Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga Hoole
Synopsis
Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder makes his animation debut with the fantasy family adventure Guardians of Ga’Hoole, based on the beloved books by Kathryn Lasky. The film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father’s favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd’s jealousy has terrible consequences–causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree, home of the legendary Guardians of Ga’Hoole–Soren’s only hope of defeating the Pure Ones and saving the owl kingdoms.
Dove Review
Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess) is a young barn owl. He has always been enthralled by stories of the Guardians of Ga’ Hoole, who are owl warriors which once defeated an evil group known as, oddly enough, the Pure Ones. Soren’s kid sister, Eglantine (voice of Adrienne DeFaria) sides with Soren in her excitement regarding the legends. Soren’s brother, Kludd (voice of Ryan Kwanten), however, doesn’t believe in these stories or the legends. Soon the brothers fall from their nest and they face immediate danger as they still can’t fly. Just as a carnivore is about to devour them, a group of owls snatch them up and their adventures begin. It turns out that two characters are creating a powerful weapon to destroy all other owl kingdoms. Not happy about that or what the Pure Ones have done to him as well as many others, the old owl warrior Grimble (voice of Hugo Weaving) teaches Soren and Gylfie how to fly and then arranges for their escape.
This movie is about being heroic when it is not easy and doing the right thing. The animation is terrific and the characters are delightful and appropriately evil in some cases. There is a lot of fantasy violence, though little blood. Some images may be too frightening and intense for young viewers. The movie is a treat for the eyes and we gladly award our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for ages twelve plus. These owls will guide you into a whole other world for some ninety minutes. That is exactly what a good movie should do.