The short version:
Amazing art, inspiring storyline, Australian actors, Sydney based animation studio, talking animals… what’s not to like? 5/5
The long version:
Owl and I went to watch Legend of the Guardians at the Moonlight Cinemas. It was my choice because I love watching cartoons but this one really popped out at me when I first saw the trailer. To be honest I had no idea what the plot was as I was intrigued more by the appealing art and the graphics of the movie. Oh yeah, I also really like talking animals 😛
The movie was shown in 3D at the Moonlight Cinemas. Immediately I was amazed at how far 3D rendering had come. I remember watching 15-30min snippets in movies like Harry Potter and Beowulf at the IMAX theatre. It was the only cinema showing 3D at that time and they would show most of the movie in 2D then tell you to put on your 3D glasses for particularly exciting sections of the film. To be honest, it wasn’t really impressive. It was blurry and unrealistic. I understand that it’s because the movies were shot for 2D film and then modified post-production; but you have to understand, nobody cares. We just want good quality films; we don’t care how you do it. To top it off, Ga’hoole is an animation so already you can begin to appreciate the amount of work put into it.
I have to say, the art in the movie is absolutely amazing! The detail is meticulous, the characters lovable and the overall look very consistent and aesthetic. It was difficult to appreciate fully how beautiful the art was in 3D hence my pining to buy the Blu-ray to so I can watch it in 2D as well (thinking of getting this set from JB Hi-Fi when the price drops a little. It’s AUD$40 now).
I was also pleasantly surprised at how good the storyline was. Most people would say it was cliché with the whole good vs. evil thing but I think we need more movies these days which laud the principles of honour, chivalry, sacrifice, faith, kindness, goodness, courage and acceptance. It is not unlike Despereaux in helping wash away the grime of cynicism and renewing one’s vigour to fight for what is just and right.
In addition, I was particularly pleased that many of the actors were Australian including Sam Neill, Joel Edgerton, Richard Roxburgh and Helen Mirren. The animation studio (Animal Logic) is based in Sydney, Australia and I’m patriotically happy to support this kind of industry since it appears to be so lacking.
Overall, I loved the movie and actually am looking forward to watching it again. It is definitely worth your time and a great character-instilling movie for kids to watch. Ten thumbs up! 🙂
Ant and Owl 