Gad, Hudson to star in 'Me & My Shadow'

GLENDALE, Calif., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Josh Gad, Bill Hader and Kate Hudson are to lend their voices to characters in the movie "Me & My Shadow," Hollywood's DreamWorks Animation said Wednesday.

Alessandro Carloni is to make his directorial debut with the film, which is set for release in 2013. Carloni most recently served as head of story on DreamWorks Animation's Academy Award-nominated "How to Train Your Dragon."

"The hilarious chemistry between Josh Gad, Bill Hader and Kate Hudson couldn't be more exciting to watch as they bring to life our trio of lead characters in 'Me & My Shadow,'" DreamWorks Animation Chief Creative Officer Bill Damaschke said in a statement. "Alessandro has proven to be a creative genius at DreamWorks Animation for over a decade and we look forward with a huge amount of enthusiasm as he takes on his feature film directing debut with us."

"I cannot begin to express my excitement over the opportunity to direct 'Me & My Shadow,' an original movie that makes innovative use of both cutting-edge CGI technology and time-honored animated techniques in an inventive new way," said Carloni.

"Me & My Shadow" is about the "once-secret world of shadows and their human counterparts," the studio said in a synopsis.

"Stan, our hero's shadow, yearns for a more exciting life but happens to be stuck with Stanley Grubb, a timid guy with an extreme aversion to adventure. When a crime in the shadow world puts both of their lives in danger, Stan is forced to take control of Stanley," the synopsis said.