Rise to the Occasions

Rating: 8/10 (7 April 2013)

Who would dispute that Rise of the Guardians is a gorgeously made animated film, with some awesome characters, fun, adventure and some heart? If so, then you don't believe and you're part of the(ir) problem.
I kid. And, in reality, I didn't want to see this. The trailers didn't interest me, the idea of the "guardians" didn't strike me as original and I really got animated out the last couple of years. BoyI was wrong.
Now, it certainly had its downsides – Santa, er, "North" – was really a (omitted, because, well, uh, this is a children's movie) at times, and probably landed on my bottom five of all Santa's I've seen in movies. (The Easter Bunny was no spring picnic, himself, either.) The heart was there, but it was overshadowed by the adventure and graphics, which, again, were spectacular, but the story always needs to shine above cinematography. And I wanted to like the main star, Jack Frost, more, but he certainly went through the same ole motions of "that reluctant hero" until the very end.
That all said – and I wanted to get that out of the way, I really had a great time during this and did laugh a lot – especially with the elves and Sandy. Will it be an endless animated holiday classic? (Which one, you ask? Eh, pick one.) Don't think so. I certainly believe The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Polar Express trumps this movie, but that doesn't mean it stands alone away from the holidays as a highly exciting adventure.
When the movie begins, we see the origins of Jack Frost and how good he is. I immediately got into his story, because, somehow, I thought he was going to be the villain. I think The Santa Clause 3 warped my fragile little mind on that character. But, alas, after fast-forwarding 300 years, he's still a good and "just wanna have fun" kind of guy. He plays the "where's my place" card and is summoned to join "The Guardians" – a band of childhood fantasy characters whose job is less protection of children as they claim and more focused on making sure children still believe in them. I think Freddy Krueger has played this card more than once
Meanwhile, and the reason of Jack's calling, we have the deliciously fun Pitch, who has the hardest time trying to distinguish himself from Hades of Disney's Hercules from those who grew up on the pre-Pixar animated Disney fare. He's bent on instilling fear into children – oh, he's the Boogeyman, by the way – and casting doubt on the Guardians.
He's a pretty decent villain with some great truths – my kind of cinema bad guy. Despite his charisma, will confused Jack join him, or stick with the Guardians to bring joy to all the children who believe? I repeat: this is a children's movie. So draw your own conclusion.
2012's animated films had their highs and way lows. Rise of the Guardians is certainly in the top portion, and I am sorry I didn't see it in theatres. But, then again, I get burnt out on how many there are and usually suckered into the bottom portion cartoons.
This is a must-see, and if possible, on BluRay. It's absolutely stunning.