“Rise of the Guardians” is based on a series of books written by William Joyce (“Rolie Polie Olie”, “Meet the Robinsons”) called “The Guardians of Childhood”. The idea came to Joyce from his late daughter Mary Katherine who once asked him if Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny knew each other. We get that answer and more in this film adaptation, which does what the storybooks and chapter books don’t do: bring several of the magical childhood characters together. And while the animation is quite impressive, the set-up of “Guardians” is better than the pay-off.
As the movie begins we’re introduced to Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine). For 300 years, he’s been his goofy, frosty self, having fun making things cold and slippery for everyone. He also likes helping kids by giving them snow days, so they can play outside and not have to go to school. But Jack’s not happy because he’s invisible, so he can’t really play with the kids. And why is he invisible? Because no one believes that he exists.
That’s not the case with The Guardians: Santa (a.k.a. North, voiced by Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) and the Sandman (who doesn’t speak). This group was brought together by the Moon to protect the children of the world, keep them safe and happy and always believing.
Jack is chosen by the Moon to join the group and become the next Guardian, but isn’t quite sure why and really doesn’t want to be part of the gang. However, The Guardians face a dangerous threat from the evil Pitch Black (voiced by Jude Law). He wants all children to be fearful instead of hopeful. His plan is to force kids to stop believing in Santa and the others by giving them nightmares instead of sweet dreams. So Jack and The Guardians team-up to try to take down Pitch before it’s too late.
The best thing about “Rise of the Guardians” is the wonderful animation. The CGI pros at DreamWorks continue to get better and better with each new film. Here the colors are bright and vibrant, the settings are filled with wonderful images and the 3D shines, right from the first snowflakes in the opening credits. A lot of the credit goes to first-time director Peter Ramsey, who’s also the first African-American to direct a big budget CGI film. There are several high-energy and complex action scenes and Ramsey stages them all beautifully.
Audiences of all ages will be mesmerized by the look of “Guardians”, but unfortunately the story only appeals to the very young. It was a good choice not to center the plot around Christmas (that would’ve been too obvious) and there is some emotional punch. But the problem is there’s just not much originality in the script. And for a film with an incredibly original look and fresh takes on some classic characters, there needed to be more layers and surprises in the story. And don’t expect a lot of laughs. “Guardians” is more cute and sweet than funny. Some are calling this film the “Animated Avengers”. And while it does bring a group of superheroes together to fight against evil, that’s where the similarity ends.
Other problems include the villain, Pitch, who isn’t developed (though he gets a ton of screen time) and therefore is not memorable. And the writers, in an effort to add some comedy, turn the elves into weak imitations of the “Despicable Me” Minions.
“Guardians” does have an A-list cast. Baldwin’s voice work is most impressive, as he gives us a new take on St. Nick. Pine, Jackman, Law and Fisher are OK, but we’re basically hearing Pine, Jackman, Law and Fisher.
“Rise of the Guardians” is rated PG for some mild action and rude humor. It’s geared for the 6-8 year old crowd – who will truly enjoy seeing Joyce’s picture books come to life on the big screen. But for those who have out-grown picture books “Guardians” is enjoyable but not special.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Rise of the Guardians” gets a C+.
“Guardians” was DreamWorks Animation’s final film distributed by Paramount. Fox has taken over that role, beginning with “The Croods”. Another of Joyce’s books, “Leafmen”, is getting the animated movie treatment: “Epic” (made by Blue Sky, the creators of the “Ice Age” series) opens in May.