This year will go down in history not only for the amount of attention that an animated raccoon is getting, but for the fact that there is more than one such voice-acting spot available.  While we’re still waiting for news on who will voice Rocket Raccoon in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, we have word today that perennial badass Liam Neeson (Taken) will bring a villainous raccoon to life in The Nut Job.  The feature-length film is based on director Peter Lepeniotis’ short film Surly Squirrel and is planned for release later this year.  Hit the jump for more.

Director Peter Lepeniotis has landed a solid voice cast for his upcoming animated feature, The Nut Job. Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy), Will Arnett (Arrested Development) and Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) are among the actors that will lend their voices to characters in the film. The Nut Job will be based on Lepeniotis’ 2005 short film, Surly Squirrel. Disney veteran Lorne Cameron (Over the Hedge) scripted the film, “an action-packed comedy set in the late 1950s in fictional Oakton [that] follows the travails of the mischievous squirrel Surly and his rat pal Buddy as they plan a nut store heist that gets out of hand.” Hit the jump to see who else is joining the picture’s voice cast and to check out Surly Squirrel.