Having impressed in recent times with the likes of How to Train Your Dragon, Megamind and the Kung Fu Panda movies, DreamWorks animation have another winner on their hands with Rise of the Guardians, a clever and inventive Christmassy celebration of the wonders of childhood.
Much like one of this year’s other big animations, Hotel Transylvania, the film brings together fantasy figures known the world over but in a way that isn’t a gimmick that grows tiresome. There’s “North” aka Santa Clause, “Bunny” aka the Easter Bunny, “Sandy” aka the Sandman, “Tooth” aka the Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost, the latter of which serves as our protagonist as he is forced into the world of becoming a guardian of the world’s children.
It really is one of those “Why hasn’t someone done this before?” light bulb ideas which is employed very well here, pushing beyond the potential of being gimmicky to prove its worth. First time feature director Peter Ramsey (who has worked as a storyboard artist on everything from Minority Report to Shark Tale) brings William Joyce’s series of books to vivid life via gorgeous animation which is at once beguiling to look at and easy on the eyes, with something always at the very least interesting happening on-screen to hold your attention. The 3D is not really needed but its utilized in a way that thankfully doesn’t make it too distracting.
What also makes the film work as well as it does is the voice cast which includes the likes of Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law. Crucially it never feels like they’ve just gotten big names for the sake of drawing a crowd but rather each of the voices match their characters pretty perfectly, with Law on particularly good form as the bad guy Pitch Black aka The Boogeyman, who you can tell is having a lot of fun being the party pooper villain.
The film sets itself apart from the countless other big-budget flashy animations out there by bringing something different to the table in terms of its visual locations. It’s captivating to enter the various distinctive worlds of each of the titular Guardians, from Santa’s North Pole hideout (where you might just be surprised to find the elves aren’t as useful as they’re made out to be!) to the Easter Bunny’s vibrant Warren where he makes all of the eggs that he hides every year. Each brings their own unique aesthetic and adds variety to the visuals.
As well as being peppered with witty sight gags and a plethora of fantastical, whizz-bang action set-pieces the film also backs that up with a story which actually has something meaningful to say about the innocence and wonder of believing in things as a child. It’s ultimately spectacle but it doesn’t send you away quickly forgetting it either. It also understands what kids want from a movie without insulting their intelligence but does so in a way that doesn’t limit its appeal to just younger viewers. There’s plenty of stuff in there for adults to enjoy as much as the kids.
Among the many animated films released this year ParaNorman still sits at the top of the pile but Rise of the Guardians doesn’t feel out of place being talked about in the same breath, either. Even if it does fall prey to familiarity and predictability in terms of how it’s all going to turn out that sort of doesn’t matter when you’re getting such an inventive, heartfelt and genuinely entertaining experience along the way.
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Rise of the Guardians is released in UK cinemas on November 30th.
Rise of the Guardians is probably one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while, besides seeing Wreck It Ralph last weekend (also a must see movie for a blast-to-the-past) I loved this movie, cried during most of Jack’s story, I know the feeling of being alone and feeling like I’m invisible/under appreciated/ignored/looked down upon. I would defiantly recommend it to any age, it gives you a total blast to the past of being a kid by bringing together all of the childhood hopes and dreams you had before they were crushed. The animations was excellent, the storyline was so sweet, and I can not wait to hear if there is going to be a second movie or not.