'The LEGO Ninjago Movie' release date, spoilers: Film's villain has been revealed

Dave Franco voices Lloyd Garmadon in "The LEGO Ninjago Movie."YouTube/Warner Bros. UK

With just months to go until "The LEGO Ninjago Movie" hits the big screens, a brand-new trailer has shed some light on the identity of one of the film's key villains, Meowthra.

During the film's panel at San Diego Comic-Con last Thursday, July 20, Warner Bros. Pictures dropped a brand-new trailer for "The LEGO Ninjago Movie." The two-and-a-half-minute footage follows Lloyd's (voiced by Dave Franco) struggling upon learning that the evil warlord, Lord Garmadon (voiced by Justin Theroux), is his biological father.

On top of that, the footage also gave fans a sneak peek of a villainous cat, Meowthra, who threatens the entire city of Ninjago. Interestingly, the said cat is just one of the numerous natural elements that will be incorporated into the upcoming animated martial arts film.

"It's almost like LEGO put in your backyard, with real water, real trees, real grass," Entertainment Weekly quoted producer Dan Lin as saying. "I don't want to give away too much but we also have other real world elements that slip into the world. In the first movie, we had the Kragle, and we've taken that to the next level with LEGO Ninjago."

Aside from Lloyd's personal issues, "The LEGO Ninjago Movie" also follows the adventures of six teenagers as they attempt to protect Ninjago City from waves of monsters and dragons.

These teenagers are the Green Ninja, Lloyd; the Ninja of Fire, Kai (voiced by Michael Peña); Ninja of Water, Nya (Abbi Jacobson); the Ninja of Lightning, Jay (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani); the Ninja of Water, Nya (voiced by Abbi Jacobson); the Ninja of Ice, Zane (voiced by Zach Woods); the Ninja Earth, Cole (voiced by Fred Armisen).

"The LEGO Ninjago Movie" is set to be released in the United States on Sept. 22 in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D.