Review of Rise of the Guardians (2012) by Daniel V — 21 Aug 2015

This film is a disappointment in part because Dreamworks Animation was, up till this point, on a hot winning streak ("How To Train Your Dragon," "Kung Fu Panda," "Megamind," etc..) and in part because the "Rise of the Guardians" was a poor on-screen translation of the imaginative children's book series by William Joyce. Dreamworks mishandled the story by overthinking the whimsical concept; there was too much focus on Jack Frost's indecisiveness and absolutely no focus when it came to the rest of the team. Easter Bunny and Tooth, in particular, seemed a bit like cardboard cut-out figures in place of real characters which never showed up. Worse yet, the film desperately tried to imitate the inner-child feeling perfected by Walt Disney Pictures, with the end result feeling forced. It has often been said that if Disney was the studio who made films for the "kid in all of us," Dreamworks was the studio who made films for the "adult in every kid." "Rise of the Guardians" went against Dreamwork's successful recipe in a manner that made me think filmmakers didn't really care about the message they were preaching. The villain also left something to be desired: Pitch was a paint-by-the-number baddie, and everything about him, from his British voice to his overdone wispy black shadow-y powers taken directly from Harry Potter's Death Eaters were unmemorable. Every time he appeared, I yawned.

There are, however, several things to be proud about in this film, such as the bold reinterpretation of Santa from a loving jolly "ho ho ho" guy to a Russian mafia man complete with full-arm tattoos and an aggressive fighting spirit. The animation work is also splendid, and Jack Frost's icy tricks were obviously the direct inspiration for Disney's heroine in "Frozen." There was also something very unsettling and mythical about Jack Frost's "birth" from a poor country boy falling through thin ice to rescue his sister.

In short, Rise of the Guardian was a missed opportunity to create something magical and special. It went against its own message of childhood wonder by feeling paint-by-the-numbers and cliche. It is certainly not in the ranks of better films such as "How to Train Your Dragon," "Madagascar," or "Shrek.".