Summary
To the untrained eye, the 2012 animated fantasy filmRise of the Guardiansseemed to be a modest critical and box-office success. However, despite raking in generally positive reviews and nearly twice its budget at the box office, extenuating factors turnedthe film into a failure that nearly bankrupted DreamWorks. The film was such a disappointment that not only did the studio have to restructure, but anyplans for aRise of the Guardianssequelwere shelved. However, even though 12 years have passed since the film’s release,Rise of the Guardiansis one film that deserves the franchise treatment.
Based on the book seriesThe Guardians of Childhoodby William Joyce—who also co-wrote and was an executive producer for the film—Guardiansdeals with the introduction of Jack Frost (Chris Pine) as he is indoctrinated into a group of reimagined holiday folklore creatures known as Guardians who are tasked with preserving the purity of childhood.The Rise of the Guardianscast of charactersincludes Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), and Sandman, providing plenty of scope for future stories. Even after the first film’s failure,The Rise of the Guardians2can still happen.
Rise Of The Guardians: 10 Reasons It’s A Modern Holiday Classic
One of DreamWorks' most underrated films, Rise Of The Guardians quickly fell under the radar but has made a resurgence as a modern holiday classic.
Rise Of The Guardians Still Deserves A Sequel 12 Years Later
Upon release,Rise of the Guardiansreceived generally positive reviews from critics and fans alike. The film scored 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics pointing to its unique animation style (inspiring examples of impressiveRise of the Guardiansconcept art), its reinterpretation of Western folklore heroes, and its central message of protecting childhood beliefs as high points.The film was also nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, but ultimately lost to Disney Pixar’sBrave.These accolades and successes point to the fact that, while heavy marketing costs contributed to the film’s failure, there is huge value inGuardians' story
Over 10 years later,Rise of the Guardiansis still a wildly popular product with a loyal fan base vying for the film’s revival in the form of a sequel film.
An avid online fan base has also formed since the film’s release, deeming it a gem that often goes unnoticed compared to the likes of more popular DreamWorks films such as theShrekandHow to Train Your Dragonfranchises. Over 10 years later,Rise of the Guardiansis still a wildly popular product with a loyal fan base vying for the film’s revival in the form of a sequel film. The fact that its reputation only seems to have grown in many circles, coupled with the fact that the movie deserved to find more success, suggests that aRise of the Guardians 2could be an exciting prospect.
Why Rise Of The Guardians 2 Never Happened
There Were Many Reasons For Its Failure
Despite grossing $306.9 million worldwide against a budget of $145 million,Rise of the Guardianswas the lowest debut for a DreamWorks Animation film since 2006’sFlushed Away. The film’s release also marked the first time the studio had lost money on an animated film since 2003’sSinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.It is estimated that DreamWorks lost $87 million, making the project the studio’s biggest box-office bomb until 2023’sRuby Gilman, Teenage Kraken(viaThe Guardian).
The studio had been heavily dependent on the success ofRise of the Guardiansto fund other studio projects. As a result,the film’s underwhelming box office performance had a knock-on effect on the studio’s ability to continue releasing original films. Although original author Joyce expressed interest in a potentialGuardianssequel in 2013, these talks never came to fruition, leaving a potential follow-up in limbo.
A Rise Of The Guardians Sequel Would Have Plenty Of Stories To Tackle
There Is A Lot Of Source Material To Cover
In the event that DreamWorks does decide to greenlight a sequel,there is no dearth of material the studio could tackle when building a franchise. In fact, the studio could go right back to the books the film was based on, because the film itself is not a straight adaptation. Whereas the series explains the origins of the characters, the film takes place 300 years after the books, borrowing character concepts and overarching themes, but not plot. This means that DreamWorks could continue theGuardiansfranchise, albeit in a different direction: by fleshing out the origins and mythos of the characters beyond what the film initially introduced.
The film cleverly weaves throughout its roughly 90-minute runtime enough backstory for each Guardian that the audience feels connected to their mission. This is also done for the purpose of the audience understanding the meaning of each Guardian’s center (or the aspect of childhood that they each foster in children). Because the film only touches on the elements of each Guardian’s backstory,subsequent installments in theGuardiansfranchise could dive deeper into each character’s origin story as a Guardianin the same way the film is Jack Frost’s origin story as a Guardian.
Furthermore, becauseRise of the Guardiansreimagines Western folk characters and how they function in the modern world,DreamWorks could expand their existing cast of characters by introducing other holiday classics to the team. The leprechaun is one such folk legend already mentioned in the film. Regardless of who exactly they bring into the fold, the important aspect that a sequel must not forget is how a new honorary guardian would fight to protect hope, wonder, and curiosity.
