A new trailer has been released for DreamWorks' new animated action adventure, Rise of the Guardians.

Just when cinema audiences thought they had seen the biggest superhero team-up of the year with Marvel's Avengers Assemble, the line-up for the CGI family film suggest spectacle on an even bigger scale.

The "Guardians" of the title are some of the world's most well known characters; Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and Jack Frost.

Pulled from different corners of the world, the heroes must come together and face every child's worst nightmare - the Boogieman - as he launches an assault on the planet.

Coming from the same people who made the hit film How to Train Your Dragon, Rise of the Guardians looks set to deliver on scale and spectacle, with lush 3D visuals and epic battles.

The voice cast contains some major talent, with Star Trek's Chris Pine voicing Jack Frost, Alec Baldwin playing Santa, Hugh Jackman as the Aussie Easter Bunny, Isla Fisher as the Tooth Fairy and Jude Law taking the role of the villain.

The film's trailer gives further evidence that the studio is starting to improve the variety of its output and appears unafraid to inject some real action and drama into typical family fare - something How to Train Your Dragon did well.

With Pixar still the critics' favourite when it comes to animation, Rise of the Guardians looks like DreamWorks' best shot at stealing the year's plaudits, with the Toy story creators' Brave gaining less than overwhelmingly positive reviews.

If the film turns out to be a success, it seems obvious that the studio will look to capitalise on the appeal of the characters for a string of sequels. After the success of the Shrek series, DreamWorks knows the financial rewards that a chain of films can bring.

Rise of the Guardians will be released on February 28.