Watch: ‘Anomalisa’ Trailer Introduces Charlie Kaufman’s Weird and Wonderful Stop-Motion World

READ MORE: How Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Anomalisa’ Became the Surprise Hit of the Fall Festival Season

Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson’s “Anomalisa” has ridden a wave of critical acclaim through numerous fall film festivals, and now distributor Paramount Pictures has released a stirring debut trailer full of the movie’s existential conundrums. 

As is the case with many of Kaufman’s introspective films, “Anomalisa” is equal parts hilarious and profound, this time using stop-motion animation to explore the deep regrets and sexual escapades of a middle-aged motivational speaker named Michael Stone, voiced by David Thewlis. Adding to Stone’s mental anguish is the fact that he hears every voice in his life as if it’s the same person (Tom Noonan), though that suddenly changes when he meets a woman (Jennifer Jason Leigh) during an overnight stop at a hotel in Cincinnati. 

The new trailer above is full of the movie’s striking balance between comedy and drama, as well as a number of the vast critical acclaims it has earned thus far. Paramount will release “Anomalisa” in select theaters on December 30 for an awards-qualifying run, with a nationwide expansion planned for January. 

 READ MORE: Review: Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Anomalisa’ is an Animated Identity Crisis