Santa Clause rolls his sleeves back revealing tattooed forearms. That’s pretty bold. But, it gets better -- he wields swords. Not the icon of your youth? That’s okay, the story’s not really about him. And to the writer’s credit, I never heard him actually referred to by that name. The other guardians simply call him "North" (for the pole).
North is one of a handful of mythical characters (they wouldn’t approve of me using the word mythical) rising above their normal holiday or tooth-fairying, or dream-making responsibilities to save the children from another less-than-jolly mythical character. While taking good-spirited liberty with cultural children’s icons and providing sleigh rides of fun action, at its heart Rise of the Guardians aims for the heart. The whole snow globe story dramatizes the fact that the power of belief in love and wonder and fun trumps fear. So if you get hit in the face with a snowball, laugh it off.
While there is snow, a Santa of sorts, and elves that only attempt to make toys, if you want to view Rise of the Guardians as a traditional Christmas film, you can, but you’d be skating on some slightly thin ice. Think of it more as a wintry rendezvous of Shrek and Lord of the Rings at a new age meet and greet. So, what's your center?
-- Books by Ross Anthony, Author/Illustrator --
|