Word of the big screen adaptation of Life of Pi, from Yann Martel's award-winning novel of the same name, has been making quite the buzz of late, especially now that the first feature-length trailer has hit the web.

The film, directed by Ang Lee from an adapted screenplay by David Magee, stars Suraj Sharma who has no previous acting experience. The story is a fantasy adventure divided into three distinct sections that tell the tale of Pi, an indian boy who survives a shipwreck only to be stranded on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker with whom Pi must develop a relationship in oder to survive.

The novel is full of well-drawn characters and vividly described scenarios which appear to be beautifully illustrated by Lee with the aid of cinematographer Claudio Miranda who previously worked on Tron: Legacy and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Numerous scenes stand out in the trailer, but all appear to be beautifully enhanced by vivid colors and a splendidly saturated palette. If the story doesn't work out, there's always the pretty pictures to look at. This appears to be the kind of film the 3D format was made for.

Martel's source novel, inspired by the author's loneliness and need for direction in life, explores issues of spirituality and practicality through the lens of Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Those themes seem to translate quite nicely to the trailer (at least from a visual standpoint), but it remains to be seen how well Magee can meld together the three distinct sections of the story. We're going to find out soon because the film will be released to theaters in the U.S. (in 2D and 3D) in just 4 short months on November 21st, 2012.

Check out the trailer below: