Last year I saw a 30 second commercial for an animated movie that caught my attention, but I could find no information about it because I never caught it's name. Three days ago, while at an electronics store, I noticed a DVD had fallen on the floor. Being my compulsively organized self, I picked it up to put back on the shelf and discovered it was my "owl movie". Or, as it is really entitled, "LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: the Owls of Ga'hoole".
I have seen thousands of movies in my life, but this one instantly rose to the top of my favorite films list.
It begins with a family of five owls living happily in their tree. Soren (the younger son) is a dreamer and spends his time playing with his little sister, Eglantine, as they act out the legends about the great owls known as "The Guardians".
Their older brother, Kludd, is the more practical one and has no time for dreams. His imaginations of greatness are mainly about himself. Unfortunately, he does not seem to be gifted with all the owl abilities that his younger brother has , and quickly developes feelings of jealousy and resentment.
One night the brother owls are kidnapped from their home and brought to a group of owls called "The Pure Ones" led by a mysterious owl known as "Metal Beak". They are Tyto owls, which the Pure Ones believe to be the "greatest" species of owl. The plan of the Pure Ones, led by General Nyra, is to dominate all other owl species, kill off the weak ones and make the inferior owl species their slaves. Kludd begins training to be a soldier to the Pure Ones , while Soren is sent to work in a dark factory (even though he a Tyto) as punishment for an act of kindness. With his new friend, an elf owl named Gylfie, Soren escapes and sets off to find "The Guardians of Ga'hoole", believing they are the only ones capable of defeating the evil owls. Along the way, Soren and Gylfie make other owl friends, each with their own quirks and talents and, working together, they attempt to make the long, hard journey to Ga'hoole.
There is no doubt that this movie is visually stunning, but considering that making an animated movie takes many departments doing many different tasks and that the actors are rarely in the recording studio together, it is amazing how this story flows seamlessly as the scenes change from intimate talks to high adventure. This is probably due to director, Zack Snyder and the excellent and prestigious [voice] acting talents of David Wenham , Anthony LaPaglia, Hugo Weaver, Sam Neil and Oscar winners, Geoffrey Rush and Helen Mirren and many others.
Also of interest is the main song of the movie, "Take to the Sky" performed by Owl City (a.k.a. Adam Young) who's new album, "All Things Bright and Beautiful" was reviewed in the May/June 2011 issue of the Living Light News.
In the same vein as the book and movie of "Watership Down", this story contains many layers and lessons, including veiled references to the evil idea of maintaining racial purity . Yet, the best thing about "Legend of the Guardians" is that it dares to declare many themes that are contrary to the world we live in. Sayings such as "we must look out for number one" and "only the strong should survive". The theme of this movie is summed up in the vow each owl must take before becoming a Guardian of Ga'hoole: "I vow to mend the broken, make strong the weak and, without hesitation, to vanquish evil."
Now a word of warning. This movie deals with the fight of good against evil and has several battle scenes that may be scarey to younger or sensitive children. But this movie is beautifully made, ringing with truth and liberally sprinkled with humor that children will understand on their level and adults on theirs. This is a film for the entire family and since it is based on a long running series of childrens' books by author Kathryn Lasky, we can probably expect to see more adventures on film of the Guardians of Ga'hoole.
The DVD also includes extras like a short educational video about different species of owls and how they interact with their environment. And with the series of books you can also get a "Teaching and Discussion Guide" by Kathryn Lasky.
The DVD, Blue Ray DVD and series of books called "The Owls of Ga'hoole" are all currently in release.
(CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS POST AND IT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE "IMDb" PAGE FOR "The Legend of the Guardians")
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