Rise of the Guardians

There’s no need for the Avengers to be worried. Even the sight of Santa Claus as a tatted-up tough guy can’t save Rise of the Guardians from being a second-rate superhero saga.

This hyperactive 3D animated adventure tries to be both subversive and kid-friendly, but it doesn’t have enough amusing moments to overcome its predictable tendencies and sledgehammer sentiment.

The story begins at the North Pole, where Santa (voiced by is revealed to be the leader of a group known as the Guardians, with his sidekicks including the mute Sandman, the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) and the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman). They consider it their mission to safeguard childhood beliefs from around the world in their magical abilities.

Enter Jack Frost (Chris Pine), who feels slighted by the lack of belief by humans in him. When the evil Boogeyman (Jude Law) threatens to take over the world, Jack sees the opportunity to boost his popularity by joining the Guardians to save the day.

The premise behind Rise of the Guardians isn’t that bad, but the assemblage of mythical characters and the powers they possess seem thrown together at random. Smaller kids might be confused or even frightened by the on-screen depictions of some of their favorites. Plus, explaining to young Virginia that, “yes, there is a Jack Frost,” doesn’t have much of a ring to it.

The film is visually dazzling, with colorfully detailed computer animation that turns the action sequences into sensory showcases. The emphasis of director Peter Ramsey – a veteran animator making his feature debut – seems primarily to keep the pace as lively as possible and ramp up the mayhem and mischief.

The script is based on a children’s book by William Joyce, who won an Oscar last year for the delightful animated short The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

It has some scattered one-liners that hit the mark, as well as some clever sight gags (a handful of which come from a band of miniature musical elves). Yet the generic human characters and a lack of real-world grounding – or even a holiday theme – don’t give audiences much of an emotional investment.

There are lessons for children, driven home with a distinct lack of subtlety, about the value of imagination and teamwork. It’s a shame, however, that the filmmakers didn’t put more of that advice into practice.

Rated PG, 97 minutes.