I remember when I first saw this on DVD, I loved every minute of it, and even as an adult, I will always want to go back and watch it again and again, this is one that is welcomed back each and every time.
This is a story about a carefree and playful Jack Frost who has been bringing snow and fun to kids everywhere for 300 years, but there's one problem, kids can't see him. He is entirely unnoticed by the very children he's making happy, and that is the loneliness that underlies his playfulness throughout the entire film, no matter which he starts snowball fights with and no matter how he freezes the lakes in the fun.
But all this changes when the Boogeyman, Pitch Black, begins his quest to spread fear and darkness throughout the world, and force kids to cease believing in wonder. To prevent him from doing so, the Man in the Moon decides to recruit Jack Frost to join the Guardians, a special group consisting of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and the Sandman, each of whom symbolizes a different type of childhood wonder and hope. At first, Jack is a little confused and not quite sure what's happening, and is not quite sure if he is chosen because of some of the things he does, or because of his lack of something that's important to him.
I really like this movie for the way that these characters that I know from my childhood stories were turned into something entirely unexpected. Santa is not this soft, jolly old man, Santa is this tattooed, sword wielding Russian warrior with a booming personality. The Easter bunny is tall, tough, and has boomerangs for weapons. Even the Tooth Fairy is re-imagined here as a hummingbird like guardian who can't get enough of kids' teeth in the cutest way possible, The whole movie was fresh instead of another rehash of characters we all know too much about thanks to that reinvention alone.
But what makes the movie so emotional is that it's about Jack's quest to uncover himself and why he was resurrected from the dead in the first place, rather than simply being a battle with Pitch Black. All of this took place with him trying to be seen and believed in by the children he is protecting, and his struggle with being invisible made this whole story have this quiet ache underneath all the action and humor. Especially when his backstory is revealed later in the film, which surprised me much more than I'd been led to believe in a movie that, on its surface, looks just like a fun kids' film.
As the bad guy, Pitch Black was also an effective antagonist because he is all about fear and disbelieve, about children losing their wonder and hope. Just that idea makes the stakes seem much greater than a regular battle with the bad guys, and that is this fight between magic and imagination, and whether either of them exists in an ever-growing world.
The action style is still very effective today, The animation of the snow, sand and light throughout the movie is magical, as is this movie in general, and it never fails to let it get better with every re-watch.
No matter how many times I've seen this ending, seeing all the Guardians come together, finally realizing Jack is one of them, and finally seeing children believe in Jack for the first time, it is always emotional.
Would I recommend Rise of the Guardians? Yes, without a doubt. It's one of those few animated films that doesn't become childish when you get older, This is a story about belief, identity and belonging to those who already know their place in society and have their roles defined, so it's definitely a rewatch list item you'll want to keep.
Rating: 100/100