At a glance, Rise of the Guardians may seem like a horrific reminder of 2006’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause – an unloved fearsome and mischievous legendary character tries to steal the limelight from some of the best loved holiday figures like Santa and the Easter Bunny, hoping for some recognition. Well, fear not – Rise of the Guardians is in a whole other league.
DreamWorks, creators of previous hits Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, have become megastars in the world of animation, rivaling Disney-associated giants Pixar, and with Rise of the Guardians it’s easy to see why: the imagination. The love for their work has been poured into their project, and with every twisted shadow and sparkling bright hue we can only marvel at the incredible skill and creativity of the CGI spectacle. Visually, it’s stunning. Guillermo del Toro’s presence as executive producer has made the visuals look all the better.
Sugary cuteness arrives on cue, but Rise of the Guardians is not afraid to delve into the world of darkness that lives within the pages of your most well known fairytales. With every detail – even down to a European tooth-mouse rather than a tooth fairy – everything has been painstakingly researched and brought to life.
But DreamWorks have gone further. Offering some fresh and interesting twists on myths, fairytales and legends that we all know and love, Rise of the Guardians doesn’t fall into The Santa Clause 3 trap of costuming up some half-hearted cast (except for poor Tim Allen – stranded in that god-awful movie) and offering lame jokes. Santa is given a Russian twist, fairies look like hummingbirds and the Easter Bunny is packing a boomerang. Jack Frost’s origin also provides an intriguing spin on how legends are born.
The cast – Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Isla Fisher and Hugh Jackman – offer great performances with jokes perfectly timed, accents (Russian and Australian) in check and emotion conveyed well. Jude Law steals the vocal show as ‘Bogeyman’ Pitch Black, voiced with the sinister British tones of Avengers Assemble’s Loki but with that quiet creeping whisper that invades your nightmares. Law doesn’t overplay Pitch, which makes him all the scarier (not to mention he looks like Marilyn Manson by way of Tim Burton).
The narrative is rich with story and the pacing is fast as the joy-filled, action-packed tale ensues. There are moments that will genuinely make kids and adults alike laugh out loud, which is becoming a rarer aspect of family films. And like The Nightmare Before Christmas, this is a slightly darker but sparkling and humorous Christmas/Easter film that will please everyone. It comes highly recommended as a family treat for the holidays.