Legend of the Guardians (September 24 2010)

The Common Room Other Animation
#141

Yeah, one of the things I wished they changed from the book was to make Kludd more of a protective and kinder brother to Soren. They did hint at their brotherly relationship during the [spoil]tree-branching sequence, but I wished they emphasised on it more. They could’ve made Kludd terrified of Nyra instead of outright rejecting Soren when they arrive at St. Aggies, and maybe had him try to meet Soren and despise Nyra, before gradually beginning to understand and even support the Pure One’s beliefs. And then, when he finally meets Soren again at the climax, he extends an olive branch (metaphorically) and invites his brother to join his side, instead of having him trying to kill Soren every chance he got.[/spoil]

That, to me, would’ve made a more dramatic and powerful betrayal, where Kludd [spoil]slowly turns in to the villain without realising it. One weakness of the book and film was they made him out to be ‘the bad guy’ from the very beginning.
[/spoil]
I can’t really say whether Toy Story 3 made me cry or laugh more than Legend of the Guardians (Ironically and somewhat surprisingly, Despicable Me trumped all the animated films I’ve seen this year in getting my tear ducts going). But each film has their moments of awe and pathos.

I like your analogy to Goldeneye, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen that film, but I remember it’s my favourite Pierce Brosnan Bond film. And I chuckled at the ‘tweaks’ you made to the LOTG version.

I’m hoping it’s the latter. Someone needs to stand up to that ridiculous award and boycott it. Again, I think it’s highly unlikely (both from the Academy’s POV and mine) that LOTG will bag Best Pic, but if they’re standing up against the double-standard against animated films, I’ll say good on 'em.

And yeah, I reckon Happy Feet was released by WB, but I’m not sure if it was submitted for an awards nom.

I’m with you on that point. You can see the amount of love and attention to detail that went into every shot, and I really appreciated that most of the scenes (with the exception of the final battle) was framed in slow pans and tracking so we can appreciate their beauty.

With films like Iron Man, Prince of Persia, and Clash of the Titans, they look as if the producers did a ‘rush job’ of it and the editing is incredibly sloppy and haphazard. To see something of LOTG’s calibre is refreshing and invigorating, if you get what I mean.

As for Pixar, they never really aspired for realism in their aesthetics, which caused some of my more ignorant friends to dismiss their films in favour of CGI like Final Fantasy and Christmas Carol. I think LOTG managed to hit the Sweet Spot between true-to-life realism (Final Fantasy, Golem from LOTR) and caricatured cartoonism (any Pixar film, Despicable Me).

<-Sweet Spot

I know, right? It’s appalling why an Aussie-made film is not receiving much local support here. Heck, if I was Film Australia or one of the government bodies, I’d subsidise their ad campaign to reach a wider audience. I did see a couple of TV spots, but I wished they went for an outdoor campaign like the ones I saw for Toy Story 3 (billboards in Chinatown and Oxford Street), Despicable Me (bus side panels and Channel 7 ident) and How to Train Your Dragon (bus rear panels and bus stop billboards).

While we’re on the top of marketing, I’ll see if I can post a couple of photos I took of advertising while I was about town during the film’s first weeks of release. I think there were one or two subway posters I caught in Town Hall, but most of it is indoor ‘point-of-purchase’ cinema advertising.

I also hope to get a pic of the massive poster they have on the outside of the IMAX theatre when I see it again next week.

#142


[size=75]Spoiler Alert: Ga’Hoole is real.[/size]

So I saw it for the second and final time in IMAX once more today. The crowd this time was more responsive and fun, probably because it was a matinee and there were more reactive kids around (though I still head a baby cry twice again!). There was a lot of laughter for the pre-show Wile E. Coyote short, which probably reveals how timeless Chuck Jones/Tex Avery cartoon antics are. And there were some chortles during the funny bits and I even heard someone utter an “Uh-oh” when [spoil]Nyra and Kludd walk in on Grimble.[/spoil] Watching it with a clear and undistracted mind, I was able to appreciate the animation details and story nuances more.

I eventually realised that the story changes were for the benefits of the movie; the average moviegoer isn’t going to remember any characters if they included everyone from the books, so it’s understandable they had to ‘merge’ (like Nyra and Skench) or create (in the case of Metalbeak) a few characters. And like Harry Potter and How to Train Your Dragon, they managed to cameo some of the minor characters like Bubo the blacksmith and the twins Jutt and Jatt as knowing nods to the fans, so I’m pleased with that. As for the condensed plot, I have only read the first two books, but I think they did a pretty decent job distilling the ‘essence’ of the story, as there are superfluous ‘padding’ in the novels which don’t translate well to the screen. Although, I did wish they prolonged the movie to at least two hours somehow. Like Wall-E, it had an epic scope and scale, but unfortunately it only runs for 90 mins+. Something of ‘Brad Bird’ length would have sufficed.

One weakness I did notice this time round is that the characters won’t stop talking. I mean, literally, they have to explain everything! I was rolling my eyes when Jutt and Jatt were doing their little exposition about the [spoil]flecks[/spoil], and when the echidna (who remains the most pointless character) kindly points out each character archetype to the audience ("The navigator… who doubts…!!!). Again, this can be solved by a longer runtime to give the heroes a chance to ‘discover’ the plot and include a time-lapse montage or two, cos the St Aegolius’ events took place within the space of two days. And although I’ve mentioned earlier that I could understand some parts from the books being cut out, I am disappointed they didn’t include the scenes from ‘Twilight on the Brink’ and ‘Hukla, Hukla, and Hope’, two of the most touching chapters from the second book.

I still stand by my statement that the score is one of the strongest suits of LOTG and stands a chance at the Oscars, though I would probably now add ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’, ‘Best Sound’ (the wing flaps and battle claw sound effects are incredible) and ‘Best Sound Editing’ (for the slow-motion reverbs and the combination of water tinkling, thunder, and Lisa Gerrard’s magnificent voice during the ‘Use Your Gizzard’ sequence). At the very least, it deserves a ‘Best Visual Effects’ win, cos’ I can’t think of any film which can top its tremendous attention to detail or life-like rendering of feathers (which is one of an animator’s worst nightmares).

As I’ve said before, it’s a stunning year for animation. Toy Story 3 has heart, How to Train Your Dragon has charm, Despicable Me is, well, cute, and Legend of the Guardians is a full-on spectacle. I can’t wait to get this slice of cinematic heaven on Blu-Ray.

EDIT: A few more points I would like to add:

Soren has to be one of the most refreshing big-screen heroes recently. For once, this is a protagonist who is not an outcast of society, tormented by some inner angst or suffering from guilt-complex, but who seeks companionship, posseses unwavering conviction in his beliefs and stays true to his principles. Yet he is vulnerable and not immune to physical and emotional hurt. In some ways he reminds me of Wall-E in his steadfastness of his goal (to become a Guardian) and his kindness to others, even to the one character who betrays him.

Another notable theme of the film is the true nature of war. I love the line from Ezyrlb where he describes the grim reality of being a soldier in battle, and the consequences of the actions that they have to live with for the rest of their life. War is an unpleasant business, and often the ‘heroes’ have to do what’s right “again and again”. The look on Soren’s face when he [spoil]kills Metalbeak[/spoil] is not one of joy or victory, but of weariness and numbness, and it was heartbreaking to watch.

Also, stay tuned for the cute shadow puppet credits. If you look closely, you can spot all the characters on the Ga’Hoole tree as the credits roll, and even a centipede rolling in Ezyrlb’s tummy as described in the books! Oh, and there’s a dragon on one of the branches for some reason! :stuck_out_tongue:

#143

Just quoting from another forum. I saw it yesterday and I LOVE it! :smiley:

#144

Yeah, there’s definitely sequel potential there, but from what I gather, it’s done too mediocrely at the box office to get a sequel. Sad, really. We didn’t even get to see Soren wearing a proper helmet!

#145

Yeah, ‘tis a pity. It really deserved a better response, especially seeing the amount of heart and soul the animators poured into the movie at the expense of a compressed script. Hopefully it’ll become a cult hit like Secret of the NIMH or Watership Down or something, cos’ it was epic. And knowing Hollywood’s propensity for sequel-churning, don’t be surprised if they do greenlight a sequel or a ‘reboot’ a few years down the road.

Anyway, fans (or those missed its theatrical release) will be pleased to know that the DVD and Blu-Ray will be released on the 17th of December which is… checks calendar … in one week’s time! I’m really surprised by how quick it has made it to home video, barely two months after its cinematic debut, but I suppose they wanted to time it to become a neat Christmas stocking stuffer.

Here’s a rundown of the extra features, with my rants or raves in italics.

Maximum Kid Mode: Soren guides you through the movie and reveals exciting real-life stories about the entire Owl Kingdom; also features two fun challenges, Armor Up with Soren and Eglantine and Match the Owl Treats.
Why does it have to be dubbed ‘Kid Mode’? Adults can have fun, too! :confused:

Legend of the Guardians: Rise of the Guardians - The Owls’ legendary bedtime story that inspired Soren to seek out the Guardians (BD-exclusive)
Hopefully this is an animated short or an extension of the shots flashed during Soren’s storytelling session, in which case, I’d be really excited to watch this.

Music video: Owl City, “To the Sky” (BD-exclusive)
It’s a nice MV, but you can watch this on Youtube for free.

Artwork galleries (BD-exclusive)
:black_small_square: Legend of the Guardians: The Guardians
:black_small_square: The Locations
:black_small_square: The villains of St. Aegolius
:black_small_square: Legend of the Guardians: Soren and friends
Now this I have to see. I was really disappointed they didn’t release an ‘Art of’ book like most animation studios nowadays, cos some of the visuals and art designs in this film are phenomenal.

True Guardians of the Earth: Digger and Modern Family Rico Rodriguez host this fascinating look into the world of owls and why they are counting on you to protect them
Standard ‘protect Mother Nature’ pitch, but any more scenes with Digger is fine by me, and I do like that little Latino-lothario from Modern Family.

Fur of Flying: new Looney Tunes cartoon, starring Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (in 3D on the 3D Blu-ray)
If you missed this in cinemas, you must watch this. Great homage to classic cartoon violence and destruction.

Overall, a pretty solid-looking release, and worth a rental (or if you’re like a massive fanboy like me, a buy). :stuck_out_tongue:

#146

Unfortunately, the Australian DVD release date is the 2nd of February next year. Because, you know, we clearly need one and a half months to import a film that was made here.

It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if it becomes a cult hit, because people have been comparing it to the likes of Watership Down and Don Bluth’s earlier work since the first trailer was released. Unfortunately, I must remain doubtful on the chances of a sequel. While some less-successful animated films in recent years have inexplicably gotten sequels, it’s probably because said sequels are relatively cheap to make. You can’t make a cheap LotG sequel, or at the very least I don’t want to see them do it.

Adults aren’t allowed to have fun! Movies are serious business! :wink:

#147

@nintendofreakgcn: That’s not entirely true. Probably a sequel would be cheaper to make than the first one. They can reuse material they made for the first movie, for example: most of the models of the characters.

As soon as you figured out a neat story for the sequel, the rest will go by itself, especially if you manage to keep (most of) the old crew intact. :slight_smile:

@TDIT, I obtained the DVD last Tuesday. I don’t know about the Bluray, but the feature starring ‘Digger’ (giving some real-life information about owls, locations, etc. what they used for the film) was pretty cool. :slight_smile:

#148

Okay, I had a second view. I have to admit, I would have liked to see more development of the other characters of the group (the navigator, etc.). They didn’t really get to shine with their mentioned talents or at least function as an essential part of the rescue mission (using their talents). For example: Twilight - during the rescue of the guardians - just sings a slightly depressing, yet catchy song but the only thing he achieved was being comic relief…

But then again, I’m sure the creators of the movie had their reasons. Maybe they couldn’t afford to make it as long as they wanted it to be (financial issues, deadlines, etc. could be a lot of reasons), or they intentionally did it. Why would they do that? Well, perhaps because it would be quite a cliche: a traveling fellowship trying to succeed in their epic quest, discovering their unique talents along the way, each of them becoming an essential part of the spectacular finale.

That is a traditional recepe for Fantasy success, and perhaps they intentionally tried to avoid that. :slight_smile:

#149

Czarine: It might be a good idea to watch the relevant scene gain, remembering that [spoil]bats have extremely sensitive hearing.[/spoil] In fact, you’ve probably given the one example of a band member (other than Soren, obviously) who did actually use their talents to good effect.

Also, there seems to be a bit of a misconception that the main characters are Soren, Gylfie, Digger and Twilight. This certainly holds true in the books (well, the first three at least, which are the ones I’ve read), but I maintain that in the movie the main characters are Soren and Kludd, and the movie’s narrative flow charts their character development in parallel… until they intersect (yeah, I suddenly realised that ‘parallel’ was not the right word at all). I may do more of an in-depth analysis of this when I get the DVD.

The three aforementioned characters are supporting characters, so we can’t honestly expect them to get as much development. More would have been nice, of course, but such is life.

#150

It was, to some extent, useful, yeah… But I think I only can express my point of view with some sarcasm:

“Gosh, that was quite a turning point in their battle, wasn’t it?”

Like I said before, the way the talents of the other group members were used was a little bit underwhelming, but other than that, it’s an extremely enjoyable movie that I would certainly recommend to anyone who asks. :smiley:

#151

Okay, I read through the first 3 books and… well, wow. I can understand how the movie seems rushed to people who have actually read the books. But honestly, if you haven’t read the books you don’t even notice the pacing; it seems very natural.

But yeah, it’s silly how something that takes about 10~15 minutes in the movie has it’s own book in the series. XD But then again, a 2½~3 hour movie would have been challenging to make (production time vs. render power, etc.). 1½ hours is a good duration to aim for when making an animated feature and they spent the time they had well. :slight_smile:

#152

I’ve been bugging my dad to take me to see Ga’Hoole in the cinema but it doesn’t seem to show anywhere for me. Have I missed the Dutch release? D:

#153

Release Date:
29 September 2010 (Netherlands) - From IMDb.

Sorry, you missed it. :frowning:

#154

Oh i saw the movie It was good very well made, The song by OWL CITY was great

#155

Wha, September? BWAAAAAAGH

Oh well I’ll look if I can get the DVD or something and read the rest of the books lol

#156

You have my pity, Badger. :frowning: It would’ve been cool if you had seen it on the big-screen…

Still, check it out on DVD. The books too, I highly recommend. I’m already finished ‘The Outcast’. :slight_smile:

I’m very angry that they basically snubbed LOTG at the Globes and pretty much any award shows so far. I expect it’ll probably garner a consolation ‘Best Visual Effects’ nom at the Oscar at best. :angry:

#157

I really love this film, I had a great time on it, it is SO underrated, at first I thought it was gonna suck, but after watching it I was amazed, GoGH used to be my second favorite animated film of the year, now it comes close to Tangled

A-

#158

Looks like I underestimated the ignorance of the Academy. Seriously, the el-cheapo CGI of Hereafter and Iron Man 2 over this?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

#159

and they also forgot TRON Legacy, what a cra*** cathegory

#160

Whaa? How did the Academy snub this and Tron Legacy? :confused: Something’s not right…