Rise of the Guardians – Recommended Age and Review
The kids and I attended a screening of Rise of the Guardians and we absolutely fell in love with it. To say the movie was visually stunning is an understatement. I always enjoy watching animated movies in 3D but I must admit 3D truly does this movie justice. Jack Frost uses his cane to make snowflakes and frost along any surface. You can see the special effects vividly in 3D. The artwork is just beautiful right from the start of the movie.
I love how each guardian is said to have a previous life. They were mere humans before the moon chose them to become their role as Santa, Jack Frost, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and more. The guardians have rich accents too which ties in the comedic aspect of the movie. The individuality of this story is perfect. The Easter Bunny is from Australia and uses boomerangs. Santa Claus even has tattoos on both arms saying Naught and Nice. I was expecting the tattoos to come to life and show the names of the children on each list but no such luck.
There are literally hundreds of children’s movies on the topic of Christmas and many movies about the other fictional yet magical characters. This story has never before been told and is a movie that stands out among the crowd. I think they could have spent some more time on the story of each character without the audience losing interest.
Jack Frost’s story is touching which is what you expect from a Christmas movie. Although I would describe this movie as heartfelt, beautiful and a must-see there are some scary parts for younger children. I read on Twitter one man said his six year old was scared. Noah who is also six loved it and wasn’t scared but I wouldn’t take my niece who is just four.
My recommendation for age is five years old. I am not saying some four year old kids wouldn’t be able to handle it because I am sure they would, they just might not understand it. The boogie man – also known as darkness – goes around inflicting fear into children. Changing their beliefs of Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy to sadness and darkness. He raids their dreams and turns them into nightmares and even attacks the guardians with intent to kill. The scene with the sandman is pretty intense and Jack Frost is torn between standing up for what he believes is right and being confused over his lost memories.
This movie will be on our shelves once it comes out on DVD. The kids are already collecting the toys from McDonald’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if we go see it again in theaters with family before Christmas. You can read what others are saying on Twitter by searching hashtag #RiseoftheGuardians