Though the quirky conceit of fairytale characters/folk heroes suddenly being presented as badasses is fairly tired at this point, it persists nonetheless. From whatever number Shrek movie they’re on now, to Tangled, to the inevitable next “not-your-daddy’s-Rumpelstiltskin-Snow-White-Ginger-Bread-Man” movie, the amount of “straight” fairytales/folk tales in the cinemas surely outnumbers the “funny” ones in the minds of most contemporary children. (And maybe certain 20-somethings.)
But, while employing this trope, Rise of the Guardians manages to make it new. This is a charming and exciting movie that doesn’t just reimagine Jack Frost, The Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, et al—it makes them seem brand new.
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