Rise of the Guardians is based on a premise so simple, it’s brilliant: what if all our cherished childhood figures knew each other? And what if they banded together to face the forces of darkness, in much the same way The Avengers do? But for kids!
That may sound like a bad thing or come across as me putting the movie down. Don’t begin to look at it that way at all.
The Guardians are a group of familiar faces that protect the well-being of children around the world. You’ll recognize North (Alec Baldwin) as Ol’ Saint Nick, Bunny (Hugh Jackman) as the giver of seasonal eggs, Tooth (Isla Fisher) is the fairy who provides remuneration to those who have recently lost toofers, and Sandman, who brings you a dream.
Our focus is Jack Frost (Chris Pine). You may ask who that is. That’s the very same existential question at the heart of this fairytale. The bringer of all things cold doesn’t know where he came from or where he belongs. So when he is selected by the Man in the Moon to potentially join the Guardians in their fight against Pitch Black (Jude Law), the bringer of nightmares, he is reluctant to do so, preferring to continue with his isolated existence unless he is provided with the answers he’s been seeking since his creation.
Based on author-illustrator/production designer William Joyce’s novels, Rise of the Guardians gets the CGI treatment and, hyperbolic as it may sound, it is accurate to say you’ve never seen an animation quite like this. While appropriate credit must go to first-time feature director Peter Ramsey for creating a fast, fun film for families to enjoy, special mention must be made of the contributions of producer Guillermo del Toro and Academy-Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins, who served as “visual consultant.”
The story opens with a prologue that introduces us to Frost, an amnesiac who awakes to discover he has the power to manipulate low temperatures. Flashing forward past 300 years of aimless existence, Jack is approached by the Guardians to aid them in thwarting the film’s version of the bogeyman, the Nightmare King, Pitch.
Pitch is the boogeyman of the piece, using literal night-mares to invade children’s dreams. His plan involves destroying the dreams of children everywhere, causing them to loose faith in their beloved childhood figures, which will literally erase the Guardians from existence.
The coming-of-age plot, straightforward as it is, gets a lot of mileage out of poking fun at the audience’s knowledge of its characters’ conventions. Everything from Santa’s workshop being staffed by elves and yeti to the existence of the Easter Bunny’s egg depository are setups for several winks, nods and one-liners. Adding to the fun is the voice cast, whose members are not only clearly in on the joke, their group dynamic is of a level many live-action films would kill to have.
Perhaps the best expression of the film’s character interactions, imaginative designs and irreverent-yet-respectful script is a sequence in which the assorted characters accompany Tooth on a tooth-collection run.
The movie’s main problem might be that there’s too much going on. With so many visual ideas and narrative exposition, it takes an eternity to settle into its stride, and the characters become little more than perfunctory plot devices. The stand-out sequences are not those during which a chaotic battle ensues between good and evil, or when Jack Frost manipulates the weather to guide a sled riding child through a high octane road chase, but the quieter moments. Jack’s epiphany or his origin flashbacks are both wonderfully handled, tenderly played out sequences, a few more of which might have given the film more balance.
Rise of the Guardians doesn’t break new ground. Fortunately, of the old ground that it does cover, it does surprisingly well and, backed up by impressive visuals, makes for an enjoyable time at the movies, perfectly timed to coincide with the holiday season.