DreamWorks Animation has unveiled the first trailer forThe Boss Baby, the studio’s new comedy. Directed byTom McGrath, who helmed all threeMadagascarmovies, the film is told from the point of view of a wildly imaginative 7-year-old who is none too pleased about the arrival of his new baby brother. As it turns out, the new baby—who wears a suit and carries a briefcase—is hiding the fact that he can talk and has the voice ofAlec Baldwin.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing in this trailer to suggest anything remotely unique or refreshing aboutBoss Baby. It’s possible the film is simply a take on the universal “freak out over a sibling” story, but the hook of the titular boss baby doesn’t really do anything in this first look aside from allowing the raspy tones of Baldwin to come out the mouth of an infant.Michael McCullers, who penned theAustin Powerssequels and worked on DreamWorks’Mr. Peabody & Sherman, tackled screenwriting duties here, and it’ll be interesting to see if there’s some larger conceit at work or if this really is just a brother-meets-brother story.
DreamWorks Animation is in the midst of a pretty significant sea-change. NBCUniversal recently acquired the company, throwing into question how the studio would tackle DreamWorks Animation properties given that it already has Illumination Entertainment (Minions,Secret Life of Pets) under its wing. DreamWorks Animationhadannouncedplans to dive into filmmaker-driven projectswith the likes ofEdgar WrightandJason Reitmansigning on to direct DWA films, but the status of those movies is unclear now that the company is at NBCUniversal.
Regardless, the studio hasTrollsreleasing this November,Captain Underpantson tap for 2017, andHow to Train Your Dragon 3releasing in 2018. For now, take a look at theBoss Babytrailer below.
Produced byRamsey Ann Naito, the film also features the voices ofSteve Buscemi,Jimmy Kimmel,Lisa Kudrow, andMiles Bakshi.The Boss Babyopens in theaters on July 30, 2025.
Here’s the official synopsis forThe Boss Baby:
DreamWorks Animation and the director of Madagascar invite you to meet a most unusual baby. He wears a suit, speaks with the voice and wit of Alec Baldwin, and stars in the animated comedy, DreamWorks' The Boss Baby. The Boss Baby is a hilariously universal story about how a new baby’s arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative 7 year old named Tim. With a sly, heart-filled message about the importance of family, DreamWorks' The Boss Baby is an authentic and broadly appealing original comedy for all ages.
