[TRAILER] Paramount’s ‘Rumble’ Enters the Ring with First Trailer

Despite floundering with Sherlock Gnomes and Wonder Park, Paramount Animation eyes to get back in the ring as a grand champion in 2021 with the help of WWE and Reel FX. This new feature is Rumble, where Paramount has rolled out the first trailer of the animated sports comedy online.

Adapted from Rob Harrell’s graphic novel Monster on the Hill, Rumble is set in a fantasy world where athletic monsters partake in professional wrestling. This underdog story centres on teenage girl Winnie (voiced by Geraldine Viswanathan of BoJack Horseman) who follows her father’s footsteps to train Steve (Will Arnett, lead of BoJack), a red monster who’s big in size, but lacks experience in wrestling.

Keeping to the spirit of sport, Rumble will feature the voices of WWE wrestlers Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns, as well as former boxer Tony Danza and ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith. Terry Crews (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2) plays as the shark-like wrestling champion Tentacularis, while Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog), Jimmy Tatro (Smallfoot), and Susan Kelechi Watson (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) will voice in unspecified roles.

Former DreamWorks storyboard artist Hamish Grieve is helming Rumble as his directorial debut. Grieve’s biggest prior credential was serving as the head of story for 2012’s Rise of the Guardians. Etan Cohen (Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa) and Matt Lieberman (The Addams Family) handle screenwriting duties. Animation services have been handled by The Book of Life’s Reel FX.

WWE Studios had been involved with direct-to-DVD animated movies, usually involving bizarre takes on animated franchises. These would include crossovers with Hanna-Barbera properties like Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, and The Jetsons, all co-produced by Warner Bros. Animation. WWE also collaborated with Sony Pictures Animation on the direct-to-DVD sequel Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania, which featured wrestlers including John Cena, The Undertaker, Triple H, and Paige. Rumble marks as their first animated project not to follow this trend.

Paramount Animation will unleash Rumble into North American cinemas early next year on January 29, 2021, via Paramount Pictures. The studio’s next animated feature, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, releases on May 22 this year.

Are you ready to rumble with Rumble? Let the commenting begin!