By Joy Fleishhacker
August 24, 2010
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (not yet rated), an animated film based on Kathryn Lasky's beloved "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" book series (Scholastic), soars into theaters on September 24, 2010.
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film marks the first foray into animated featuredom for director Zack Snyder (and quite a change from his Watchmen or Dawn of the Dead), with Animal Logic following up on their 2006 hit, Happy Feet, to provide digital visual effects.
Scheduled for release in 2-D, 3-D, and IMAX 3-D, the movie focuses on the first trio of titles in the series: The Capture, The Journey, and The Rescue (all 2003) and has a screenplay written by John Orloff and Emil Stern. As in the books, the action centers around a young barn owl named Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess), who is spellbound by his father's tales about the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a heroic flock of feathered warriors who bravely fought an epic battle to save all owls from the malevolent Pure Ones. Thoroughly captivated, Soren dreams about joining this legendary band, but his older brother Kludd (Ryan Kwanten) derides him and dedicates himself to currying their father's favor by any means necessary. This jealousy results in tragedy, as both siblings fall from their nest and into the clutches of the Pure Ones. Soren, with the help of several fine-feathered friends, must escape from these evil owls. Consisting of various owl species, this stout-hearted group sets out on a daring journey to find the Great Tree, mythical dwelling of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, thus pursuing the only hope they have of defeating the Pure Ones and saving all of owlkind.
The action-a natural for the 3-D format-and the storytelling look to be epic scale and handsomely envisioned, with riveting special effects, charismatic characters, and whimsically imagined backdrops. The voice cast is packed with Hollywood's best, such as Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush, and Helen Mirren. Kids can visit the movie's Web site to eagle eye video trailers and a gallery of photos. Downloads include portrait-style posters of the main characters, each with a name and an identifiable characteristic [e.g., Soren is "The Leader;" his sweet-faced sister Eglantine (Emilie de Ravin) is "The Dreamer;" and Metalbeak (Sam Neill), an imposing owl in clad in shiny battle armor, is "The Destroyer"].
Film fans will flock to libraries in search of Lasky's "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" series, whether they have read the
books previously or are discovering them for the first time. Scholastic has released a media tie-in version of The Capture, the first volume, with a cover guaranteed to grab the attention of movie viewers. In this film still, Soren wings through a moonlit sky, his face a mixture of trepidation and determination, an image that blends a touch of mystical mystery with a strong sense of adventure yet to come. The volume ends with a guide to the characters (also identifying their species) and an enticing excerpt from Book Two: The Journey.
Check your shelves to make sure you have copies of the entire sequence (there are 15 books plus a couple of spin offs). Youngsters can visit Scholastic's dedicated "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" Web site to meet the characters, presented in nighttime silhouettes, by using the mouse to shine a flashlight beam on the images. In addition to finding out more about the books, kids can also play an online "Battle of Ga'Hoole" game, download printable activity sheets, browse a list of owl facts, and meet the author. Educators interested in seizing the media moment and introducing their students to this well-respected series may be find some useful ideas in Scholastic's "Guardians of Ga'Hoole Discussion Guide."
Pub Info
LASKY, Kathryn. Guardians of Ga'Hoole #1:The Capture.Media tie-in ed. Scholastic. Aug. 2010. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-545-25306-2.
See the Zack Snyder Q&A and more Legend of the Guardians
coverage on the September 24th Hollywood Dailies, 6:30PM
ET / 3:30PM PT. ReelzChannel is on DirecTV (channel 238),
DISH Network (channel 299), and your cable system.
Posted by Virginia Rae Stubella on September 24, 2010 02:04:57PM
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