G.o.E.K.

It’s rare to find a film that so captures my imagination that I can’t stop thinking about it days or even weeks later. Especially in adulthood, it’s rare, but films that appeal to childhood memories and remind me of the wonder of living are especially rare.

That said, damn it if those films aren’t always animated and usually from DreamWorks.

It’s the blend of wonder, creativity, mesmerizing images, and melancholy-twinged joy at the heart of this film that caught me lately. But besides that, even while writing this review I couldn’t focus because I had the film on in the background and enjoyed it so much.

The utter joy onscreen in every snowball fight, the touches of snow and ice that trickle around Jack Frost, Stravinsky’s freakin Firebird Suite soundtracking North’s introduction, the Yetis!, the “skater-boi” influence in Jack’s movements and aesthetic, the attention to distinguishing details in every location- and I could go on- all of it is brimming with design and joy.

I particularly enjoyed the unique take on folklore legends and mythological creatures: the distinguishable colors and shapes that appear in each of the Guardians’ locations and costumes were creative and genuine. Their soundtracks had separate instrumentation and beautifully blended melodies (Sandman’s string-led theme particularly stands out, but North’s horn-heavy theme also comes to mind, and when they combine in certain scenes… *chef’s kiss*).

Their character introductions are likewise entertaining and elaborate, but they also are quick and to the point. For a “children’s film” (though I hate that qualifier), the script’s ability to take complex and bizarre creative choices and plot points and make them easily digestible and understandable for a young child but also affecting an adult is admirable. Part of this is the, again, mesmerizing and thoroughly conceived animation, but individual scenes never feel like they’re overstaying their welcome; sequences that could have been bland conventional fights or a typical ‘funny scene” when the characters have a competition to collect teeth are anything but bland. They’re chock-full of character, camaraderie, sweet and sad beats, and they’re ever so colorful and engaging.

The extremely weird side of this film stands out. The Tooth Fairy’s obsession with teeth and blood is adorable, the creepy Easter eggs with little legs toddling around underground could be construed as terrifying (and they kind of are), but it’s also fascinating and so definitively *this* movie that it works, even when those leggy eggs are massacred a few scenes later. For a DreamWorks film, as well, the darker edge here is refreshing (although that might have been the reason so many families were turned off from seeing it originally); it doesn’t pull its punches, and the characters are in real peril, get hurt, and die.

This really demonstrates the creators’ respect for their younger audience: no details are over-explained, they don’t shy away from huge concepts like purpose and identity, and it never seems to be dumbing anything down because “Oh, well, it’s for kids.” The climax of this film is actually put in the hands of children, and it’s they who bring joy and wonder, but they also don’t back down from a fight.

This film is so cute; the Tooth Fairy shouts “don’t forget to floss!” in the middle of the final battle, Jack and Jamie have a shouting battle about how cool snow is, etc. But it’s also legitimately frightening at times, and its melancholy edge I mentioned earlier runs through even the happiest of scenes. Its main character dies before the story even begins, and his arc isn’t (to the movie’s credit) just about him accepting the call to adventure and choosing to protect, it’s about him struggling with his purpose and accepting his purpose.

For a “kids” movie that almost no one saw, this has incredible depth, creativity, and emotion. It’s joyful, filled with wonder, and, much like its main characters, so much fun.