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

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.

Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

“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

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.

 

Josh Hutcherson

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.

JOSH HUTCHERSON EXPLORES “THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND” IN “JOURNEY” SEQUEL

Actor-on-the-rise Josh Hutcherson (upcoming “The Hunger Games”) returns as young explorer Sean in New Line Cinema's “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island,” the follow-up to the 2008 worldwide hit “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

When the story opens, young Sean is definitely not where he wants to be.  It’s been years since his father’s death, and his mother, Liz (Kristin Davis), has recently married Hank (Dwayne Johnson) and relocated the family to suburban Ohio.  With no friends around, and a stepfather with whom he’s convinced he has nothing in common, Sean spends many solitary hours poring over his maps and Jules Verne novels and dreaming about undiscovered corners of the world that await him. 

            “He feels trapped,” says Hutcherson, who reprises a role that has matured in sync with his own life in the four years since “Journey to the Center of the Earth” first screened.  “He’s ready to move on to bigger things, and he’s filled with curiosity about the world, which I completely understand.  I think a lot of people do, even if they’re not necessarily interested in discovering lost islands.  There’s just a driving need to be out there on your own, figuring things out and finding your own way.”

            More specifically, Hutcherson emphasizes, “Sean doesn’t want any part of his step-dad.  He thinks the guy has nothing to offer; he’s unhip, uncool and has no imagination.”

            “Hank and Sean are at odds from the beginning, as one wants to connect and the other wants to distance himself,” explains Johnson.  “Family is one of the most important thing to Hank, and his intention throughout the story is to make his family whole again.”

            But as noble as Hank’s intentions are, Sean feels he’s to blame for everything wrong with his life right now.  More importantly, he’s sure to be the immovable object standing between Sean and the exploration the young man considers his birthright. 

That assumption will be tested sooner than Sean thinks when he receives a strange radio call one night.  It’s an encrypted S.O.S. that he suspects may be from his grandfather, Alexander, who hasn’t been heard from since he set out to prove that the Mysterious Island in Jules Verne’s novel was fact and not fiction. 

            “Alexander is Sean’s idol.  He’s pretty much always done whatever he wanted, and he’s always off on some crazy expedition,” says Hutcherson.  “If Alexander is in trouble, Sean will do anything to reach him.”

            Sean couldn’t be more thrilled and vindicated.  But his euphoria at finding his grandfather is short-lived when he learns that getting off the island will be much harder than falling onto it, and that they have very little time in which to accomplish it.   The ground beneath them is sinking.  Fast.  The entire land mass will be underwater in days, if not hours, and their slim chance of survival is entirely in their own hands.

Hutcherson was most recently seen in Lisa Cholodenko’s Academy Award®-nominated feature, “The Kids are All Right.”  His additional film credits include “The Vampire’s Assistant,” opposite John C. Reilly and Salma Hayek; “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D,” “Bridge To Terabithia”; “Firehouse Dog”; “RV”; “Little Manhattan”; “Zathura” and “The Polar Express.”   Hutcherson won Young Artist Awards for Leading Young Actor for his roles in “Zathura” and “Bridge to Terabithia.”

             “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” is a New Line Cinema presentation, will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.