With two and a half months to go until the release of “Epic,” Blue Sky has dropped another trailer for the film that includes a few new reveals — but quick cuts to ornate nature scenes viewed on a laptop likely don’t do justice to their intended 3D glory.
Notable changes to the trailer include the switching out of Snow Patrol’s moody “The Lightning Strike,” which accompanied the first two previews. What is evidently Danny Elfman’s score replaces it, and though the music is adequate, its effect on the trailer is somewhat less distinctive. Viewers are treated to Beyoncé’s voice for the first time, sounding appropriately regal as Queen Tara. There’s also an evil shark-face riding atop a mole, leaf people riding aback hummingbirds, and a majestic tree in peril. Some of the story elements are looking so “Fern Gully”/ “Avatar”-esque it has us wondering whether it is possible to tell an eco-story without focusing on mountable creatures and noble trees, but we’ll wait to see what else “Epic” brings on May 24th.
So far, we’ve heard snippets of Beyoncé, Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Colin Farrell, Aziz Ansari, Christoph Waltz and Steven Tyler, but we’re still waiting to hear from Judah Friedlander, Blake Anderson and Pitbull. Actors and performers from all walks wanted in on this film, but it remains to be seen whether audiences will share their enthusiasm. [Live For Films]
I'm not quite sure why everyone in the universe is slamming on this film. I think it's got some great people attached to it, and the animation is stunningly beautiful. Might be a novel concept to give this film a shot, since, while eco-films are common, we clearly need more of them considering the state of our ecosystem. Maybe eventually, it'll get through. Also, I think the music choices have both been great, and with one of the most well-known composers at the helm, I don't think we've seen yet what is fully in store. With animation quality alone, this deserves better initial opinions than it's receiving. It rings a little less with Fern Gully and Avatar with me and more Hayao Miyazaki, who ALWAYS has an eco-message in his films. And there's nothing wrong with that.