A first trailer has been released for Epic, the new film by the creators of the popular Ice Age series.

Packed with lush visuals, the film covers the story of a teenager (voiced by Amanda Seyfried), who is shrunk and transported into a forest world where there is a battle of good versus evil taking place.

Epic has no shortage of talent in its voice cast, which features Colin Farell, Jason Sudeikis, Beyonce, Johnny Knoxville and Aziz Ansari.

The film is directed by Chris Wedge, who co-directed the original Ice Age, the biggest success story of 20th Century Fox's animation studio.

Response to the Epic trailer has been mixed, with many praising its visual style amid some concerns that it bears more than a passing resemblance to 1992 children's hit Ferngully, which sees a man shrunk and transported into a forest where he fights for its protection.

Obviously criticism of a lack of originality would be unfair to Epic's creators until more details of the plot are known, while it certainly appears to be visually striking.

Meanwhile 20th century Fox's Ice Age 4: Continental Drift appears set to be another big hit for the studio, as it has broken several international box office records before it has even opened in the US.

The film topped the UK box office on its preview week, while it gave the studio its most successful opening weekends in Argentina, Norway, Sweden, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Peru and Central America.

The studio will be keen to see Epic match the Ice Age franchise's success.

Epic is released in May 2013.

Argentina