After a young owl is abducted by an evil Owl army, he escapes
​with some friends and seeks the legendary Guardians for help. 

FAMILY/FANTASY

Legend of the Guardians:
​The Owls of Ga'Hoole ​(2010)

Directed by Zack Snyder 

Written by John Orloff and Emil Stern

Starring Jim Sturgess, Emily Barclay, Ryan Kwanten, David Wenham, Anthony LaPaglia, Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, ​Joel Edgerton, Hugo Weaving, Miriam Margolyes, Essie Davis, Abbie Cornish,
Richard Roxburgh, ​Deborra-Lee Furness, Sam Neill

Based on the novels by Kathryn Lasky

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Caleb Leger

February 23, 2016

7/10

​Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole is a peculiar film in almost every sense of the word. An animated film marketed towards kid, but aimed at a much older audience. It exceeded its budget by a decent amount at the box office, and yet no sequel has been made. It's also director Zack Snyder's only attempt at animation. Having seen it twice, I actually really enjoy this movie and wish there would have been a sequel. One that could have ironed out the kinks in this particular film.

The two things that must be talked about in their movie is the impressive voice work and gorgeous animation. The cast all do an excellent job in their roles. As you can see by the cast list above, this film is filled with some of cinema's best actors. It shows in the final product, as their is nary a weak performance in the bunch. I also have to give kudos to the film's characters having accents. Considering all the recent backlash from Hollywood whitewashing everything, it's good to see Legend of the Guardians try to be different. Next, the animation. Out of all the animated films I've seen, none have looked as good as this. Screenshots don't do it justice. The world, and characters, are made to the last detail. Colors and texture pop of the screen like no other animated film I've seen. Seriously, give this movie a shot for the animation alone. As for why this film may have not taken off like the studio was hoping for, it could have a lot to do with the story itself. While it's by no means bad story, it's very convoluted and thematically deep for a kid to grasp. Even I had to really pay attention to get a hold of the story. Hence why I can see a movie marketed towards kids not exactly end up appealing to them.

Legend of the Guardians is a generally enjoyable film. The voice actors are all excellent and the animation is some of the best I've seen. What brings this movie down, is the mature storytelling mixed with some more traditional kid movie moments. I can definitely see why kids ended up not liking this movie all that much, but I generally enjoyed it.