In 2010, Zack Snyder directed an animated movie based off of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole book series called “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.” It features Owl City’s song ‘To The Sky.’ Jim Sturgess takes the role of a dreamer barn owl called Soren who gets caught up in a slave camp run by what had once been thought of as simply a story: the evil Tyto owls. With Soren, Emily Barclay voice acts a similar lost soul, Gylfie the elf owl, who follows Soren throughout his adventures. Together, they both seek out the Tytos’ enemy: the Guardians, who seek to disband the Tytos and save the enslaved owls.

Soren is an optimistic character who believes in the stories he grew up with: the stories of the Guardians versus the Tytos. His actions throughout the movie are driven by the need to escape, as well as the desire to help free the enslaved owls. He’s unafraid to swoop into battle and takes chances. On the other hand, his companion Gylfie, is a timid owl who prefers to stay out of the violence. She reluctantly follows Soren along with their adventures, aiding him when she’s needed, along with other allies that appear throughout their travels.

One particular scene that really stands out to me in this movie is an action scene. Soren, Gylfie, and two new companions are stranded in the harsh, blinding cold of a snow storm that continues to beat down on them. They lose their strength and fall victim to the powerful winds, dropping down in the air with no strength left– just as this happens, we see big, white owls with shining bronze helmets swoop through the air and catch them. This particular scene stands out in the sense of an encompassing, closing in panic that the storm’s animation illustrates, followed by the magnificent heroes that save the day right at the last moment. This scene is the equivalent of a cliffhanger at the end of an episode, just to go straight into the next without waiting to find that all is well. The animation, sounds, music, and scenery that takes place in this scene– as well as the entire movie– are brilliant.

I would give this movie 3 out of 5 stars. This movie had amazing animation, voice acting, and especially wonderfully illustrated scenery that matches the beauties of every day landscapes. Considering this movie was released in 2010, I think that it stands for itself pretty well. The story depicts two scared, lonely owls hanging onto solid belief in themselves and in their allies, and eventually, this is what lets them win the battle. Although I enjoyed the concept of this plot, I found it much too predictable with details that don’t quite catch my eye as well as they could have. Overall, this is a good movie to watch on family movie night.