“It is our job to protect the children of the world. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives…”
North, Rise of the Guardians
It’s not often that I’m completely surprised by a film, but as I watched Rise of the Guardians with my children over the holiday break, I found myself immersed in the beauty of the animation and the story about conquering fear. Based on William Joyce’s book series, The Guardians of Childhood and short film The Man in the Moon, DreamWorks Animation’s CG fantasy adventure film details the story of the Guardians as they work together to preserve children’s hopes, dreams and magical sense of belief.
The Guardians, which include North (Santa Claus), the Tooth Fairy, Bunnymund (Easter Bunny), and the Sandman, learn that Pitch Black (the Bogeyman) is determined to instill fear within children, a revenge of sorts for his disbelief. Determined to protect the children from Pitch Black, the Guardians enlist Jack Frost to help them. Jack Frost isn’t convinced he is the right “man” for the job, but agrees to join in their fight to save the children. What ensues is a magical adventure about the power of childlike belief and the importance of quelling fears.
One of the most poignant plot developments includes the origin of Jack Frost, a winter spirit invisible to children. While he brings joy and fun through snow play, he is invisible to every child. His journey is an important one, as he learns how and why he was chosen by the Man in the Moon to become a Guardian.
The film is filled with adventure and heart, and even I found that I walked away from the film with a renewed sense of belief.
Despite the fact that the film was released right before the winter holiday, it actually takes place in Spring, during Easter, so it only seems fitting that the DVD/Blu-ray release was timed for this month!
Available as a single DVD or a combo pack which includes a Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy with UltraViolet, each includes two toy eggs inspired by the ones in the film and includes one hour of bonus features. Here are the highlights you won’t want to miss:
Exclusive to Blu-ray, families can use the remote to duck and dodge snowballs in Jack Frost Snowball Showdown! and attempt to beat the Sandman in the classic Rock, Paper, Scissors with Sandy. Additionally, you’ll go behind the scenes with the filmmakers to explore how they created the characters, effects and music you experience in Rise of the Guardians through the feature Behind the Magic. One of the features I’m particularly excited about is Sandy’s Dream Guide, an interactive guide that will help you interpret your dreams. Lastly, both the single DVD and the Blu-ray combo pack include a feature called More Magic, which includes printable egg holders, coloring sheets, and more, perfectly timed for Easter!
You can see all of the bonus features available for the combo pack here:
Rise of the Guardians is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
No compensation was received for this post. A copy of the DVD was provided which helped facilitate the writing of this post.
Images: DreamWorks Animation
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