On Tuesday, my son and I went to the Emgaine Theater in Novi for an advance screening of Legend of the Guardians - The Owls of Ga'Hoole in 3D. We were treated to our movie passes from Liz Parker from Yes/No Films.
This movie is about a young owl named Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess) who is in awe of a story told to him by his father of a group of solider owls called "The Guardians" who fought and won a war many years ago that brought peace to the owl nations. It is said that "The Guardians" live in a magical tree on the other side of the sea and they appear when owls are in trouble.
One day Soren is pushed out of the nest by his evil brother and they are both captured by the spinster owls of St. Aggie's. Soren's brother joins the owls in their plot to take over the owl nations, but Soren refuses and is put to work gathering metal pellets to make a strange machine that the owls of St. Aggie's plan to use to kill "The Guardians". Soren makes friends with another owl named Gylfie (voiced by Emily Barclay) and they both escape and set off on a quest to find "The Guardians". The rest of the story is about their adventures along the way and their battle to bring peace to the owl nations.
This movie is stunningly beautiful to watch. The 3D effects and the animation make for a visually stimulating experience. The story is also inspiring. Soren's belief in a legend about the power of good over evil gives him the courage to fight against seemingly insurmountable odds in his attempt to save all the kidnapped young owls. There are times when the movie is a little dry, but the excitement at the end totally makes up for any slow scenes.
One word of caution on taking young children to see this movie. Even though this is a cartoon, the movie deals with themes that include the cruelty of war, prisoners of war and the kidnapping of young children. The most exciting scenes in the movie are the battles, which are graphic in parts so this movie is really not appropriate for children who get scared when confronted with these themes. My ten year old son is the perfect age for this movie. He loved every minute, especially the brutal fight scenes. We will definitely see more about these owls since the end of the movie was setup perfectly for a sequel.
"Legends of the Guardians - The Owls of Ga'hoole" is a beautiful, enjoyable and exciting movie that is just made for 3D. I would highly recommend seeing it.
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