RYAN REYNOLDS: FASTEST SNAIL IN “TURBO”

Catch "Turbo 3D" Now playing in cinemas

In the delightful 3D animated film, “Turbo,” Ryan Reynolds stars as a snail with an extraordinary dream: he wants to be fast.  Very fast.  It’s a contradiction in terms but that doesn’t stop this tenacious creature from pursuing his ambition. Despite a series of obstacles along the way, (including opposition from his own brother, played by Paul Giamatti) the turbo-charged mollusk enlists the help of an unusual crew of supporters who cheer him on.

“Turbo” is the story of an unusual hero, an ordinary garden snail with big dreams. He may be one of the slowest creatures on the planet but he longs to be fast, speedy enough to win a legendary car race. With heart-stopping action and lively characters, the family film from DreamWorks Animation and Twentieth Century Fox centers on the engaging Theo (he changes his name to Turbo) ,voiced by the talented Ryan Reynolds, who lives in the yard of a house in Southern California. He sneaks into the garage at night to watch racing on an old TV set and is obsessed with French-Canadian world champion,Guy Gagné, (Bill Hader) the five-times winner of the historic Indy 500: [The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race] one of the world’s most prestigious car races that is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The fact that the race is for cars not mollusks is irrelevant to the tiny creature. Turbo has a clear vision, although like every underdog (or under snail) he faces a series of formidable obstacles along the way. It seems like a ludicrously impossible goal, but Turbo’s adventure kicks into high gear on the freeway in Los Angeles when a freak accident gives him the power of super-speed: he can travel at 230 miles per hour! The turbo-charged snail embarks on a thrilling adventure, assisted by a crew of racing snails anda few human characters too. His cautious brother Chet (Paul Giamatti) believes Turbo should stay at home with his family and forget the whole idea. The intrepid snail remains undeterred.

“Ryan just seemed like the perfect fit to play Turbo,” says director David Soren. The ironic thing was that he had just been chosen as (America’s) People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive before we met him to pitch the role. I was nervously waiting for him to arrive at our lunch. Then he showed up and the first words out of his mouth were: ‘I can't wait to be a snail. ’So you've got to hand it to the guy, he is willing to try anything. He has no ego, he is so talented and he was a joy to work with and incredibly committed to the part.”

“Turbo is a guy who sees himself on the wrong side of destiny. Unfortunately he's a garden snail. And garden snails usually fail to register even the tiniest blip on the spectrum of greatness. Turbo is completely disillusioned with his lot in life and with the perception of his life as ‘ordinary’. He sees himself as a guy who is on the very cusp of true greatness. He views himself not just as the fastest snail on earth, but the fastest anything on earth,” explains Reynolds of his character.

Further, Reynolds notes, “I think kids see the world as a vast expanse in which ANYTHING is possible. I think they typically relate to larger than life characters like Turbo because they themselves are larger than life. Kids haven't internalized the false message that they're limited in some way. The idea that a garden snail might beat an Indy car in a race isn't altogether farfetched to kids. It's possible. It's exciting. And it means they too are capable of shattering moulds in their lives, achieving their goals and realizing dreams.”

“Turbo” is now playing in theaters nationwide from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox distributed by Warner Bros. in the Philippines.

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MEET TURBO’S CREW: ZOOMS NATIONWIDE ON JULY 19

Turbo in theaters July 19

“Turbo” (in 3D and 2D) is a heart-stopping action adventure with lively characters starring the voices of Ryan Reynolds as Theo/Turbo, Paul Giamatti as Chet, Samuel L. Jackson as Whiplash, Snoop Dogg as Smoove Move, Maya Rudolph as Burn,  Ben Schwartz as Skidmark, Mike Bell as White Shadow, Michael Peña as Tito, Luis Guzman as Angelo, Bill Hader as Guy Gagne, Ken Jeong as Kim Ly and Michelle Rodriguez as Paz.

 
The family film from DreamWorks Animation centers on the engaging crew of snails starting with a garden snail named Turbo  who leaves his snail community behind to begin his journey to fulfill his dream of becoming a racer in the Indy 500. Swept from a freeway overpass onto the hood of a sports car, and is then propelled into the muscle car’s air intake valve, Turbo is then charged with  explosive nitrous oxide, altering his molecular structure.  
The freak accident infuses Turbo with incredible speed – he can reach 200 miles per hour – and he now blazes across the streets of Los Angeles like a neon bullet.

Along the way, Turbo and his brother Chet meet new snails who help achieve his dream of joining the Indy 500 race.

Check out “Turbo’s Snail Crew” clip here - http://youtu.be/7OOCo1phfxo

WHIPLASH

The charismatic leader and reigning champ of the Racing Snails voiced by Samuel L. Jackson.  A warm jovial guy who treats his crew like family who helps Turbo realize his dream. 

Whiplash has great inspiring abilities. He's able to rally people around him and to make them think that they're capable of doing things that they ordinarily wouldn't be able to do.

SMOOVE MOVE

The Zen-like, laid back racing snail voiced by multi-platinum artist, actor and entertainment icon Snoop Dogg. 

A super-cool-low-rider with a blinged-out shell whose motto is derived from what his mamma taught him “Don’t mess with what you’ve been blessed with.  I’m S-to-the-M-to-the-double- O-V-E! Wouldn’t change that for the world!  Preach.”

BURN

Burn is the only female in the crew voiced by SNL icon Maya Rudolph. A toughie who doesn’t have trouble holding her own amidst the testosterone-fueled, speed-worshipping teammates.  Sly and sassy and always chewing gum, Burn hides her soft side under a hard outer shell (adorned with shooting flames).

SKIDMARK

Skidmark or Number 13, this master of skids is voiced by Ben Schwartz.  Sentimental and gravity-defiant, his shell is souped-up like a dragster prone to make long skidding noises. 

WHITE SHADOW

White Shadow resembles an intriguing cross between Jabba the Hut and Evel Knievel voiced by Mike Bell (a former DreamWorks Animation storyboard artist who initially done the temp voice but the short-term gig became a co-starring voice role due to the perfect voice initially rendered).   Full of false bravado and real laughs, White Shadow considers himself to be “fast, like a shadow” – ignoring the fact that shadows aren’t inherently fast.  White Shadow prefers to be mysterious and his dream is to have a burrito named after him to be called White Shadorrito.   

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Turbo 3D - a High Velocity animated adventure movie

Get ready for Turbo 3D

Meet Turbo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), an underdog snail who dreams to overdrive just like his idol who races in the Indy 500.  At the start, Turbo is somewhat of an outcast in the snail community, which is less about big dreams and more about punching a time clock at their place of employment.

Training tirelessly all his life, he miraculously gained speed at an opportune time he met a crew of streetwise, tricked-out es-car-goes. Learning that no one can make it on their own in the fast lane.  He and his newfound pals help each other achieve their impossible dream of racing in the Indy 500.

"Turbo," says director and co-screenwriter David Soren, is a mash-up of superhero and racing film genres, but “at its heart, TURBO really is an underdog story.  The character Turbo has all the hallmarks of an underdog.  You expect nothing of snails, whose lives are stacked with obstacles, like being really, really slow.  But once you dig into it, a snail is the perfect character to have at the center of an underdog story.”

               

But turning an everyday, garden snail into a mighty mollusk who travels at super-speed? “Turbo’s dream of becoming something that’s completely in opposition to its nature is ripe for conflict, surprises and a satisfying payoff” when the dream becomes reality,” says Soren.

Soren came up with the idea for "Turbo" almost a decade ago.  He described it to DreamWorks Animation management at one of the company’s “pitch program” conclaves, at which DreamWorks employees can pitch their ideas for possible future projects.   “At the time it was a very complex idea – the ‘Fast and Furious with Snails,’” he remembers.

As he developed the idea, Soren was inspired by events and people very close to home.  His primary muse, he notes, “was my young son, who since before he could talk has been obsessed with toy cars and racing, and could identify virtually any car on the street by its make and model.”

               

Soren also found motivationin his own front yard, which had a “snail problem” that was eating away at his tomato plants.  “This marriage of the slow [the snails] and speed [his son’s preoccupation] was the catalyst that led me to the bones of the story centered on a snail who dreams of racing glory.”

Luckily,the requisite comedic and dramatic acting chops, and bigger-than-life persona, are embodied by Ryan Reynolds, whom Soren describes as “the perfect match” for Turbo.  “It all really sounded amazing, and I fell in love with its classic underdog story, which TURBO takes to a new level,” Reynolds continues.  “It takes a unique if not insane perspective to bring a snail to life in this way. What I love most about Turbo is his tenacity and refusal to give up on his dream.  In fact, it doesn’t even occur to him to give up. Talent is a collision between hard work and luck, and that’s what Turbo is.”

"Turbo" also features a stellar voice cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph and BEn Schwartz.

"Turbo" (3D) opens July 19 in theaters nationwide from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century  Fox.

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Turbo zooming in theaters July 19

From the makes of Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda comes Turbo, the fastest snail in town...Check out their latest trailer and watch for it as it zooms to theaters July 19th.

Catch Turbo in 3D, staring Ryan Reynolds.  Brought to us by 20th Century Fox.

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AMANDA SEYFRIED AND JOSH HUTCHERSON IN AN “EPIC” (3D) JOURNEY

Amanda Seyfried and Josh Hutcherson in Epic

The 3D animated adventure “Epic” will take audiences on an amazing and magical journey through a secret world of hilarious creatures, visually spectacular locations and incredible aerial battles.  The ground-breaking, photo-real animation from the creators of “Ice Age” and “Rio” will make audiences wonder if this hidden world might really exist…perhaps even in their own backyard.

“Epic’ is introduced through the eyes of Mary Katherine (she prefers M.K.) voiced by Amanda Seyfried, a smart, spirited and headstrong 17-year-old who finds herself on the journey of a lifetime.  After returning to her childhood home to connect with her estranged father, Professor Bomba, M.K. loses patience with his endless stories of unseen people who live in the woods.   But when she is magically transported into the Leafmen’s world, she gains a new perspective.  To find her way home, M.K. must do more than believe in this world; she’ll have to help save it.
   

Amanda Seyfried, the versatile and popular star of movies such as “Les Miserables” and “Mamma Mia,” portrays M.K., whom the actress describes as “strong-willed and disconnected from her father to the point where she thinks there’s no way she’s going to be able to even live with him.”

But M.K.’s incredible journey to a secret universe in her own backyard changes many things about her, not the least of which is her feelings about her dad. “She ultimately comes to believe in him,” says Seyfried.  “He was right about so many things.”

The other man in M.K.’s life is a resident of this unseen realm, named Nod.  Josh Hutcherson, who stars as the warrior Peeta Mallark in the blockbuster “The Hunger Games” trilogy, portrays Nod. Rakish and handsome, Nod is all about bucking the rules and flying solo.  But his brazen individualism doesn't square with the Leafmen’s ideals of teamwork and unity, so he quits the squad.   After M.K. enters his world – and when the stakes are high – Nod discovers what it takes to be a true hero.

M.K. and Nod concurrently undergo transformative journeys, which bring them together, and which in turn trigger romantic fireworksthat are initially mixed with suspicion and resistance.  Part of their attraction to one another stems from their feelings of being disconnected to anything else – M.K. by the circumstances of her unsuccessful reunion with her father, and Nod by his rebellious nature, which he directs mostly toward his father figure, the Leafmen’s leader, Ronin (Colin Farrel).

“Epic’ (3D) opens very soon this May 24 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox.

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Blue Sky Studios breaks new grounds with animated spectacle "Epic" (3D)

Epic in 3D

Prepare to be hurtled along in a journey to the fantastical, spectacular world of “Epic” from Blue Sky Studios, the studio that brought to life the most beloved and successful motion pictures “Ice Age” and “Rio.” 

Filmmaker Chris Wedge helms the upcoming larger-than-life “Epic” based on the beloved children’s book “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs” by William Joyce which introduced Samurai-like warriors, the Leafmen– and a war being waged in our own backyards between the forces of life and the forces of decay.

In the thick of adventure in “Epic” is a smart, spirited and headstrong 17-year-old named Mary Katherine but prefers to be called MK (voiced by Amanda Seyfried).  She returns to her childhood home to reconnect with her estranged father, Professor Bomba (Jason Sudeikis), M.K. loses patience with his endless stories of unseen people who live in the woods.   But when she is magically transported into the Leafmen’s world, she gains a new perspective.  To find her way home, M.K. must do more than believe in this world; she’ll have to help save it.

The film’s visual wonders breaks new ground in animated spectacle, realism, action and adventure, but it is Epic’s characters and the actors who portray them that take center stage.  Along with Seyfried’s and Sudeikis’ voices in “Epic” are Beyonce Knowles, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Pitbull, Blake Anderson, Aziz Ansari, Chris O’Dowd and Christoph Waltz.

The ongoing battle between good and evil in “Epic” transports MK in a secret universe where she teams up with an elite band of warriors headed by Ronin (Farrell), Nod (Hutcherson), a crew of comical creatures including a snail named Grub (O’Dowd), a slug named Mub (Ansari)  and the Leafmen’s queen, Queen Tara (Knowles).  Together they fight to save the forest from the Boggans headed by Mandrake (Waltz) and his son Dagda (Anderson).  In the midst of it all is a caterpillar named Nim Galuu (Tyler), a consummate party animal whose practical know-how make him a key player to save the forest.  Between the forces of light and darkness is Bufo (Pitbull), a tough-guy toad who is a wheeler and a dealer who likes to play all the angles no matter which side wins or loses.

“Epic’s” world is lush and alive through Michael Knapp’s supervision, the movie’s art director in charge of designing characters, colors, environments, textures, story and lighting.  Working with Chris Wedge and artists to transform the familiar environs of a woods into a kind of alien universe, where the colors are more vivid, the light more expressive, and vegetation sways as if it were consciously alive.

With these departments achieving unprecedented levels of realism and spectacle, Wedge singles out “pushing the animation further than ever before” as another formidable creative challenge.  “Our characters in EPIC are the most sophisticated-looking and human-looking of all our Blue Sky Studios projects,” he says. 

Colin Farrell who voices Ronin enthuses on making the film, “The film is epic by name, epic by nature and epic by experience.”   The Blue Sky Studios team has no bigger fan than Beyoncé Knowles, who says, “The animators based much of their work on footage of the actors recording our lines, so my facial expressions and body language have become part of Queen Tara. 

   

“I was blown away by the detail in the animation,” she continues. “It’s very hard to even tell it’sanimation; it looks so lifelike. I’ve always imagined being in an animated film, so to see that happen was really exciting for me.”
Action is also king – or, in this case, Queen – in EPIC, which features two spectacular battles, including the climactic confrontation in which the Leafmen, M.K. and Bomba face off against Mandrake and the Boggans that will decide the fate of Queen Tara’s Moonhaven.  It’s grand storytelling, giant action, and bigger than life heroes and villains in the ultimate war between good and evil. 

It’s EPIC.  And it’s all happening in a world you’ve never seen before – but is as close as your own backyard.

Opening across the nation on May 24, “Epic” in 3D and 2D is from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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Watch “TURBO” (3D) latest international trailer versionLATEST INTERNATIONAL TRAILER VERSION

Watch "Turbo" the latest trailer

Revving up soon on the big screen is Dreamworks Animation’s “Turbo” (3D), meanwhile the movie’s international trailer is at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY-8-J6_rTY&feature=youtu.be

Starring the voices of Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz and Samuel L. Jackson, “Turbo” is a fast-paced, action-packed 3D comedy and is set to have audiences around the world root for a super-charged snail to use his incredible powers to win the ultimate race against his idols so that he can prove once and for all that no dream is too big and no dreamer is too small. 

From a concept by David Sorren, a DreamWorks Animation veteran story artist, “Turbo” is about a snail who feeds his need for speed by sneaking into a garage to watch racing on an old dusty tv set and emulates his hero, French Canadian Indy 500 champ Guy Gagne.  Turbo (Reynolds) desperately wishes he could escape the slow-paced life he's living and race like his hero, making him an oddity in their slow moving community.  As fate would have him have it, he gets that chance one day after a freak accident when he suddenly finds himself vested with the power of incredible speed.

From DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox, “Turbo” in 3D opens July 19 in cinemas nationwide.

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FIRST FAMILY, A FEW MILLION YEARS AGO: “THE CROODS”

Get ready for a million adventures when “The Croods” 

opens March 22 in 3D in cinemas nationwide.

THE CROODS is a 3D comedy adventure that follows the world's first modern family through the journey of a lifetime. When the cave that has always been their home is destroyed – with the rest of their world not far behind it – The Croods are forced to set off on the first family road (or path) trip. Rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts, The Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures, and a future beyond any they imagined.

The Crood family dynamics, though unfolding a few million years ago, feel like they could come from your own household.  Like most fathers, family patriarch Grug (Nicolas Cage) is fiercely protective of his wife and three kids. His hyper-vigilance has kept his cave-bound family safe, secure and....super- bored.  Grug’s strong and dutiful better half, Ugga (Catherine Keener), accepts her husband's "fear is good; change is bad" mentality, as does their son Thunk (Clark Duke), who’s content with the static status quo.  Feisty mother-in-law Gran (Cloris Leachman) never tires of needling (or sometimes assaulting) Grug; and stone-tough toddler Sandy might be the fiercest Crood yet.  

But leave it to a rebellious teenager (is there any other kind?) to stand up to parental authority.  Grug's sole focus is survival, but Eep (Emma Stone) wants to actually live, and her curiosity about the world outside their cave collides with her dad's primitive rules.  (Ever the defiant outsider, Eep gets her own ledge to sleep on while the rest of the Croods pile on top of one another for some family shut-eye.)

A cataclysmic event forces the Croods to venture into parts unknown and rethink their way of living.  En route, they encounter Guy (Ryan Reynolds), whose dazzling new discoveries – like fire...and shoes – shake up the Croods in unexpected ways. Most of the family (especially Eep) is open to Guy’s vision of a new place called “tomorrow,” but Grug sees the biggest calamity yet: a charming teenage boy from which he must “protect” Eep.   The Croods soon realize that if they don’t evolve…they’re history.

The movie presents an age known as the Croodaceous Period, which, says filmmaker DeMicco, “fell between the Jurassic Age and the ‘Katzenzoic Era’– at least according to DreamWorks archaeologists.” It is a world of visual splendor and grandeur that holds innumerable challenges for the beleaguered clan. 

From DreamWorks Animation SKG, “The Croods” is directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, and produced by Kristine Belson and Jane Hartwell.  The screenplay is by Kirk DeMicco & Chris Sanders, with a story by John Cleese, Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders. The music is by Alan Silvestri.

“The Croods” features a stellar voice cast headed by Nicolas Cage as Grug, Ryan Reynolds as Guy, Emma Stone as Eep, Catherine Keener as Ugga, Clark Duke as Thunk, and Cloris Leachman as Gran.

Take a peek at “The Croods’” hilarious adventures at 20thCenturyFoxPh YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqtHYom6MNo&list=UU-JrjBL_iZAn5wjEsw9nRYA

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Dreamwork's "Turbo" Up close!

Dreamworks is set to change the pace in racing when it finally releases “Turbo” in theaters worldwide on July 19 starring the voices of Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz and Samuel L. Jackson.

In “Turbo,” a snail named Theo (voiced by Reynolds) dreams of being the greatest racer in the world making him an oddity in the slow and cautious community he belongs. An impossible dream of an ordinary snail comes true when luck struck him with an incredible speed one fateful day.  With his dream suddenly within reach, Theo aka Turbo embarks on a journey after being transported to a rundown strip mall where visitors bet on races featuring snails and meets a ragtag of street-smart snails headed by Whiplash (Samuel L. Jackson), Smoove Move (Snoop Dogg), Burn (Maya Rudolph) and Skidmark (Ben Schwartz).

Based on his own original concept, filmmaker David Soren mentioned in an interview with Susan Wloszczyna of USATODAY.Com that “Turbo” was hatched by combining the fascination of his son with race cars and an ongoing infestation of snails on their suburban lawn.  “It came purely out of wanting to do an underdog story and combining elements in my life, taking one of the slowest creatures on earth and having him dream of mind-melting speed.”

"Ryan Reynolds' infectious enthusiasm and humor will bring life to the lead role of Turbo and set the tone for this amazing roster of all-star voice talent," said DreamWorks Animation Chief Creative Officer Bill Damaschke. "This high-octane journey will take audiences on the race of their lives and completely re-define the traditional notion of moving at a snail's pace!"

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