Let's just say it up front: gratuitous misuse of the word "epic" by every bro-dude in the nation makes the title of Blue Sky Studios' upcoming animated adventure a little lame. But maybe Epic, which centers on a massive battle waged between the forces of good and evil in a sprawling wilderness, can reclaim the word that has become a cringe-inducing and overused synonym for "super freakin' awesome."
While the first trailer wordlessly revealed the world of Epic, where tiny Leaf Men ride hummingbirds and sprites that look like flowers hide in plain sight. But much of the focus went to the male lead, who seems to be Nod voiced by The Hunger Games's Josh Hutcherson. Donning green armor, he leapt into action and flew—well, fell—through the trees. But in its latest trailer, the focus goes to female lead Mary Katherine. Voiced by Amanda Seyfried, she is a seemingly typical teen until a magical accident shrinks her down to fairy size. Check it out below, or in hi-res at Apple:
Considering the plot of oblivious teen shrunk and then thrown into a defining battle for good and evil, it's hard not to think of Epic as a gender-swapped FernGully with a dash of Honey, I Shrunk The Kids thrown in. But I have to admit, I'm down for this concept. Beyond that, there is some dazzling animation on display, along with plenty of action. It's hard to pick out much of the voice cast's characters at this point, though we got some exposure to Aziz Ansari's slick slug Mub, and a peak at Colin Farrell's Ronin, Beyonce's Queen Tara, and Christoph Waltz's Mandrake. Coming from the production company behind Horton Hears a Who! and Rio, Epic may just well live up to its name.
Epic opens May 24th, 2013.
