The first trailer for the stop-motion animated film ParaNorman has been released. The film comes from LAIKA, the animation studio that brought us Coraline, and centers on a boy whose ability to talk to the dead comes in handy when his town is ravaged by zombies, ghosts, witches, moronic grown-ups, and a centuries-old curse. We don’t get any dialogue from this teaser, as it’s just a montage of scenes with Donovan’s appropriately titled “Season of the Witch” playing over the scenes. The images here are pretty spectacular, as expected, and I like the design of the characters. The tag of the trailer really got me as well. I’m excited to see more from this peculiar little fella.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film features the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In), Casey Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, and Alex Borstein. ParaNorman opens August 17th, 2012.

Click over to Yahoo! to watch in HD.

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A new trailer for Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has been released. The fourth installment in the espionage franchise finds Ethan Hunt and his new team going undercover to clear their organization’s name. If you missed the featurette we posted earlier showcasing Tom Cruise hanging off the tallest building in the world, click here to check it out.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer. The film also stars Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Michael Nyqvist, and Tom Wilkinson. Previews for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol begin in select IMAX and conventional theaters on December 16th, with the film opening wide on December 21st.

While the trailer features some of the same action sequences we’ve seen before, I’m definitely getting that Mission: Impossible feeling now. Perhaps it’s because the release date is getting closer. Or maybe it’s the always-welcome humor of Simon Pegg also featured in the trailer. Or the way they’re trying to highlight Jeremy Renner’s character even more. Whatever they’re trying to do, it’s working.

Yahoo has it in HD.

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The first trailer for The Lorax has gone online. Directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me), the film is based on the classic Dr. Seuss enviromentally-conscious children’s book that centers on a boy who is searching for the one thing that will win him the girl of his dreams. In order to find it, he must learn the story of The Lorax, a creature whose world is in danger.  As you’ll see in the trailer, there’s the unmistakable Suessian architecture and it certainly looks colorful enough.  But there are little things in this trailer that are making me a bit nervous about the film.  The framing device shows a bright and colorful world so the Once-ler chopping down all the trees hasn’t been too much of a problem.  Also, while I understand it’s a family film that wants to play up the comedy, I hope the Lorax’s message won’t be diminished by making him a creature of fun rather than a bearer of grave warnings.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with ten high resolution images . The film features the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, and Betty White.  The Lorax opens in 3D on March 2nd, 2012.

Click over to Apple to watch the trailer in HD.

Here’s the official synopsis for Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax:

The 3D-CGI feature Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope.  The animated adventure follows the journey of a boy as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams.  To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

Danny DeVito will lend his vocal talents to the iconic title character of the Lorax, while Ed Helms will voice the enigmatic Once-ler.  Also bringing their talents to the film are global superstars Zac Efron as Ted, the idealistic young boy who searches for the Lorax, and Taylor Swift as Ashley, the girl of Ted’s dreams.  Rob Riggle will play financial king O’Hare, and beloved actress Betty White will portray Ted’s wise Grammy Norma.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is the third feature created by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me, Hop).

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The first trailer for Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss has been released. In the documentary, Herzog examines the issues surrounding the death penalty and interviews death row inmates, police officers, and victims’ family members. Judging from the trailer, the pic looks like an incredibly hard watch. It’s cold, somber, and confronting. The quotes given throughout the trailer from the likes of Roger Ebert and A.O. Scott make me eager to see what kind of film Herzog has put together, as it’s sure to be unlike any conventional documentary covering the death penalty.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film opens November 11th.

Click over to Apple to watch in HD.

Here’s the synopsis:

Legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog (CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, GRIZZLY MAN) returns with INTO THE ABYSS: A TALE OF DEATH, A TALE OF LIFE, a riveting examination of a horrible crime which probes the human psyche to explore why people kill–and why the state kills. In intimate conversations with those involved, including 28-year-old death row inmate Michael Perry (who was scheduled to die eight days after his interview with Herzog), the filmmaker achieves what he describes as “a gaze into the abyss of the human soul.” As he’s so often done before, Herzog’s investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.

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The domestic trailer for Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is now online.  The movie premiered in Brazil last October and became the nation’s highest-grossing film of all time.  Director José Padilha has been touring the festival circuit with the Elite Squad sequel throughout the year to a positive reception (check out our Fantastic Fest review here), which led him to a plum gig directing the Robocop remake.  And as of this writing, The Enemy Within is rated #242 on the IMDB Top 250.  With those expectations set before it, Elite Squad 2 will finally get a theatrical release in the U.S. on November 11.

Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, André Ramiro, Maria Ribero, and Seu Jorge star in the thriller about a police captain who takes on the gangs of Rio de Janeiro and corrupt politicians: “Although his methods are violent, he’s very good at his job.”  Watch the spastic (yet well-cut) trailer after the jump.

Click to Apple for HD.

Official synopsis:

The sprawling favelas that surround Rio de Janeiro are some of the most dangerous places in the world… and it’s Captain Nascimento’s job to take down the gangs that run them. Although his methods are violent, he’s very good at his job. When he’s promoted to a powerful government position, he thinks he’ll finally be able to finish the job- but instead finds out that he’s only made things easier for the dirty cops and corrupt politicians that are truly running the show. From the director of BUS 174 and the Oscar-nominated writer of CITY OF GOD, ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN will not only thrill you in the theater, but have you thinking after you leave.

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The best premise for a horror movie is unique, but once heard, it’s surpising nobody has ever tried it before.  In my opinion, that’s what Brandon Bestenheider and Allen Bey did with their spec script Grim Night.  The premise: “Grim Night takes place once a year, where Grim Reapers come to Earth to collect souls.”  I didn’t fully comprehend until I saw the eerie promo trailer that producers Bryan Bertino, Adrienne Biddle, and Marc Platt put together to spark interest it from the studios.  It worked on me, fully tapping into my fear of the personification of death.  More importantly, it worked on the studios.  After a bidding war, Universal landed Grim Night with a deal in the high-six figure range (against seven figures).  Watch the million dollar trailer after the jump.

The way the Youtube description is phrased makes it sound like Bertino, the writer/director behind The Strangers, shot the trailer.  The report from Deadline lists Bertino only as producer, though, so I am curious to see if he will assume the reins or pass the job along to another director.

The video was uploaded on August 20, and the trailer warns that Grim Night is August 20, 2012.  I don’t know if it will stick, but the filmmakers clearly have a release date in mind.  One catch: August 20, 2012 is a Saturday.  I would expect the date of Grim Night to line up with a Friday for marketing purposes.  That said, if I saw Grim Night on October 19, I would not sleep that night.  As you know, fright-induced sleeplessness is the goal of the horror film.

I’ll leave you with a few screencaps:

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The theatrical trailer for the horror film 11-11-11 has been unveiled. From Saw II director Darren Lynn Bousman, the pic tells the story of how at 11:11 on the 11th day of the 11th month, the 11th gate of Heaven will open up and an otherworldly entity will enter the earthly realm for 49 minutes. Judging from the trailer, some demon-like thingy and some other creepy beings will bring about absolute terror for the duration of the film. While I’m not entirely sold on the project, I do like that it appears to rely heavily on prosthetics and make-up as opposed to CGI effects.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film stars Timothy Gibbs (Another World), Michael Landes (Final Destination 2), and Wendy Glenn (The L Word). 11-11-11 opens on, well, November 11th.

Here’s the trailer (via Yahoo!):

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Disney has released the trailer and poster for Studio Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty.  The film is an adaptation of Mary Norton‘s children’s novels The Borrowers, which focuses on miniscule people who attempt to hide their existence and steal (or borrow without intent to return) items from human beings in order to survive.  The trailer makes the movie look delightful and something kids and their parents would really enjoy.  Click here to read David Corbin’s positive review of the Japanese-language version.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster.  The English-dubbed version features the voices of Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, David Henrie, and Moises Arias.  The Secret World of Arrietty opens February 17, 2012.

Click over to Apple to see the trailer in HD.

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