I would see this again in a second I'm already making plans to take friends to it

Rating: 10/10 (23 November 2012)

Sean McQuillan www.thatsmye.com
Dreamworks animation has not quite had the success rate of Pixar, but if Rise of the Guardians is any example of where they're heading, they're on a good path. RotG is like a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen of children's fables that band together to protect the children of the world from fear itself. Led by Santa Claus, the Guardians include the Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, and the Sandman. An old evil that thrives on the fear of children is returning, and the powers that be have chosen a new guardian to rise to the occasion, Jack Frost. Can Frost rise to legendary status of his peers? Will he be able to dispel fear and bring joy to the children? It's an amazing ride through fantastic worlds to find out.
The design of the characters really drew me into this one, when I first saw the trailer. Santa is an enormous, tattooed, urshanka wearing, sword wielding, commander of Yetis. Tooth Fairy is designed after a beautiful humming bird, as are her fairy minions. The villain has a sleek design with piercing eyes. I was not disappointed. This movie is beautiful. The set pieces are brilliant and epic, yet subtle. You can see the influence of Pan's Laberynth Director, Gillermo Del Torro, who was an executive producer here. The animation is great, and makes real good use of the 3D, which I fully admit I normally dislike.
The voice casting is superb, Chris Pine holds his own as Jack Frost, while Alec Balwin is almost unrecognizable as North (Santa). The biggest highlight for me is Jude Law as the villain. You can hear a snippet of him in the trailer. The children in the room have young voice actors, but are all greats.
The review might seem a little unbalanced, but I'm really struggling to come up with any big flaws. It is a great film for children and adults alike. Some people say it might be too scary for kids, but at its core the movie is about overcoming fear. It is an epic romp. It's not really a Christmas movie, as much as a winter movie. Go see it! Here's a trailer and character posters to hold you off until it's released.