The trailer shows a young boy running through a forest before he is pursued by authorities and jumps off a cliff, closely followed by the silhouette of a dragon.
It features scenes of Northumberland St in Tapanui, where parts of the movie were filmed in late 2014.
Tapanui volunteer Deputy Chief Fire Officer Brendan Stuart said he had seen the trailer and it looked fantastic.
"It was nice to see the local town and local community [on screen].''
He looked forward to seeing locals cast as extras on screen.
"There was a real buzz around town.''
Mr Stuart said he had earlier joked with film director David Lowery on Twitter about a red-carpet premiere in Tapanui in August on the film's release.
Businesses in the town provided the 250 production crew with hospitality and accommodation during filming.
A plaque was given to the town and a dragon image was fixed to the town's welcome sign.
