Die Hüter des Lichts

Rise of the Guardians has a lovely concept about these imaginary childhood legends. It tells a fascinating new mythology about them. It sets out to be highly imaginative and thoroughly heartfelt. With these people making this film, there is no surprise that they succeeded to execute those ambitions. Though, the storytelling is a bit messy with endless action set pieces. Despite of those flaws, it's still whimsically magical and heartwarming.

The story centers a childhood guardian, Jack Frost. Among the guardians, he's the least known and believed by the children. It's pretty interesting since most of us only know very little about him, we intend to intrigue about his story. When it goes to the famous legends, it gets bigger and quicker with plenty of humor. The film is also an action movie. The action scenes are amazingly done and eye candy, but they somehow get excessive causing a bit mess to the storyline. It's charming when they go to their relationship with the children, and it's appealing when it explores to their worlds.

The characters are wonderful enough. The voice performances are great. Chris Pine's performance is charming enough to keep Jack Frost pretty endearing. Alec Baldwin brings plenty of joy to his character. Hugh Jackman uses his Australian accent to the Easter Bunny which really fits to the character. The rest are expectedly delightful.

The visuals are undeniably astonishing. Every scene of the film is spectacular and beautiful to look at, making the experience very magical. The 3D enhances the experience more or less. The character designs are inspired. I bet many would love the Sandman's that looks so lovable. And the music score adds sweetness to the sequences.

Rise of the Guardians is a little bit disappointing but also a bit satisfying. It has the heart in a right amount but only the half of the film. The rest is all action and having fun, but it's not a bad thing. They just could have moderated the craziness and get a bit of focus to the storyline. The film is still worth watching. It can be a classic if it has a better storytelling but if you don't care then that won't be a problem. Overall, it's filled with excitement and beautiful animation. Rise of the Guardians can be considered one of the great films of the year.

I am 24 year old fairly macho male,but I love animated movies. Me and my wife went and saw this movie on date night and hands down best Christmas movie of all times. It was full of wonderment,amazement and magic.I teared up at least 4 different times during the movie. It made me feel like a kid again it made me believe. I found myself gasping and laughing at the same parts as the the 3 year old little girl sitting 3 seats away was and any movie that can do that is worth seeing. best holiday movie of all times.

I am the wife :) and I found the movie to be equally moving and evoked emotions about the holidays and that I hadn't felt since I was a child. This may seem like a simple children's movie, but it is so much more than that if you really allow yourself to feel the characters. :) I hope you and your family enjoy the movie as much as we did!

The first major family flick of the holidays, this Avengers-for-children boasts the most epic line-up of characters you're likely to see this Summer: Santa (Alec Baldwin), Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), Jack Frost (Chris Pine) and the dream-making Sandman going up against fear himself, Pitch Black (Jude Law). It's a neat concept to begin with, but Dreamworks amps up the fun by contorting our preconceptions of these icons – especially the Easter Bunny, here played as an ocker warrior – and delivering the goods in humour, emotion and action. It goes a moralistic touch too far on occasion, and the story is certainly predictable, but the overwhelming sense of giddy excitement running through the movie's veins outweighs any plot contrivances or missteps that occur. A sweet start to the festive season for kids of all ages – including those in adulthood.

I thought I was probably in a period of time where it would be difficult to sit back and enjoy what is an animated film aimed squarely at kids, but I was indeed surprised by how Rise of the Guardians, based upon The Guardians of Childhood series created by William Joyce, actually encapsulated all the good stuff, from quality of animation, voice casting and to characterization that was pretty basic but good fun. There are many in the same class of late that tried to be too intellectual, but by keeping things simpler, and never forgetting the fun element, Rise of the Guardians stand out from the pack, and dare I say one of the most enjoyable animated movies of the year.

This is the story of a new Guardian, Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine), who's about to join the ranks of other luminaries such as Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) and very silent Mr Sandman, all of whom thrive in today's world being the beacon of hope, and everything good, to all the little children of the world. Chosen by The Man in the Moon, the Guardians and the children form a very symbiotic relationship, that the chosen few are there to safeguard the well being of the young, while the latter fuel the powers of the Guardians through sheer belief in their existence. Lose one, and you lose the other side quite quickly.

The narrative develops at breakneck pace, with introduction to the Guardians, their abilities, and the threat from arch enemy Pitch Black (Jude Law) being the boogeyman personified, thriving on fear and nightmares, and hell bent on snuffing out hope and joy amongst the children. There's a running theme of being alone, and forgotten, that pops up every now and then, being the common thread between antagonist, and the new kid on the block, who is confused as to who he is, and what his destiny lies ahead. It's somewhat of a zero to hero story, about finding one's purpose and calling in life, and the making of sacrifices to get there. Wholesome themes somewhat, for young ones to be able to sit through and enjoy.

We would already be very familiar with the many main characters such as Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Sandman and Easter Bunny, but what Rise of the Guardians managed to do, is to introduce a little spin of fresh air into these characters, making them unique yet retaining many of their iconic traits that make them who they are. This is something I'd really liked, and had kept me engaged, eagerly waiting for yet another surprise to pop up now and then. Santa Claus complete with tattoos, swords and a thick Russian accent? The Tooth Fairy who is part hummingbird? The Easter Bunny as Australian and with something kept up the sleeve by the story tellers for the final act, and how about The Sandman who's a lot more powerful than he looks? And they offer a lot more in terms of abilities, cause and what they bring to the table, limited only by the powers of the filmmakers' imagination.

It's preaching fun, and never to lose sight of having a little fun in life, and the movie walked the talk by filling itself with plenty of side gags, contributed by the many supporting acts each established Guardian came with, such as Santa's tiny elves, and Tooth Fairy's lovelorn fairies who swoon at the presence of Jack Frost, for his perfect pearly whites of course. You'll never look at Santa's lodge and elves in the same way ever again, nor will you at the Tooth Fairy's and Easter Bunny's operations. These unique perspectives, seen and told through the eyes of the protagonist Jack Frost, makes it a journey that we're emotionally vested into from the start, right until the end, and to me they did not disappoint a bit.

While I hadn't watched this in 3D or IMAX versions, there are enough set action pieces that tried to exploit these formats, which I suppose either format would have enveloped the viewer and provided a more vivid experience, especially with characters being made to pursue and battle each other in the air, or the numerous extravaganza moments where the prowess of the characters will wow. The quality of animation is superb and is the score contributed by Alexandre Desplat, and again, the simple tale, its treatment and development, are refreshing in not biting off more than it can chew.

Director Peter Ramsey has now launched his career with a very solid delivery of a film for children, and balanced this appeal for the adults as well. I'm already all for a sequel should one be created, but as a standalone, this one is definitely for keeps. Highly recommended!

Before I discuss what I thought of this film, my oldest daughter insists I talk about the film as seen in theaters. She LOVED the animation and when we watched it on Cinemax HD on our large HDTV, it apparently lost a lot according to her. A lot of the wonderful details were lost and the beauty of the film was lost--at least to some extent. Just thought I'd mention this.

As for the film, the plot is quite strange. Among the many fictional characters (though they are real in this film), the Boogeyman is intent on filling the world with awful dreams and driving out all sense of hope or joy. To counter this, Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman all seek out a new guardian--a strange character that will help them fight Mr. Boogey. This character is the hipster-like Jack Frost. Together they do battle to save the children of the world and keep faith in them alive.

Overall, while a gorgeous film, the plot is a bit limp and is more of an excuse to show off the lovely CGI. Not a great movie but worth seeing. I especially liked Alec Baldwin as the Russian version of Santa--what an interesting accent and characterization.