Okay, now everything’s starting to come into focus.
The new Dreamworks animated film “Rise Of The Guardians” is on the radar for the kids in my house in a big way. We’ve been enjoying the William Joyce books that are already out there that introduce the world and the characters, and the first teaser trailer was enough to convince the kids that they were interested in a film with the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman. You don’t really have to sell the story at first because you’ve got such a big high concept idea to play with.
What the first trailer didn’t show at all was the main character in the film, Jack Frost, voiced by Chris Pine. In fact, that trailer actually removed Jack Frost from several key shots, which I found very odd. My guess is that they didn’t want to confuse people until they’d had a chance to explain the big idea. Now that that’s had time to settle in, they’ve released a second trailer for the film, and this time, it’s all about Jack Frost.
In a way, his story arc in the film reminds me of Jason Bourne in the first “Bourne Identity,” since Jack Frost has no real recollection of a life before he was Jack Frost. The movie begins with him waking up in a frozen pond, under the ice, not sure how he got there, and much of his journey in the film involves figuring out who he is.
What’s strange is that this trailer shows him having some recollection of earlier encounters with The Easter Bunny, so maybe he starts to get his memory back over time. Whatever the case, his journey is really what drives the movie forward at each step.
Ultimately, this is going to depend on the personalities of the various Guardians and how much fun the filmmakers have with the concept. It’s really beautiful in terms of design, and it doesn’t really look like any other Dreamworks movie. I’m rooting for this to translate the work of William Joyce in a way that is both smart and fun, and I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on it as we get closer to release.
“Rise Of The Guardians” opens November 21, 2012.