Much better than the trailer lets on! Fast paced but also moving.

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2012)

I was not impressed with the trailers for The Guardians, so I thought the movie was nothing special. I only went to see it because a friend and her daughter invited my daughter and I. I'm happy to say, I'm very glad we went! It had everything I ask for in a family film; an interesting story, good character development, emotion, action, a mystery, some scary parts, several funny parts, and a happy ending. My daughter loved it and so did I. It was not the pinnacle for kids films, but it was really good and definitely worth catching in the theater. The animation was very good, the characters all had very distinct and charming personalities, I thought the cast was great and was actually moved to tears a couple times. If I had to compare it to other movies, I would say it's sits in between Polar Express and Toy Story, but a little scarier. NOTE: It may be disturbing or too intense for younger children. The villain's horses are quite spooky and threatening. Even I was tense a few times (okay, I'm easy to scare, I'll admit it!). I rarely right reviews, but I don't know if this movie is getting the buzz it deserves, and so I thought I'd share my thoughts, since I was so pleasantly surprised.