Distributor: Paramount
Pictures (DreamWorks)
Opening Weekend Box Office:
#4 with $23,773,465
Domestic Box Office
Gross to-date: $48,836,105
Gross Revenue: $105,836,105
Production Budget:
$145 million
Director: Peter Ramsey
With such strong franchises like Madagascar, Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kung Fu Panda under its belt, DreamWorks Animation has had no problem in establishing itself as a reliable and powerhouse studio, and after the recent revelation of the upcoming release slate through 2016, it is clear that Jeffrey Katzenberg has absolutely no intention of shying away from offbeat entities, all in an effort to maintain a high level of momentum. In addition to being the last release of the studio’s current distribution deal with Paramount, Rise of the Guardians also represented the first in a line of new releases that would validate whether DreamWorks could safely move beyond its established entities for an extended period of time (How to Train Your Dragon 2 will not be released until June 2014), and by all accounts, this holiday film seemed more than primed to meet the challenge. Based on William Joyce’s “The Guardians of Childhood” book series, this newest fantasy-adventure would see Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, and Jude Law embody globally-recognized childhood fables, and even though marketing efforts did not focus on the famous cast, McDonald’s Happy Meals, heavy trailer frequency, a fully-interactive website, and attention-grabbing print promotions kept buzz levels high. Still though, there were a few potentially problematic elements to Rise of the Guardians that could raise some red flags with parents: first off, in focusing on so many mythologies, the narrative ran the risk of young audience members questioning the existence of their beloved legends; and second, as the villain, The Boogeyman could be genuinely scary for small children, thereby venturing the project into a more adult territory than desired. At their worse though, those concerns were little more than mild worries, as Rise of the Guardians still represented a highly-energetic and creative project that would help parents fill the hours of the upcoming holiday school vacations and get absolutely everyone in the holiday spirit.
Rise
of the Guardians opens by introducing audiences to Jack Frost (Chris Pine),
the mischievous spirit of winter who enjoys his work but regrets the fact that
he remains invisible to and isolated from children because they do not believe
in him. Meanwhile, at the North Pole,
North/Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin) is alerted to the return of Pitch/The
Boogeyman (Jude Law), a vengeful entity intent on spreading fear and nightmares
to children, thereby destroying their innocence and belief in fables, and
subsequently erasing the legendary Guardians from existence. Summoning Tooth/The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher),
Bunnymund/The Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), and Sandy/The Sandman, North works
with his elves and yetis to also recruit Jack Frost and prepare a plan with his
team in order to stop Pitch.
Unfortunately, Pitch strikes first and interrupts both the collection of
lost baby teeth and the delivery of colored eggs, thereby leaving disappointed
children questioning the existence of the Guardians and robbing our heroes of
their powers. Jack Frost seems to have
the necessary power to stop Pitch, but he is distracted by his own curiosity
concerning his past and current meaning, a fact which Pitch begins to
manipulate to his advantage as children around the world succumb to fear, save
for a precocious child named Jamie (Dakota Goyo). Facing seemingly insurmountable odds, Jack
Frost must find a way to regain his focus, and the Guardians must stop Pitch
before all children stop believing in wonder and lose hope entirely.
If ever in your childhood you hid a
tooth under your pillow or left cookies and milk by the fireplace on Christmas
Eve, then you will absolutely adore Rise
of the Guardians and the unique take it provides on childhood heroes, all
of which is brought to life with gorgeous animation, clever humor, and a
surprisingly heartfelt story. As far as
lead characters go, Jack Frost is surprisingly engaging and a true
crowd-pleaser, and his reaction to the world to which he is introduced will
mirror the audience’s own astonishment at the beautifully-rendered environments
that showcase cutting-edge animation technology. The banter between the Guardians and the
subtle references to each of the character’s long-established mythologies is
more than enough to keep your attention drawn and reawaken a childhood sense of
wonder, but perhaps the best part of the film involves the considerable laughs
provided. Just like the Minions from Despicable Me, Santa’s elves and yetis
are the runaway stars of Rise of the
Guardians, speaking in gibberish and keeping a perpetual smile on your face…make
sure and stick around for their hysterical post-credits scene. However, for as much as I enjoyed DreamWorks’
newest project, I can acknowledge a few hiccups along the way, but they are not
enough to irreparably damage overall quality.
In terms of the overall story,
pacing does get a little stale and a few plot points are overly formulaic, and
I can definitely see some of the more mature elements acting as a turn-off for
young children, but in the end, Rise of
the Guardians still represents one of the deepest and most emotional films
tackled by DreamWorks Animation in some time.
When you finally strip away the novelty and wonder associated with the
mythical characters and focus solely on the finer elements of the story, a few
too many plot developments are familiar and serve to actually stall momentum…the
narrative eventually recovers, but the disparity is noticeable. And, like I hinted at earlier in the “Short
and Sweet” review, I can see Pitch being too scary for small children; don’t
get me wrong, Jude Law delivers one of the best voice acting performances, but
parents may want to exercise a little caution before bringing toddlers to the
theater. Looking past these small
shortcomings though, I still have to appreciate the level of emotion conveyed
by Rise of the Guardians; you grow to
genuinely care about the characters, and a few of the more heartstring-tugging
elements of whimsy will bring older audiences back to their childhoods and
likely generate a few tears…that kind of depth hasn’t been seen from this
studio since 2010’s How to Train Your
Dragon. So, even though this newest
animated adventure may not be perfect, it is still entertaining and acts as a
fun and perfect addition to the Holiday Movie Season for audiences of all ages.
I may have expressed concern over Rise of the Guardians going up against
holdovers like Breaking Dawn, Part 2
and Skyfall so early in their
respective theatrical runs, but in no way could I have seen a paltry fourth
place opening of only $23 million
coming. That is the worst opening for a
DreamWorks Animation property since 2006’s Flushed
Away, and in no way does that standing reflect the high quality of the
project…the only saving grace that can come now when facing a $145 million
budget is if the film remains a respectable presence through the Christmas and
New Year’s holidays. While I would love
to blame the soft opening on the shopping focus of the Thanksgiving weekend, The Muppets had a far stronger
performance this same time last year; perhaps marketing efforts would have
benefitted from leveraging the famous names associated with the project a bit
more. Who knows, maybe this
disappointing financial standing represents the appropriate ending to the
distribution deal with Paramount, and The
Croods will enjoy a much stronger debut under the guidance of Fox come
March. At the very least, despite my
admitted bias towards the financial success of this project, I am still urging
everyone to I know to give Rise of the
Guardians a chance, because I guarantee that they will not leave the
theater disappointed.
Overall Recommendation: High
