Liam Neeson reads first chapter of 'A Monster Calls' in online video

NEW YORK, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Focus Features has released a 10-minute video showing Liam Neeson reading aloud the first chapter of Patrick Ness' young-adult novel A Monster Calls.

The clip also features footage from the film adaptation of the beloved book for which Neeson plays the title character via motion-capture performance, animation and voiceover. Directed by J.A. Bayona, the movie is scheduled to open in Los Angeles and New York Friday, and will expand nationwide on Jan. 6. It co-stars Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell and Lewis MacDougall.

  The story centers on 12-year-old Conor, whose mother is dying.

"He has little in common with his imperious grandmother. His father has resettled thousands of miles away. But Conor finds a most unlikely ally when the Monster appears at his bedroom window one night. Ancient, wild, and relentless, the Monster guides Conor on a journey of courage, faith, and truth that powerfully fuses imagination and reality," a synopsis said.