Legends Revised | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Legends Revised

Rise of the Guardians fills the theater with holiday bliss

Remember the nights when you waited in your bed for the Tooth Fairy to bring you money for your tiny tooth or on the couch by the Christmas tree for Santa Claus to give you awesome presents after stuffing his belly full of cookies and milk.

Ah, to be a kid again.

Those memories are rekindled during Rise of the Guardians, making this a film that's worth seeing for both kids and adults.

The adventure is the 25th animated feature in the long line of excellent films by DreamWorks Animation SKG, which is headed by producers Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, hence the SKG.

The first African-American to solely direct a big-budget animated piece, director and illustration expert Peter Ramsey earned his chops as a storyboard artist—not the most traditional path to running the whole show.

Based on William Joyce's book series titled, "The Guardians of Childhood," and his joint short film, The Man in the Moon, the adventure centers on Jack Frost, voiced by action star Chris Pine, and his effort to understand his true identity.

The chilly character, known to children around the globe as the spirit of winter, skates onto the scenes as a teenage outcast who revels in the fact that mischief is more important than having children believe in him.

Frost's attitude ultimately transforms this film into a tale of perseverance, as the other guardians must use their spirited convictions to persuade Jack Frost toward a change of allegiance.

As 3-D snowballs fly at you from the screen, the film shifts up to the North Pole where the legendary guardian of wonder, North, known to most as Santa Claus, summons the crew of guardians because the Man in the Moon has revealed an evil plan hatched by the villainous Pitch.

With a fierce Russian accent and a pair of tribal-looking "naughty" and "nice" tattoos on his forearms, North, voiced by Alec Baldwin, begins to get the action rolling.

As the rotten Pitch, voiced by Jude Law, performs devilish acts upon the fabled guardians like the Wicked Witch of the West did to Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, they are forced to persuade Jack Frost to help them in their quest to stop the atrocious bogeyman from masking the faith of children everywhere.

The plot turns into a formulaic escapade as the guardians are united in action like the elements from the TV show "Captain Planet and the Planeteers."

Bunny, aka E. Aster Bunnymund, voiced by the charismatic Hugh Jackman, hops into the picture and ultimately becomes an audience favorite because of his ninja-like moves. Tooth, aka Tooth Fairy, added an instant visual spark with her gorgeous peacock colors. The exuberant Isla Fisher, a recent animation favorite with roles in Rango and Horton Hears a Who! voices the jubilant fairy.

The collection of guardians wouldn't have been complete without Sandy, aka Mr. Sandman, the silent and golden hero who makes all of our dreams magical.

This flick is an absolute joy that and will have you reminiscing about these legendary characters for months.

Rise of the Guardians

Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman

Rated PG

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