With Easter approaching, there are not a lot of movie choices for this particular holiday. However, one underrated gem that does indeed take place at Easter is Rise of the Guardians. The animated adventure finds a group of heroes, including the likes of the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, taking on the boogeyman, Pitch Black.
The movie is a great bit of family-friendly fun. There are some terrific moments of comedy that are mixed in with some heartbreaking moments. The laughs and the sadness help to make Rise of the Guardians a great Easter viewing choice that has been largely overlooked by audiences.
Funniest: Frustrated Yeti
In a fun revision of the classic mythology of Santa Claus and Christmas, it is revealed in this movie that the toys are not in fact made by elves but by massive yetis that live in the north. While these beasts are surprisingly skilled toymakers, they do have a bit of a temper.
When North (Alec Baldwin) is inspecting his workshop early in the movie, one yeti is finishing painting a huge pile of toys blue. However, the yeti is seen to frustrated when North suggests they be red instead. This becomes a recurring joke as the same yeti is later seen painting eggs red, only for Bunny to suggest they be blue instead.
Saddest: The Fairies Are Taken
After hundreds of years, the Guardians are gathered together once again, along with their newest member, Jack Frost (Chris Pine), in order to take on Pitch (Jude Law). The ancient boogeyman seeks to rid the Guardians of their power by making the kids of the world stop believing in them.
His first evil deed is to invade Tooth's kingdom and capture all of her little fairy helpers. Toothania (Isla Fisher) is such a caring being that seeing her sitting alone and devastated in her palace is quite sad.
Funniest: Jack Finds His Center
Pitch makes for a very effective villain in the movie as he seems like a sincerely evil dude. The fact that his entire mission is to haunt the dreams of children speaks to his ruthlessness. And that just makes it all the more satisfying when he is taken down a notch.
When Pitch corners the heroes, Jack Frost suddenly realizes his purpose as a hero is to bring fun to the world and distract people from the bad. So when Pitch is about to launch into his villain monologue, Jack hits him in the face with a snowball, which is very satisfying.
Saddest: No Easter
Once Pitch causes kids to lose faith in the Tooth Fairy, his next target is Easter. Despite the best efforts of the Guardians, Pitch is able to destroy all of the Easter eggs, which leaves kids all over the world without any Easter fun.
E.Aster Bunnyman, the Easter bunny, is a pretty tough character but this moment allows audiences to see that he can be quite vulnerable. As he tries desperately to pass out eggs to the sad boys and girls, he realizes that they no longer believe in him and they can't see him anymore.
Funniest: Bunny Goes Small
After ruining Easter for all of the kids in the world, Pitch's evil plan begins to work. Because of the lack of Easter eggs, kids begin to lose faith in the magic of the world and in the Guardians. As a result of this, the heroes start to be affected and Bunny (Hugh Jackman) takes it the hardest.
When Jack reunites with the other Guardians, North and Tooth are losing their magic and they show him that Bunny has turned into a small and adorable fluffy bunny. What made audiences laugh even more was when Bunny tried to pick a fight with Jack.
Saddest: Jack Is Unseen
Jack Frost, the newest member of the Guardians, is the central figure in the movie and his journey is an interesting one. While he likes to create fun in the world, he does become frustrated that no one can see him.
After creating a snow day for the kids, Jack joins them in a fun day of sledding and snowball fights. But when they move on to their next fun adventures, Jack is left alone, with all of them simply walking by him without even knowing he's there.
Funniest: Sleigh Ride
The movie really starts to take off once all of the Guardians come together to save the world. After meeting in the North Pole, the team heads out to take on Pitch and his nightmares. Of course, the fastest transportation option is Santa's sleigh.
While some of the Guardians, like Jack, are thrilled to have a chance to ride in the sleigh, Bunny is not so excited. His tough exterior disappears in an instant when it is revealed he is afraid of heights. Jack and Bunny then continue their sibling-like relationship as Jack teases him for clinging to the sides.
Saddest: Pitch Overtakes Sandy
Sandy the Sandman is very much the heart of the Guardians team and perhaps its most powerful member. That is why it is a devastating loss when he is the first of the heroes to fall to Pitch.
With Sandy being the guardian of dreams, he is especially angry with Pitch giving nightmares to all of the children. This allows him to be lured into a battle in which Pitch's dark magic overtakes Sandy as the other Guardians can only look on in horror.
Funniest: Collecting Teeth
After Pitch captures all of the fairies, the Guardians have to work together to collect all of the lost teeth from children all over the world so they can continue to believe in them. This makes for an energetic and hilarious sequence, where the Guardians have a contest to see who can collect the most teeth.
The wild and chaotic contest is filled with hilarious moments. Particularly when Tooth asks the others if they have been remembering to leave coins behind for the kids, then cuts to the Guardians lined up at a change machine in a laundromat.
Saddest: Jack's Backstory
Jack is a bit of an outcast among the other Guardians as he is unseen by the world and doesn't really understand his place as a hero. Then he learns that he had a life as a human before becoming Jack Frost and he searches to uncover those memories.
When the truth finally does reveal itself, it brings Jack comfort. However, it is also quite sad. Jack realizes he was a young boy who saved his sister from falling through the ice only to fall in himself. Seeing the happy life he had before makes it a bit bittersweet.