(2012 - November 21)
Animation | Adventure | Family
97 min.
Rated: PG Thematic elements and some mildly scary action
Grade: A-
Director: Peter Ramsey
Writers: David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay), William Joyce (book)
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin and Isla Fisher | See full cast and crew
Rise of the Guardians is an epic adventure that tells the story of a group of heroes - each with extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world. -- (C) Official Site
After seeing the trailer for this film I was not excited about seeing it and avoided it until there wasn't anything else to see. I had read that the 3D version was worth the extra couple of dollars but I chose to see it in the regular 2D.
Will the children find Rise of the Guardians interesting? Definitely. Will parents be bored to death? I don't think so.
I was quite pleasantly surprised and I might, in fact, see it again in the 3D version. The animation in Rise of the Guardians along with Frankenweenie is probably the best of the year, perhaps the best in several years.
My main objection to this film is the banishment of any Christian relevance in the Christmas and Easter holidays in deference to the Hollywood pagan or humanist standards. This may leave you asking why does Santa have a Russian accent and why are his arms covered with tattoos and why is the Easter Bunny a six-foot tall Australian, but those are conundrums that you can discuss with your children. Those questions aside there is plenty of fantasy, adventure, tension and drama in The Guardians, and yet it still employes plenty of values, morals and life lessons in its story like loyalty, friendship, working together, discovering your purpose in life and so on, plus there is the Tinkerbell like mystery of 'Do yo believe in fairies?'. The film is based on "The Guardians of Childhood," a series of books by William Joyce.
Rise of the Guardians is a little bit like The Avengers, sort of a Hall of Fame band of children's Super-Heros. It is bursting with childhood icons like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, Jack Frost and the Man in the Moon. This film is action packed with some mild violence revolving around the scary 'bad guy' Pitch Black a.k.a. the Boogie Man.
Pitch takes the dreams of children, left by the Sandman, and turns them into nightmares with his cavalry of wispy, menacing stallions. I would suspect that some of these scenes will seem more intense and frightening for the little ones in the movie's 3-D version. It includes some taunting language like "coward" and "selfish" and "go suck an egg," and includes the death of some characters. Whether they personally believe in these characters or not, kids will root for the Guardians as they fight the forces of chaos and despair. 
Plot
Don't want to give anything away so we'll keep it brief and generic. Jack Frost loves creating fun for children. He is especially proud of 'Snow Days' when kids get a break from school and can play in the snow and have snow ball fights (some parents may be unsettled by the direct hits to the head some of the kids take). Suddenly Jack is captured and delivered through a portal to Santa's kingdom when an evil specter called Pitch Black becomes bent upon taking over the world by inspiring fear in the hearts of kids everywhere. Jack was summoned because the Man in the Moon has told the existing Guardians that Jack Frost has been chosen to join them, they must convince him to take up the cause before Pitch can snuff out the light of hope in every child of the world, but Jack isn't sure he wants to be a Guardian. The Guardians are a band of superheroes, who possess their own special powers. They must now join in opposition of a common foe, and they need Jack. The Guardians must heed the call and combine their powers to defeat Pitch and protect the world from his campaign of fear.
Cast
Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine), a carefree immortal figure who creates winter fun for children who don't really believe in him. Pitch Black (Jude Law) rallies his nightmare forces to cause worldwide despair and make children stop believing in the Guardians of Childhood: Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman.
Jack Frost Easter Bunny
Tooth Fairy Pitch Black
Alec Baldwin Sandman
Santa
Jamie Bennett (voice)
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