Dreamworks has become a massive powerhouse in the world of CGI animation since it first hit our screens with Antz in 1998 and soon it’ll be clocking up its 27th feature animation with its latest film, Turbo. Looking back over their back catalogue of movies it’s hard to pick out too many duff releases and if the first images and teaser trailer are anything to go by, Turbo should be another instant classic based on the unlikely, big-hearted hero formula that works so well in Dreamworks Animation films.
The main character is a little snail called Turbo, who thinks he can become the fastest snail in the world if only he tries hard enough. Voiced by Ryan Reynolds (Adventureland), there’s a bit of The Little Train that Could about the concept, as Turbo trains relentlessly to live his dream. Check out the teaser trailer below to see him straining his heart out to do ten centimetres in under 17 minutes.
Set for release on the 19th July 2013, the film will also star Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg and Samuel L. Jackson. Giamatti is set to play Turbo’s much slower brother Chet, with Snoop Dog taking on the role of fellow snail, Smooth Move, and Jackson playing another snail called Whiplash. It’s also been confirmed that Bill Hader, who starred alongside Ryan Reynolds in Aventureland, will also be adding his voice to the cast, but details for his character haven’t been released yet.
Despite the speed of the trailer, Dreamworks are promising a high octane 3D cinematic explosion. When an accident unexpectedly gives Turbo super-charged hyper speed, it sends his slow paced, high aspiration daydream life into the spinning, glitzy world of high speed racing.
However, Turbo has to come to grips with a moral dilemma as his new celebrity status and big wig friends flatter to deceive and force him into remembering his routes and the real friends that have stood by him through thick and thin. It all builds up to the challenge of the Indie 500, taking the little snail well outside of his shell-like comfort zone to the heat of the race track.
Turbo is the second Dreamworks Animations movie due for release in 2013, with The Croods – also starring Ryan Reynolds – due out on the 22nd March 2013. Director for the film is David Soren, who takes over the position for the first time for a full animated feature, having cut his teeth as a story artist for Chicken Run, Shrek and Over the Hedge, as well as directing TV spin off specials for Madagascar.
