12 Reviews of Christmas - Rise of the Guardians (2012)

            Hey guys, Chuck here, and we're back for more 12 Reviews of Christmas . Today, I'm taking a look at the 2012 DreamWorks animated film Rise of the Guardians, based on the book series The Guardians of Childhood, this movie features the voice talents of Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, and Alec Baldwin. 

            So, the story goes that the four major mythical figures (Santa Claus, the Sandman, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy) are collectively known as the Guardians, and their job is to protect the children of the world. Each Guardian has a "center," which is their main focus and what they are a Guardian of. For example, Santa is the Guardian of Wonder, Tooth Fairy is the Guardian of Memories, Easter Bunny is the Guardian of Hope, and Sandman is the Guardian of Dreams. One day, however, the spirit that brought them together, the Man in the Moon, informs them that a fifth Guardian is being called to join their ranks. The other four are shocked to learn the identity of this fifth Guardian: Jack Frost. 

           Jack is a consummate troublemaker, and his greatest joy is making it snow, thus making Snow days for all of the children of the world. However, unlike the Guardians, children don't believe in Jack, thus he is forever the unseen Spirit of Winter. It's also at this time where we learn of Pitch Black, a denizen of darkness whose goal is to fill the children with fear. To this end, he works to weaken the Guardians by destroying the childrens' belief in them, seemingly destroying Sandman completely, and rendering Tooth Fairy, Santa, and Easter Bunny powerless. Pitch also attempts to recruit Jack, who refuses and is left alone in the Antarctic, only after saving the kidnapped Baby Tooth, who is one of Tooth Fairy's helpers, recovering the teeth Pitch stole. 

        Jack, whose memories of his life were lost, looks at the memories locked inside of his own collection of teeth, learns that when he was still human, he'd saved his little sister from drowning in an icy pond, drowning himself in the process. It was here where the Man in the Moon brought him back as who he is now, and cut to the present where Jack restores his cane and goes to work in renewing the beliefs of the children. He starts with a kid named Jamie, who is the last standing true believer at this point, and Jamie becomes the first to believe in and see Jack. The two gather his friends, and bolster their beliefs in the rest of the Guardians, this giving them back their powers. Also, the strength of their dreams becomes strong enough to restore Sandman, and their lack of belief in Pitch weakens him, and his shadowy minions drag him back to the Underworld. The movie ends with Jack accepting his role as a Guardian: the Guardian of Fun. 

         This movie is definitely one that is unique, as the idea of Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman being these all-powerful Guardians of Childhood is a really neat premise. One thing that is also neat is that Santa has a Russian accent, Easter Bunny has an Australian accent, and both Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost have American accents. Sandman, however, doesn't speak, and he communicates by projecting thoughts into images, which is really cool. 

           Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Chris Pine, and Hugh Jackman are all excellent as the main characters, with Jude Law giving a chilling performance as Pitch. All five of them were terrific, but Chris Pine and Alec Baldwin are the two stand-outs in the movie as Jack Frost and Santa Claus. 

         I enjoyed this one, and I'm definitely not alone there. It's for that reason that I am giving Rise of the Guardians a rating of 5/5. Definitely give it a watch. Well, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll be back tomorrow with my review of a It's a Wonderful Life as we continue 12 Reviews of Christmas.

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