Rise of the Guardians is a 2012 American 3D computer-animated action fantasy-comedy film based on and serving as a continuation of William Joyce's The Guardians of Childhood book series and The Man in the Moon short film by Joyce and Reel FX Creative Studios. Peter Ramsey directed the film, while Joyce and Guillermo del Toro were executive producers with voice acting by Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, and Jude Law. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it was released on November 21, 2012. Despite receiving generally positive reviews and grossing $306 million against its $145 million budget, it was a box office bomb, due to production and marketing costs, losing DreamWorks Animation $87 million. It is DreamWorks Animation's 25th feature film.
Set about 300 years after the book series, the film tells a story about Guardians Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman, who enlist Jack Frost to stop the evil Pitch Black from engulfing the world in darkness in a fight of dreams. The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Synopsis[]
Generation after generation, immortal Guardians like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy protect the world's children from darkness and despair. However, an evil boogeyman named Pitch Black schemes to overthrow the Guardians by obliterating children's belief in them. It falls to a winter sprite named Jack Frost to thwart Pitch's plans and save the Guardians from destruction.
Plot[]
The spirit of winter, Jack Frost, describes how he came to be hundreds of years ago, lifted from the ice by the Man in the Moon, and has been invisible ever since because people don't believe in him. At the North Pole, North, better known as Santa Claus, is alerted that Pitch Black, the Bogeyman, has returned and is threatening childhood with fear. After summoning fellow Guardians the Tooth Fairy (Tooth), the Easter Bunny (E. Aster Bunnymund) and the Sandman (Sandy), North learns from the Man in the Moon that they are to induct Jack as their new member. Jack is brought to North's headquarters and they attempt to swear him in. Jack, frustrated by centuries of isolation caused by children's disbelief in him, declines to join. Regardless, North persuades him to cooperate for now by explaining their mission and the looming threat of Pitch.
At Tooth's castle, the team discovers that Pitch has attacked, taken all the children's teeth, the childhood memories stored in them, and all but one of Tooth's mini fairies, Baby Tooth, whom Jack saves. Pitch declares his intention to destroy children's faith in the Guardians in revenge for his own disbelieved-in state, beginning with Tooth, who immediately begins weakening as children stop believing in her. To avert this, the Guardians perform her teeth-collection themselves for the interim, with a promise to find Jack's teeth to recover his previous life's memories. A young boy named Jamie is delighted to discover them in his room, as he believes in all of them except Jack, which renders Jack still invisible. Pitch learns of the Guardians' resistance and attacks Jack and Sandy; despite Jack's great efforts to save him, Sandy is overwhelmed by Pitch and seemingly destroyed.
The dejected Guardians next rally by helping Bunnymund prepare his eggs for Easter to keep children's belief strong. Although slightly complicated by the intrusion of Jamie's toddler sister, Sophie, the operation goes smoothly through to the distribution stage. Jack takes Sophie home, and discovers the entrance to Pitch's headquarters, where Tooth's baby fairies and the teeth are being held. Pitch urges him to step aside as a neutral party with the promise of his teeth's memories. Jack refuses, and Pitch attacks Bunnymund's domain, ruining the Easter-egg distribution and shattering children's faith in the Easter Bunny.
The Guardians' spirit broken, a despondent Jack departs in disgrace to Antarctica. There, Pitch tempts him to join forces, but Jack refuses, as he wants to be loved, not feared. In response, Pitch reveals he has Baby-Tooth and threatens to kill her unless Jack relinquishes the source of his power, his staff. Jack submits, but Pitch reneges, and the resulting fight leaves Jack trapped in a crevasse with Baby-Tooth while Pitch breaks his staff. To counter Jack's despair, Baby-Tooth convinces Jack to unlock his memories, which reveal he was a mortal boy who died saving his sister from falling through ice, and because of that heroism, he was changed into a winter spirit and chosen as a Guardian by the Man in the Moon. Inspired by this revelation, Jack restores his staff and his power. The Guardians and Pitch learn there is only one believing child left: Jamie. Jack races to the boy and not only confirms Jamie's faith in the Guardians but also instills a belief in Jack Frost, enabling Jamie to finally see him. The diminished and weakened Guardians join him as they confront Pitch, while Jamie gathers his friends to support them. Pitch's seemingly overwhelming power of nightmare proves no match against the children's faith, restoring the Guardians' full power to battle the villain. Sandman is resurrected by this belief and joins the fight, leaving Pitch defeated and children's faith restored, as well as in Jack Frost. Pitch is taken down by his own fear and is forced back into his lair.
Jack is finally sworn in as a Guardian and resolves to protect the world's children with his new friends at this victory. Jack says, "when the moon tells you something, believe it."
Voice Cast[]
- Chris Pine as Jack Frost
- Isla Fisher as Toothiana (Tooth Fairy)
- Alec Baldwin as Nicholas St. North (Santa Claus)
- Hugh Jackman as E. Aster Bunnymund (Easter Bunny)
- Jude Law as Pitch Black, the Nightmare King (Boogeyman)
- Sandy (The Sandman), the Guardian of Dreams, is the only silent main character
- Dakota Goyo as Jamie
- Khamani Griffin as Caleb
- Kamil McFadden as Claude
- Dominique Grund as Cupcake
- Georgie Grieve as Sophie
- Olivia Mattingly as Pippa and Jack's Sister
- Jacob Bertrand as Monty
See full cast at IMDB here
Trivia[]
- This is the last DreamWorks Animation film to be distributed by Paramount Pictures. In which The Croods will be distributed by 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century Studios).
- This is the fifth DreamWorks Animation film to be released in November, after Flushed Away, Bee Movie, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Megamind.
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