SAN DIEGO (AP) - Guillermo Del Toro is going really big with his next film.

The creator of "Pan's Labyrinth" and the "Hellboy" movies came to Comic-Con on Saturday to offer fans a taste of his sci-fi showdown "Pacific Rim."

Due in theaters July 12, 2013, "Pacific Rim" is a clash of the titans as humans pilot colossal robots to battle gargantuan sea monsters.

Charlie Hunnam plays a washed-up ex-pilot and Rinko Kikuchi is a raw trainee who are teamed up in an antiquated robot to make a last stand against the ocean beasts. The cast also includes Idris Elba, Charlie Day and Del Toro's "Hellboy" star, Ron Perlman.

Del Toro screened a few minutes that featured epic smackdowns between the 25-story machines and creatures.

The filmmaker told fans that he wanted to do more than show monsters and robots duking it out, aiming to fill the conflict with emotional, operatic battles.

"A movie like this, it's easy to forget how unique you can make it, and I didn't want to forget," Del Toro said.