Featured Audience Ratings

• Greg S

  
  Eternal teenager Jack Frost reluctantly joins the legendary Guardians (including Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc.) who protect the world's children from the Boogeyman. It has a few issues, and some of the action scenes look like pitches for theme park rides, but any movie that… More
  Eternal teenager Jack Frost reluctantly joins the legendary Guardians (including Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc.) who protect the world's children from the Boogeyman. It has a few issues, and some of the action scenes look like pitches for theme park rides, but any movie that depicts Santa Claus as a tatted-up saber-wielding Cossack with an army of Yetis is at least willing to take chances.

• Manu G

  
  When darkness falls, the Guardians will rise. Decent movie but not great! The plot is heavily about the idea of believing. We are told to believe in Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, The Sandman and Jack Frost. Yet there's an underlying issue that goes unresolved.… More
  When darkness falls, the Guardians will rise. Decent movie but not great! The plot is heavily about the idea of believing. We are told to believe in Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, The Sandman and Jack Frost. Yet there's an underlying issue that goes unresolved. Two of the heroes - Santa and The Easter Bunny - are attached to holidays with religious themes, specifically the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. The Bunny comes close to explaining the meaning of his holiday by reminding Jack that "Easter is about new beginnings", but he stops short of getting deeper than that. It seems rather cheap to ask kids to hold on to their faith in Santa and The Tooth Fairy but makes no mention of God. What's the message there? Give us chases and fight scenes, but don't ask us for anything more. That seems rather false. Now the million dollar question: will kids enjoy it? Likely, but it will probably appeal more to the kids than to the parents. It is a fun movie with lots of bright colors and colorful characters and fun chase scenes. The villain meets an inevitable fate and the heroes are united as one. All your basic stuff. It's a good movie, an entertaining movie, but not one that is likely to be handed down through the generations. Although, be warned, The Easter Bunny sports a boomerang and your kids may want one for Christmas. 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 imaginations of children all over the world.

• Anthony L

  
  Rise of the Guardians hit Dreamworks hard. I really don't see why though? Maybe the marketing was a little slack, it's not really a Christmas film but many thought and still think it is. Maybe Dreamworks had unrealistic targets, it really wouldn't surprise me these days… More
  Rise of the Guardians hit Dreamworks hard. I really don't see why though? Maybe the marketing was a little slack, it's not really a Christmas film but many thought and still think it is. Maybe Dreamworks had unrealistic targets, it really wouldn't surprise me these days as films are regarded as failures if they don't make a billion or don't make 100 times what they cost to make. Unfortunately, this is almost like they're admitting that the film wasn't very good. People wont watch and I know of people who aren't interested because of this. The film was only released a few months ago but Dreamworks admitted defeat after the first weekend. It's a puzzling state of affairs, especially as Rise of the Guardians is a very good film. I was initially unconvinced by the style of animation but that didn't last long, I loved the way each character was represented. Maybe people didn't like Santa's Russian accent, maybe they didn't like his Tattoos or the fact he wasn't quite as fat and Rosy as he is usually portrayed. Who knows, I know I liked it though, it's tons better than the majority of animated films that have come out in the last decade. I hope the trend of film failure due to the public's lack of imagination rather than the film makers end soon but then the public have been spoon fed crap for many years so maybe it's comeuppance!

• Phil H

  
  Another children's storybook is adapted for the movies, I never knew there were so many popular children's books! one after another every year. I have never heard of the author and I've never heard of the book/s but I was intrigued by the 'Avengers' like team… More
  Another children's storybook is adapted for the movies, I never knew there were so many popular children's books! one after another every year. I have never heard of the author and I've never heard of the book/s but I was intrigued by the 'Avengers' like team up of well known fabled holiday characters. It sounded a bit whimsical and babyish at first but the animation looked so good I gave it a go. First impressions were 'holy Buzz Lightyear!!', the visuals in this film are fudging excellent!!. This film looks sharp and crisp believe me, its a feast for the eyes on every level and in every sequence. Either when the atmosphere is fun and joyous or when it dark, brooding and nightmarish, it all looks tremendous. Not only are the colours beautiful and animation slick, the characters all look good too! and that includes the human characters which often aren't as exciting as the fantasy ones. There is almost a Disney look about the humans here, the big clear eyes, smooth faces, plus 'The Boogeyman' looks very much like 'Hades' from 'Disney's Hercules'. Not only do all the characters look good but their facial expressions are really well done too, right down to the smallest change depending on the emotion eg. raising an eyebrow or shaking of the head. I think what they have managed to do is get the voices synced precisely with changing facial expressions, this is why it looks so flawless, very impressed. The odd thing about this film is the legendary characters, I dunno if they are like this in the book but there are some strange ideas here. While 'Jack Frost' is imagined nicely, almost like a winter elf of sorts, the others are...curious. Good old Santa or 'North' is made out as a huge bearded old fella as expected but he's...Russian??. A thick Russian accent, carries Russian swords into battle, wears a thick black traditional Russian hat (Cossack Cap hat I think) and his traditional Santa suit of red n white trim now has thick black furry trim giving that Soviet military feel. But I gotta admit it lends well to the cold, snowy, frozen image of his background. Oh and one more thing...he has tattoo's on his forearms, yep you read that correctly, 'naughty' and 'nice' tattoo's on each forearm that look like they are part of sleeves actually!. Next up is the Easter Bunny or 'E. Aster Bunnymund'. Now this guy also has some kind of tribal markings on his fur in various places, dresses like a 'wookie', has an Australian accent and carries two boomerangs into battle. The Tooth Fairy 'Tooth', looks a bit like a mermaid crossed with a hummingbird and is very colourful, she has hundreds of little baby Tooth Fairies that assist her. Lastly we have the Sandman 'Sandy', a short tubby little fellow who is completely sandy in colour and communicates via sand images that he conjures above his head. A weird set of ideas for traditional characters of lore but this is what I liked about the film to be honest. Yes the plot is completely mundane and has not one inch of originality in its run time, the good guys team together to beat the bad guy, high points, low points, high points once more for the finale, good guys win, the end. Nothing remotely surprising or unpredictable so don't think otherwise. Its the spectacle and characters that are the winner for me, some lovely moments that will make you smile or put a lump in you're throat. As said the way the characters have been approached are bizarre but original (only original thing here), the tiny little jingle bell hat wearing elves that help Santa are great for a giggle, the yeti's that also help Santa are a fun touch too. Must also gives kudos for the voice casting which really combines to make the characters well rounded, haven't heard such good voice work for ages. Jackman manages his Aussie accent again whilst Baldwin is really good as a Russian Santa (didn't even realise it was him!). Total feel good film with grade A standard animation from Dreamworks (one in the eye for Pixar). I mean really, if you didn't like this then you gotta be a bit cold inside, sure its a soppy kids film but the crack team of elite holiday guardians put a smile on my face. I really wanted to see more guardians but to be honest I struggled to think of anymore, a Leprechaun was mentioned for St Patrick's Day, I presume...maybe a red dragon for St George's Day? I'm sure there are some other good foreign ones. But yeah, totally 'The Avengers' for the very young, I like it.

• Alice S

  
  Very thrilling tale about the origin of Jack Frost. The narrative is a bit long and meandering in parts, but all the characters are cute and silly. Like Thomas in "Pocahontas," Jack Frost is too sexy to be a cartoon character :~/

• Sanjaya &

  
  Fresh, funny, yet amazing animated movie based on children's belief about their guardian.. Dreamworks has did it again for making a movie that not only came from a fresh idea but also make the audiences stunned with the effects they had in here.. North (Santa Claus), Bunny… More
  Fresh, funny, yet amazing animated movie based on children's belief about their guardian.. Dreamworks has did it again for making a movie that not only came from a fresh idea but also make the audiences stunned with the effects they had in here.. North (Santa Claus), Bunny (Easter Bunny), Tooth (Tooth Fairy), and Sandman with the help of a new guardian Jack Frost must save the world from the danger of Pitch the Boogeyman.. Even the voices of those character came from famous actors such as Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Chris Pine, and Isla Fisher, a truly Dreamworks trademark.. But I must be honest that some scenes of this movie seems flat and got me a little bored at the middle of the movie even though the stunning animation they had in here.. But overall, I must say that Dreamworks did a quite great job with this movie and I'm really curious if they're gonna make a sequel of this movie or not..

• c0up  

  
  'Rise of the Guardians'. A very clever re-imagining of childhood legends, and the best animated feature of the year. The exhilarating movement that's produced time and time again is a ball to watch!

• Candy R

  
  Good animation with an interesting storyline. Children's guardians - Santa, tooth fairy, Jack Frost, Easter bunny and sandman rise up against the boogeyman. Famous voices - Chris Pine, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin.

• E.J. B

  
  Essentially a family-friendly holiday version of The Avengers, Rise of the Guardians is a lot of fun. It's about time a movie not only gives Jack Frost a name, but actually portrays him as a fully dimensional character. Santa, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy are… More
  Essentially a family-friendly holiday version of The Avengers, Rise of the Guardians is a lot of fun. It's about time a movie not only gives Jack Frost a name, but actually portrays him as a fully dimensional character. Santa, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy are great supporting heroes who have unique personalities that pair together with great chemistry and a lot of humour. The world they inhabit is a colourful, beautifully rendered one. There's enough here that will entertain young kids as well as parents. It's a got a kind heart, a nasty villain, and a fast pace that rarely slows down. This is a welcome alternative to the majority of Oscar-bait and late season blockbusters playing at every cinema near you.

• Drake T

  
  Rise of the Guardians is fundamentally simplistic. From it's formulaic story to it's reluctant hero archetype with a "dark mysterious past" there just isn't much wiggle room for imagination in that department. A lot of the dialogue also comes out heavy… More
  Rise of the Guardians is fundamentally simplistic. From it's formulaic story to it's reluctant hero archetype with a "dark mysterious past" there just isn't much wiggle room for imagination in that department. A lot of the dialogue also comes out heavy handed, which makes the movie feel like it was written by a couple of whining depressed teenagers, patronizing the older audiences. But lets take a moment to forget all that because... sometimes formulas/archetypes work. (Paranorman) Sometimes simple storylines are there for purity and can resonate when a film makes a huge enough effort to fill it with little bits and pieces that create it's own voice. So despite the shit dialogue and trite story, RotG was a beautifully designed, fast pace animated action adventure full of epic magical battles. If I was 12 and saw this I'd think it was freaking awesome and would want to be Jack Frost immediately.\ As a 24 year old man I see an action adventure with some of the most amazing character designs, set pieces and well choreographed battles ever from Dreamworks. Also congrats on them for moving away from excessive pop-culture reference jokes in a modern premise, really. Earlier I mentioned "little things" that give RoTG it's own voice. THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS that did it for me! The way the Tooth fairies were designed, the way each tooth-case opened up with a person's memories, how Santa was a dual sword wielding badass Russian or how his workers were yetis instead of the elves, how they had a "European division" cameo of the tooth mouse, the Easter island/egg type juggernaut walking around... etc. etc. The list can go on. Granted... I thought Pitch's design was very unimaginative and boring or like how every nightmare was a evil horse. Or that Jack was just wearing a lame blue hoodie and is essentially created to be the biggest Bishonen lady-killer ever. It's a good movie maybe even great, for sure. But to say it's amazing or has something for everyone? Nah. Only if you're a sucker for great character/environment design and epic magic battles which I am :]

• Jan Marc M

  
  A re-imagination of well-loved childhood beliefs, Rise of the Guardians (2012, USA) is innocent and benevolent suitable for children and adults alike.

• Everett J

  
  When I first saw previews for this I was pretty underwhelmed and imagined it would be a bad, cheesy kids movie. It's always a good thing to have low expectations and be wrong. This is a smart, touching take on classic characters that all kids know and believe in. The premise… More
  When I first saw previews for this I was pretty underwhelmed and imagined it would be a bad, cheesy kids movie. It's always a good thing to have low expectations and be wrong. This is a smart, touching take on classic characters that all kids know and believe in. The premise is about a group known as the Guardians. They consists of Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman, and they get a new member in Jack Frost. Upon Frost's arrival an evil figure known as Pitch(aka the Boogeyman) who threatens to turn the children of the world's love into fear, and destroy the Guardians. May sound a little odd and cheesy, but it's really not. It's very well made with some of the best animation of the year. I didn't see this in 3D, but I can say I will definitely be getting this in 3D blu ray, because I'm sure the 3D is awesome. I can see this being the beginning of a franchise as the material could easily spawn a couple more flicks. Good movies that will bring out the kid in you.

• Directors C

  
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] It's incredible how Dreamworks Animation has brought us some terrific animated films since the studio's small begginings, like each studio however they dropped the ball a few times. I'm not… More
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] It's incredible how Dreamworks Animation has brought us some terrific animated films since the studio's small begginings, like each studio however they dropped the ball a few times. I'm not saying for a second that their latest, Rise Of The Guardians is a massive failure. But what I can say is that it's neither the masterfully constructed piece of dark, edgy poetry, or cute wise cracking kiddy fun that it thinks it is. I think one of the main problems is Guillermo Del Toro's involvement. Now i'm not pointing out that having him on the project was necessarily a bad thing. Personally I think he is the good hearted saviour of modern cinema in a world where countless franchises rule. But the horrible truth is that the film is essentialy a cash cow. As was a previous Dreamworks effort, How To Train Your Dragon. But this posesses none of the heart, or the great script, or the mind blowing story of that film. With all of it's colourful characters and universes, this is set up to make big bucks. I also think that a lot of Del Toro can go a long way, and since he became executive producer on a handful of the recently released Dreamworks animated films he's injected a lot of Pans Labyrinth-esque darkness into them. I love Pan's Labyrinth but there was an innocence in it that doesn't work with kids movies. This should have had a lot more comic relief, but it rather focused on plot. I admire that, but nevertheless it needed more humour and a much better story. On the plus side as per usual, the animation is beautiful, particularly Roger Deakins (who lit most of the Coen Brother's films) breathtaking cinematography. The voice acting is all around good, the directing is amazing, the wit and charm of most Dreamworks animated productions are there. Then again it has characters ranting on about clichés such as destiny and characters finding "who they are". So, as a kids film it is passable. As a teenager who want anime style/Pan's Labyrinth darkness, it is also passable. It borders too much on the line between comedic and serious, but while it lasts it's quite fun. By a great length it's not my favourite film from the studio, and definitely a weak film when it comes to the talent that is Guillermo Del Toro. But personally, I love seeing Hugh Jackman voicing the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus with a Russian accent. So i'm glad I saw it because evidently the charm is there. But I wouldn't jump to see it again.

• Mark H

  
  Rise of the Guardians fails as an interesting story. Characters pop up at random times, do their thing then disappear. There isn't any rhyme or reason to this mess. The dialogue is full of bland pronouncements that are so boring they don't even register: "It is our job… More
  Rise of the Guardians fails as an interesting story. Characters pop up at random times, do their thing then disappear. There isn't any rhyme or reason to this mess. The dialogue is full of bland pronouncements that are so boring they don't even register: "It is our job to protect the children of the world. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives," says Santa at one point. Zzzzzzzz. "Why me?" Jack asks when they select him. "You have something special inside. I can feel it... " says Santa. That's about as deep as it gets. There's some breathtaking visuals to be sure and there are a few chuckles here and there, but the action is way too cluttered and frantic to truly appreciate the animated details. There's lots of dazzling displays that the latest 3-D computer technology can muster, but it does nothing for the story other than to show how much money DreamWorks has to spend. I've always been a fan of Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Pitch Black, the Boogeyman, kind of recalls a male version of Maleficent, the evil sorceress from that film (and the best Disney villain ever incidentally). I was really rooting for him in fact. There's even a climatic battle featuring a sand glitter vs. black dust face-off between the Boogeyman and the Sandman. It was pretty at least. fastfilmreviews.wordpress.com

• Liam G

  
  A mediocre first half elevated by a very entertaining and surprisingly heartfelt second half.

• Nate Z

  
  Dreamworks animation has long existed in the mighty shadow of Pixar, but as of late the studios might at a creative crossroads. After the excellent Kung Fu Panda films and How to Train Your Dragon, suddenly Dreamworks animated movies matured beyond feverish, pop-culture explosions and… More
  Dreamworks animation has long existed in the mighty shadow of Pixar, but as of late the studios might at a creative crossroads. After the excellent Kung Fu Panda films and How to Train Your Dragon, suddenly Dreamworks animated movies matured beyond feverish, pop-culture explosions and into character-driven, colorful, and genuinely heartfelt family films. I don't think we'll be getting something as dismal as Shark Tale again with the current path the studio is blazing. Rise of the Guardians looks like the pilot for a new lucrative Dreamworks family franchise. It's easy to see the appeal for a superhero assembly of fantasy figures, though is every region going to have working knowledge of the Tooth Fairy? The movie just looked too silly to function for me, but I was optimistic after raves from a few trusted friends. Perhaps my own childlike sense of wonder is permanently replaced with a heart of stone, but I found Rise of the Guardians to be a somewhat entertaining but mostly stilted, intellectual and emotional, journey. The guardians are an ancient group of holiday-themed characters entrusted with keeping the sense of wonder alive in children. There's Santa Claus, a.k.a. North (voiced by Alec Baldwin), and his army of yetti workers, the tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and her own collection agency of tooth-gathering fairies, the Sandman, in charge of the sweet dreams of children, and the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), an Australian jack rabbit with a bit of a chip on his bunny shoulder. The world is threatened by Pitch (Jude Law), a bogeyman who desperately desires children to fear him again, because belief is what powers the Guardians. To stop Pitch and his array of nightmare creatures, the Guardians must add another member to their outlet, Jack Frost (Chris Pine). Except Jack has no interest in joining this fuddy-duddy group and would rather do his own thing, which usually involves wrecking havoc. Jack's desperate to find out his past and figure out why he was chosen for his immortal role and what it will take to make kids believe in him. Ultimately, I just couldn't really get into this movie. It's set up like an Avengers team of children's fantasy figures, but I felt like the movie failed to make me emotionally connect with their plights. The Jack Frost protagonist was another tired variation on the selfish, plays-by-his-own-rules cowboy character that needs to learn a dash of personal responsibility and putting others first. But his goal is essentially to be... seen. He's worried kids will never see him because they won't ever believe in him. That's a fairly abstract existential crisis for your main character to have, and one that I found too odd to care about. The entire core of the movie revolves around children's sense of belief, and unless you're twisting this into some general statement about the purpose of faith (the Man in the Moon = God?), then I find it all to be silly considering we're talking about the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny. I mean, the main kid has to be eight or nine years old and still fervently believes in these mythical creatures, to the point that he is literally the only person on the planet who believes at one dour point (sheesh, talk about how easily disillusioned kids can get these days). We're celebrating a kid going into adolescence believing in these things. That just smacks me as a little weird if you stop and think about the film's implications. This kid is going to grow up socially warped. Then again his beliefs are proven right, so maybe it's just the rest of us cynical bastards out there who need to adapt. I guess I'm going to go accept my fate and be a crotchety old man now. The plot feels too airy for my liking, too frenetic to get to the next set piece or chase sequence. It doesn't feel like it ever takes the time to settle down and develop its characters or story. As a result, we're left with a fairly middling backstory for Jack Frost that should be easy to figure out, but we're also stuck in a world that doesn't feel like the rules have been sufficiently explained. Case in point: the Tooth Fairy keeps all those baby teeth in one huge archive because, you see, the teeth hold memories. I guess. But then Jack's after his own teeth to retrieve his forgotten past (yes folks, we have an amnesiac protagonist). I'm okay with this so far though it's a tad forced, but when Jack does get those teeth, he's presented with memories at the age of 18. I know people suffered through poor dental hygiene hundreds of years ago, but you cannot expect me to believe that Jack is still losing baby teeth. This is just one example where the movie didn't come across as fully formed. The Guardians all seem to possess different super powers involving space-time travel, but then they don't seem to do anything with these abilities that matters by the final battle. Pitch has the ability to craft nightmare creatures and all he does is end up making wispy evil-looking horses. That seems like a waste. There are not enough payoffs here with all the imaginative possibilities. Rise of the Guardians has some enjoyable moments but it practically relies upon you to supply all the work as far as character empathy. We're familiar with these magical figures, and so the movie gets by because we put in the emotional connection to Santa and the Easter Bunny, but the characters just don't register on the page, at least with this story. I don't know if David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbithole, Inkheart) was the best candidate for the job, but he doesn't give me enough reasons to engage with the movie. The characters are lackluster, their conflicts feel too abstract, the conclusion feels superfluous, and the world feels poorly defined, developed, and unsatisfying. I like Chris Pine (Unstoppable) as an actor, but the man brings absolutely nothing to the table when it comes to voice acting. Baldwin (Rock of Ages) and Jackman's (Real Steel) performances are defined by their respective accents. I feel like Hollywood needs some sort of seminal moment to go back to genuine voice artists rather than hiring whatever celebrity. Yes we all enjoyed Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin, but are you going to tell me that Pine's vocal work was so exceptional he had to be cast? It's like having celebrities provide the voices for the helium-sounding Chipmunks. The best voice actor in the film is clearly Law (Sherlock Holmes) who does such a good job I felt more sympathy for him than I did Jack Frost. I know it's commonplace in movies for the hero and the villain to have some duality, but I wasn't probably supposed to jump ship as far as loyalty. Maybe I just found the actual kids in the movie to be annoying so I didn't mind a magical creature preying upon their collective childhood fear. It reminded me of the space cloud villain from 2011's Green Lantern flop, where I wondered if this fear-sucking cloud sought out the delicacy of children's fears first. To top it all off, I found myself left rather cold by the visual aesthetics of the movie. It has this overly androgynous, big-eyed anime feel, and I kept getting the sense that the whole movie looked like an extended video game cut scene. This movie even had Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy) and the brilliant cinematographer Roger Deakens (Skyfall) as producers or visual consultants, so I'm even more baffled at how visually poor I found the movie. The colors are so muddy and the visuals felt so limited for me, especially considering the imaginative parameters of the characters and their respective worlds. I thought Pitch seemed oddly similar in visual approach to Hades in Disney's underrated Hercules. The action sequences had some nice visual panache to them as far as choreography, but I couldn't stop thinking how cruddy and dreary everything looked. Rise of the Guardians is based upon a series of yet-to-be published books by famed author William Joyce, who won an Oscar himself the previous year for the animated short, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. I feel like that short was a better representation of magic and imagination than this film. The humor, the life lessons, the character development, it all felt so stilted to me. I thought the conflicts were too abstract and hard to care about (oh no, people have stopped believing in the Tooth Fairy!) and the world and rules felt too amorphous, poorly explained and creatively handicapped. If you're going for a fantasy setting with larger-than-life figures, each with certain gifts and powers, hen I want the promise of that setup to be fulfilled. Rise of the Guardians isn't a bad movie by any means but it left me cold and indifferent. It's meant to strike at my childish sense of wonder, but I felt too often like a cynical adult, picking apart the frailties of its storytelling and muddy visual designs. It felt like it was missing the best magic of all: gifted storytelling. You'll probably have more fun than I did, but that's just because I probably have no soul. Nate's Grade: B-

• KJ P

  
  A heartfelt kids film in the same vein as the Avengers that a family of all ages can enjoy. I had tears in my eyes throughout a huge portion of the film, because it brought me back to my childhood. "Rise of the Guardians" follows Jack Frost, who has a pretty dark backstory,… More
  A heartfelt kids film in the same vein as the Avengers that a family of all ages can enjoy. I had tears in my eyes throughout a huge portion of the film, because it brought me back to my childhood. "Rise of the Guardians" follows Jack Frost, who has a pretty dark backstory, as he is en route to become a guardian of the world. As the sandman, Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy recruit Jack Frost to protect the planet from the boogeyman interfering with the beliefs of children, they must also face the fact that kids do not believe in Jack Frost. This adventure is one that kept me smiling the entire way through. It's not a perfect film, and there are definite moments of cheesiness, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. It is a very fun film. Great fun for any holiday season!

• danny d

  
  with this film, i was looking forward to a good time, but didnt expect much. what i got was a great film, probably the best animated film of 2012. the script is rich with human theses, religious allegory and imagery, and the magic one expects from a film about our favorite legendary… More
  with this film, i was looking forward to a good time, but didnt expect much. what i got was a great film, probably the best animated film of 2012. the script is rich with human theses, religious allegory and imagery, and the magic one expects from a film about our favorite legendary characters from our childhood. the film does a great job of portraying hope, and the characters were designed and used really well, but for the exception of santa claus in certain respects. there is a flawed point of logic in the way the characters interact with human belief, but for the most part this is a well written film, and a lot of fun.

• Aaron N

  
  North: It is our job to protect the children of the world. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives. This would seem like the perfect time for a movie like Rise of the Guardians to come out. It arrives in theaters in the same year that audiences around… More
  North: It is our job to protect the children of the world. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives. This would seem like the perfect time for a movie like Rise of the Guardians to come out. It arrives in theaters in the same year that audiences around the globe have already witnessed the ultimate superhero mash-up film, The Avengers, watched the end of Batman's journey in The Dark Knight Rises, and are preparing to take a step back into Middle Earth with The Hobbit. An animated hero's journey film that combines Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost in an adventure together feels pretty appropriate. However, while imaginative in its visuals, the film feels like it is riding on assumed knowledge regarding these characters in a very familiar story. I will be curious to see if family audiences embrace this as new holiday favorite, but for the time being, Rise of the Guardians provides some fun. read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com

• Bradley W

  
  Rise of the Guardians is a fun and exciting animated movie that both kids and adults will love, but it also feels like it has a story that has been done many times before. We all believed in these holiday figures when we were kids, I loved thinking about Santa Clause or the Easter… More
  Rise of the Guardians is a fun and exciting animated movie that both kids and adults will love, but it also feels like it has a story that has been done many times before. We all believed in these holiday figures when we were kids, I loved thinking about Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny coming into my home and leaving me presents and eggs, and that is part of the charm of this movie. The writers know that kids and adults all loved these figures at one point in their life, and so making a movie where they all team up to protect us actually sounds like a lot of fun. The movie has a lot of likable characters and has a lot of heart, so you can believe me when I say that this is a very good film. But I also felt like this kind of story has been done many times before and that I could predict how this movie was going to play out. I saw "Wreck-It Ralph" a few weeks ago and it was one of the most original animated movies I have seen in several years, and that is what made it a terrific film. This story is a lot of fun, but I just wish that they had tried harder to make it more original for the adults. But I must also remember that this is a children's movie, and the children are going to have a lot of fun here. This is pretty much an animated version of "The Avengers" since both films involve heroes all teaming up to save the world. I really enjoyed this movie and I had a really fun time, and despite my small problem with the story, this is still a good movie that people of all ages will enjoy and have a fun time. The story follows a group of Guardians, which include Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy. When an evil villain called the Boogeyman threatens the dreams and hopes of children everywhere, they must recruit the help of Jack Frost, a fun loving Guardian, and save the world. The plot of this movie may not be as original as I had hoped, but it's still a story that had me smiling the whole time I was watching. It's filled with enjoyable characters and a good message that will have everyone in a good mood and will also have adults really appreciating their innocent childhood of imagination. This story has come from a series of children books called The Guardians of Childhood which I have never read, but all the kids in my movie theater seem to have. It's really an interesting concept to bring all our holiday heroes together to fight evil, but what surprised me was that my favorite hero was actually the one nobody ever talks about, Jack Frost. Jack Frost is a lovable and fun loving teenager and he really just seemed laid back and likable, even though he has had a rough life. We learn a lot about his background and by the end of the movie I wish there actually was a holiday for this guy. Santa had a Russian accent and it made him really lovable, the Easter Bunny was great but Hugh Jackmans performance of him was simply brilliant, and the Tooth Fairy and Sandman both just brought more fun to the screen. I even found the Boogeyman to be a good villain, and every good movie about heroes needs a good villain. Children don't care about how original a film is, and even some adults don't, and that is why no matter who you are most people should find this film to be entertaining. I may not have found the story original or anything new, but I still loved watching every minute of this movie and its great characters. The voice cast was one of the main reasons that these heroes were so likable, because for the adults we could laugh at the people behind the animation. Chris Pine brings a lot of life to the character of Jack Frost, and it may sound weird but I just love hearing his voice. He has a voice that is calm and cool, and it perfectly suited this kind of character. Alec Baldwin doing a Russian accent as Santa Clause actually had me laughing but also bringing a different kind of Santa that nobody has seen before. Hugh Jackman as the Easter Bunny was a stroke of brilliance. I mean somebody must've been laughing when this tough of a man was playing a rabbit, but surprisingly his tough and powerful role as the Easter Bunny gave me a new respect for the holiday figure and made me enjoy him. Isla Fisher has a comforting voice which made her character as the Tooth fairy to be the sort of voice of reason that everyone could love. Jude Law gave a great performance as well, as his voice is the reason that I found the villain to actually be threatening. He makes the character much darker and serious which is just what a movie like this needs, and I was happy they chose the right guy for the job. This has an all-star cast of actors, and they all made me proud to be watching this film. Rise of the Guardians is a fun and lovable animated film, but what I was really excited to see in this film was the animation itself, and I can tell your right now that this is one of the most beautiful animated films in many years. As soon as saw the trailer I was amazed at how beautiful the animation looked and was excited to see a movie with as great looking characters and settings as this. I think what mostly impressed I was the Sandman, because watching what kinds of things he makes with the sand just had me realizing how far animation has gone in the past few years. I mean think about it, about 15 years ago people were amazed when computer animation was able to show water on the big screen. Now they have created an animated action movie with some of the best animation that you could find anywhere. DreamWorks Animation has always been able to bring fun and beautiful films, and here they once again show how far they have gone in their animation. Director Peter Ramsey really knows how to bring the audience and beautiful and solid animated movie that the audience will love. I can already tell this is the kind of film that is going to start a franchise, and I am actually excited to see another adventure with these characters. This movie will bring you back to the old days when we all believed in these heroes, and so I urge you to see this movie as soon as you can, no matter how old you are.

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