A pleasant surprise!

Rating: 6/10 (22 March 2013)

As soon as I was aware of ROTG I immediately thought Avengers for children, and I know many others have said this. Well, this is kind of the case as there is of course obvious comparisons but it is best not to dwell on those comparisons, but ROTG is in my opinion a great concept, especially for children, and is tremendous fun. What proves very effective about this concept is the non-traditional depiction of these very traditional characters. Santa, called 'North' as a tattooed sword wielding Russian and The Easter Bunny as a sarcastic Australian warrior. Jack Frost himself is a very cocky upstart and the interaction between these characters proves very entertaining to watch, with plenty of jokes.
The animation and the action itself looks spectacular, the winter setting proving a real spectacle that dazzles on screen. For children, I can imagine this is a great watch as there is a perfect balance of heart, action and humour. For adults too, this is a great watch as it is a poignant reminder of the feeling of believing in these characters and of the magic associated with these seasons. There are plenty of themes within the narrative that add feeling and involvement such as finding your own identity, belonging and learning to have faith in others.
As much fun as ROTG is, there is still a slight feeling of unrealised potential. For me, there could have been so much more fun to be had with these characters and maybe a stronger script could have provided more laughs for children and adults alike. The story is a little too predictable, even for a kids film, and at times the moralistic messages feel a little too preachy and in your face when a viewer of any age would have already got the message, but this only rarely detracts from what is otherwise tremendous fun.