A throw back to a classic movie by DreamWorks, The Rise of The Guardians, brings a touching story with hidden meanings all over the tale. These recent years, people have been desiring more stories that can be unique with interesting symbols. I find this movie full of valuable symbols and meaning for individuals of all ages. Despite the oblivious, this is certainly considered a children’s movie. Disregarding the favoritism of Jack Frost within the girls who relate, all characters are extremely significant and pose as important analogies for our daily lives.
For a quick review in few words by moi, go watch this movie. The Rise of The Guardians is extremely wholesome, meaningful and beautiful. You will find yourself questioning specific behaviors and mental settlements in your day to day. The experience of watching this movie as a child and then as an adult will have you realize what moments stuck out to you.
(SPOILERS! TURN BACK IF YOU WANT TO WATCH! And of course come back here to relate to your experience, and maybe you can comment. 😉 )
The main character, Jack Frost is introduced as a character with internal struggle due to a forgotten past. Jack is forgotten and unknown causing him to rely on the “Man in Moon” as an emotional crutch. The “Man in Moon” could be depicted as the Universe in this movie. In turn, changes occur that confuse the other main characters, such as North. Sandman is a quite a misunderstood character who may seem insignificant to the story. However, Sandman expresses the meaning of Jack Frost being part of the team, through symbols and images. The character who is most in the background, quietly observing is not only most connected to the “Man in Moon” but is the same character who brings hope through dreams to everyone in the world.
I feel it’s important to mention the art style of this movie. Regardless of the lack of technology to provide the desired details into the animation, there was plenty of personality, warmth and contrast brought into the story. The visual contrast of lighting and rigid marks. North, depicted as Santa Claus in the film’s universe, did not have many natural animated features as the cartoons do today. The artists chose to express a fatherly, protective yet aggressively rounded personality into North. The character had many tattoos, cynical expressions yet had a protective warmth in their curved soft eyes and gestures in their figure towards another character.
Pitch in the movie is introduced in the shadows. Technology struggled to provide the contrast and details of the character from far away. As a result, the character expresses its power and anonymous nature as a figure coming out of the shadow from a building against the light of the lamppost in the night. The artists fixated Pitch’s slender fingers and arms along with his long figure as he stood over the little girl sleeping in bed surrounded by Sandy’s bright golden sand.
Especially the children. The art style was rigid, yet had imperfect features and roundness to express their innocence and purpose to be themselves. A consistent piece in every character is the detail in the eyes of all of the characters. Including Pitch, the eyes are soft and rounded in a way that allows the audience to notice the pain caused by a lack of hope or love caused by the presence of hope. I interpret hope in this movie as the love the Universe has for all beings, even those who inflict pain.
I hope you felt the spark of realizations in the movie’s behavior and symbolism the same way I have. Too often, we get stuck in the plot of a story and forget the value of the same plot created by the symbolism getting us to the destination.
(Thank you Wangster: Image)
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