Search form

WATCH: New Trailer for Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Anomalisa’ Arrives

Stop-motion animated feature directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson opens in limited release December 30, 2015.

Paramount has unveiled the first trailer for Anomalisa, the stop-motion animated feature from directors Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson.

Centered on an inspirational speaker who checks into a bizarre hotel, Anomalisa tells the story of a man who struggles with his inability to connect with other people. With a voice cast that includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan and David Thewlis, the film is produced by Starburns Industries and Snoot Entertainment, and was partially funded by a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign launched in 2012 that raised $406,237 from 5,770 backers.

The stirring new trailer strikes a balance between comedy and drama for what has been billed as the most “human” film of the year:

As the screenplay writer of Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Anomalisa marks Kaufman’s first foray into stop-motion animation. Co-director Johnson is perhaps best known for overseeing the 2010 animated Christmas episode of NBC’s Community. Robot Chicken producer Rosa Tran is producing.

Here’s the synopsis:

Michael Stone, husband, father and respected author of “How May I Help You Help Them?” is a man crippled by the mundanity of his life. On a business trip to Cincinnati, where he’s scheduled to speak at a convention of customer service professionals, he checks into the Fregoli Hotel. There, he is amazed to discover a possible escape from his desperation in the form of an unassuming Akron baked goods sales rep, Lisa, who may or may not be the love of his life.

Anomalisa will open in limited release December 30, 2015.

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.