On the weekend I watched “Rise of the Guardians” with my grandchildren, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think they did too. The popcorn at any rate was a big hit.
When I was a child I believed in Jack Frost. I had a teacher who told me if I didn’t stop pouting Jack Frost would come along and freeze my “mad” face and I’d never be able to smile again. You better believe I took that guy seriously. So I was a little surprised to be watching a movie in which children didn’t believe in him, even though evidence of his existence was everywhere in the magic of their winter fun.
What a great cast of characters! All apparently chosen by the Man in the Moon.
Nicholas St. North, Guardian of Wonder (aka Santa Claus) has a very strong Russian accent, and Yetis working for him.
E. Aster Bunnymund, Guardian of Hope (aka Easter Bunny) is six feet tall and has an Australian accent.
The Tooth Fairy, Guardian of Memories, collects children’s teeth, which hold their most precious memories.
Sandy, Guardian of Dreams (aka the Sandman) doesn’t speak, but communicates with sand images above his head.
Pitch Black, the Nightmare King (aka the Boogeyman) the essence of fear – because every story needs at least one villain.
Jack Frost, eventually to become Guardian of Fun, if he can just get somebody to believe in him.
It’s a simple story with a lot of tense situations caused by the Boogeyman, who wants to stop children from believing in anything except him and his nightmares. It was especially sad when it looked like he destroyed the Sandman, but don’t worry, he came back. Hope that doesn’t ruin the suspense for you.
And of course there’s a lovely happy ending, with the Boogeyman banished back under the bed. Kids can still believe in him, but if they don’t fear him, he has no power over them. And if they believe in the Guardians, they will always be there to protect them. How totally awesome is that.
At the end we all picked our favourite guardian – Omayja loved the tooth fairy, Corey liked Jack Frost, Madison thought Santa was the best even though he was kind of mean. (Or maybe because he was mean, I’m not sure.) Kale might have said the big rabbit, because he’s eleven and was playing computer games the whole movie and pretending not to listen and therefore declined to comment so I’ve made that assumption for him. And I liked the Sandman because he was so lovely and quiet.
So there you go, it’s a movie with something in it for everyone.
Breathing Space 
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