Tara (Beyonce Knowles) is Epic's answer to Mother Nature. "She is the one sworn to protect the forest and is the source of its magic," Wedge says.
Josh Hutcherson brings some of his Peeta-esque personality from 'The Hunger Games' to his reluctant Leafman warrior, Nod. "He is very talented and has what it takes as a fighter," Wedge says, "but he hasn't come to terms with it yet. "
Who better to speak for the villainous Mandrake than Christoph Waltz, who won an Oscar for his charmingly evil SS officer in 'Inglourious Basterds.' He leads the Boggans, the source of decay and destruction in the forest. "He is smarter than the average Boggan, dry and sardonic," Wedge says. "And much uglier than he was in 'Inglourious Basterds.'"
If Nod is shy about his warrior skills, then his opposite in Leaf-manliness would be the stoic Ronin, whose Irish lilt comes courtesy of Colin Farrell.
Mub (Aziz Ansari), a slug who considers himself a ladies' man but mainly hangs out with his snail buddy Grub (Chris O'Dowd), welcomes MK to the forest.
Here's the Synopsis:
"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 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.
The film will be released on May 24th, 2013.