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IMDbPro

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

  • 2010
  • PG
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
90K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,579
708
Jim Sturgess, David Wenham, Emily Barclay, and Adrienne DeFaria in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole -- Trailer #2
Play trailer2:33
12 Videos
99+ Photos
Animal AdventureComputer AnimationActionAdventureAnimationDramaFamilyFantasyMysteryThriller

The young owl Soren is kidnapped by the evil owls of St. Aegolious who want to turn him into a soldier. He escapes with some of his friends and warns the mythical guardians about the evil pl... Read allThe young owl Soren is kidnapped by the evil owls of St. Aegolious who want to turn him into a soldier. He escapes with some of his friends and warns the mythical guardians about the evil plan.The young owl Soren is kidnapped by the evil owls of St. Aegolious who want to turn him into a soldier. He escapes with some of his friends and warns the mythical guardians about the evil plan.

  • Director
    • Zack Snyder
  • Writers
    • John Orloff
    • Emil Stern
    • Kathryn Lasky
  • Stars
    • Jim Sturgess
    • Hugo Weaving
    • David Wenham
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    90K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,579
    708
    • Director
      • Zack Snyder
    • Writers
      • John Orloff
      • Emil Stern
      • Kathryn Lasky
    • Stars
      • Jim Sturgess
      • Hugo Weaving
      • David Wenham
    • 220User reviews
    • 187Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 23 nominations total

    Videos12

    Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole -- Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:33
    Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole -- Trailer #2
    Legend of the Guardians: Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:19
    Legend of the Guardians: Trailer #1
    Legend of the Guardians: Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:19
    Legend of the Guardians: Trailer #1
    Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole
    Trailer 2:25
    Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole
    Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'hoole (My Break)
    Clip 0:56
    Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'hoole (My Break)
    Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'hoole (I Am Nyra)
    Clip 0:55
    Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'hoole (I Am Nyra)
    Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'hoole (Use Your Gizzard)
    Clip 1:14
    Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'hoole (Use Your Gizzard)

    Photos134

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    + 129
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    Top cast30

    Edit
    Jim Sturgess
    Jim Sturgess
    • Soren
    • (voice)
    Hugo Weaving
    Hugo Weaving
    • Noctus
    • (voice)
    • …
    David Wenham
    David Wenham
    • Digger
    • (voice)
    Emily Barclay
    Emily Barclay
    • Gylfie
    • (voice)
    Abbie Cornish
    Abbie Cornish
    • Otulissa
    • (voice)
    Essie Davis
    Essie Davis
    • Marella
    • (voice)
    Adrienne DeFaria
    • Eglantine
    • (voice)
    Joel Edgerton
    Joel Edgerton
    • Metal Beak
    • (voice)
    Deborra-Lee Furness
    Deborra-Lee Furness
    • Barran
    • (voice)
    Sacha Horler
    Sacha Horler
    • Strix Struma
    • (voice)
    Bill Hunter
    Bill Hunter
    • Bubo
    • (voice)
    Ryan Kwanten
    Ryan Kwanten
    • Kludd
    • (voice)
    Anthony LaPaglia
    Anthony LaPaglia
    • Twilight
    • (voice)
    Miriam Margolyes
    Miriam Margolyes
    • Mrs. Plithiver
    • (voice)
    Helen Mirren
    Helen Mirren
    • Nyra
    • (voice)
    Sam Neill
    Sam Neill
    • Allomere
    • (voice)
    Barry Otto
    Barry Otto
    • Echidna
    • (voice)
    Richard Roxburgh
    Richard Roxburgh
    • Boron
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Zack Snyder
    • Writers
      • John Orloff
      • Emil Stern
      • Kathryn Lasky
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews220

    6.989.7K
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    Featured reviews

    7claudio_carvalho

    Very Impressive Animation

    The owl Noctus never gets tired to tell the epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole to his young barn owlets Kludd, the dreamer Soren and their younger sister Eglantine. Soren and Eglantine delight with the narrative, but the jealous Kludd gets bored and upset with the tales of the protectors of the Kingdom of Ga'Hoole. One day, Soren and Kludd fall out of their nest while learning to fly alone and they are kidnapped by evil owls to work for Metalbeak and Nyra. The owlets are divided in soldiers or hard workers in the Pelletorium collecting owl pellets to extract a fleck to generate a magnetic field. Soren befriends the elf owl Gylfie and they learn that the owlets are "moon-blinked" by the moon while sleeping and awake brainwashed, working like blinded zombies. They resist and sooner Gylfie's captor Grimble teaches them how to fly and meet the Guardians of Ga'Hoole to fight against Metalbeak and Nyra and the evil army of The Pure Ones.

    "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" is a very impressive animation. The story is only reasonable, with the eternal conflict between good and evil inspired in the Nazis in a scenario that recalls Avatar. However, the awesome quality of CGI and the voices (Eglantine is delightful) deserved a better story. My vote is seven.

    Title (Brazil): "A Lenda dos Guardiões" ("The Legend of the Guardians")
    6ruink

    Let your imagination fly...

    Legend of the Guardians is director Zack Snyder's first attempt at a completely CGI and children's film while his other credits are all hard "R" films. So does the king of slow-mo succeed?

    The quick answer is yes. Guardian's is a film that takes the liberties 3D and photo realistic CGI have to offer, like Avatar, to make a world and characters larger (or smaller) than life to let your mind be soothed into something beautiful, mystical, and most importantly, entertaining.

    The story takes the classic yet reliable fable of good versus evil. To put it simply, an army of Evil owls who have obvious horrid intentions of ruling the Owl Kingdom must be stopped against all odds. The only creatures powerful and wise enough to defeat the army are the legendary Guardians of Gahoole.

    The film follows main owlet Soran, voiced heroically by Jim Sturgess. Soran is kidnapped by the army of the Evil Owls. After being exposed to the armies wrong doings, Soran knows the only hope in defeating the baddies are to warn the Guardians. From there, the film takes flight into an epic adventure of action, companionship, and beauty.

    Guardians is a rare treat in computer animated cinema. While Pixar is always reliable, Guardians is a very different film that strives to be an epic while appealing to a mass audience and succeeds in doing so. From the fantastic action scenes, to the articulate directing, spectacular animation, smart 3D, and top notch voice acting, Guardians is a film that will leave you mesmerized days after it's viewing.
    6dvc5159

    Terrific family entertainment; yet another CG-animated gem of 2010

    Is 2010 the Golden Year of CG-animated films? We already had TWO excellent films, all computer animated and all family-friendly. "How To Train Your Dragon" and especially "Toy Story 3" are stunning in terms of quality and technicalities. Even "Despicable Me" had a heart. I'd add another to that list: "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole".

    There will be complaints, like every other movie. Some will call the story unoriginal. Some'll say it's childish because it has talking animals. Some'll say it's stupid for the exact same reasons. I say, so what?! It's a family film, meaning there's something for both kids and those who are kids-at-heart! People go to the movies to be entertained, especially families, and with that this film delivers in spades.

    First we have a superb, outstanding cast consisting of Australian/British actors of both the young and highest caliber. There's too many actors to say here, so I'll just say this: the voice acting is terrific. The owls speak in accents (for obvious reasons) making them sound as far and away from being "Hollywood-ized" as possible. There's depth, determination and heart to these characters. The villains of the film are really menacing, a feat considering that almost every character in the film are owls.

    Story-wise, it's obviously unoriginal, but it is told very well. This is due to the animation, which is absolutely, spectacularly stunning. There is a great amount of detail in the film, especially on the owls, you can see every feather, every movement they make, every gust of wind that brushes that pass their feathers. Director Zack Snyder (finally using his talents for the kids) puts his signature style to terrific use here, using the "ramping" (frantic slowing down and speeding up repeatedly) technique from his "300" and "Watchmen" for the action sequences, that will make one forget he is watching an animated film, let alone a movie that has talking owls. It's absolutely breathtaking to see it in 2D alone, I watched it in 3D and had a hard time closing my stuck jaw afterwords!

    The film looks and feels like it's a lost "Lord of the Rings" film. There's the armor, and the swords (talons), and then there's the big bad (Metal Beak) and the young hero (Soren) who is destined for greatness. It's set in a fantasy, far-away world where 3D is put to terrific use. Not since "Avatar" has 3D been used so efficiently and effectively that makes it an essential part of the story instead of being distracting and gimmicky. Likewise, the cinematography and the orchestral score is great and puts you into the film more. The owls look painstakingly well- rendered and they don't look too-clichéd-cartoony or too-frighteningly- realistic. It's just right. The only gripe I had with the film is the insertion of an Owl-City (because he's practically the most famous artist today with the word "Owl" in his name) song in the middle of the film which is distracting. But apart from that everything else was great.

    In short, it's one of the best animated films of the year. It's the perfect movie to bring your family (and maybe friends as well) and enjoy. Have no worries, sit back, and enjoy the ride. And seeing it in 3D is a plus, no matter what anyone else says. The ending also hints at a sequel. Hope that's a possibility as Warner Bros. has a potential new family franchise at their hands. And I hope Snyder returns as well.

    Overall value: 74/100
    9yersifanel

    One Legend coming up!

    I love this movie. It might not be 100% accord to the books but that doesn't matter, the movie is fantastic, now if you liked the movie, go ahead and read the books, you won't be disappointed.

    If you young children are easy impressive, you might not like them asking you "but why is the pretty bird doing those bad things?" and stuff like that, just imagine an epic movie, you know: knights, kings, queens and battles, but for children and adults alike, it depends on how much your kids know about epic stories and the implications of war.

    The visual designs are awesome and the music is beautiful, it is a great story.
    8TheLittleSongbird

    Breathtakingly beautiful

    I have loved animation for as long as I can remember, as far as when I was 2 when I saw The Lion King in the cinema. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole is not one of my favourite animated movies, but it is a long way from the worst. I've not read the books, so I cannot say how good Legend of the Guardians is as an adaptation. But I will judge it on its own terms, as it does deserve to be. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Sure the dialogue is stilted and sometimes verges on ridiculous with the profound talking about gizzards. At times also, while never dull, not too preachy(even with the death, slavery and indoctrination) and well-meaning, as well as maintaining a serious tone despite some of the writing, the story is rather formulaic and rushed in how it is told. On the plus side, it is really one of the most visually beautiful films I have ever seen, the owls are beautifully modelled, but the landscapes, the camera angles, colours and the flying in the storm scene are just breathtaking to watch. Every bit as impressive is the score, which is really stirring stuff and fits perfectly with the visuals and the goings on in the story. The characters are engaging also especially Soren, who you identify with every step of the way, and the voice cast with the likes of Jim Sturgess, Helen Mirren, Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill, Miriam Margoyles and Anthony LaPaglia are superb. All in all, even with its faults Legend of the Guardians is a breathtakingly beautiful film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The animators went to an owl sanctuary to learn how to properly depict owls in flight and the ruffling of their feathers, as well as owl behavior and their dietary needs.
    • Goofs
      Several of the owl species featured in the film are not found in Australia, where it is set. This is because the original books were set in North America.
    • Quotes

      Soren: Why didn't you tell me?

      Ezylryb: What difference does it make what I call myself?

      Soren: Because Lyze of Kiel was my hero.

      Ezylryb: Yes, well, fancy it must be hard meeting your hero and seeing that he's real, not a myth.

      Soren: You're just, you're just not...

      Ezylryb: What did you expect? Some Tyto Alba with gleaming armour and battle claws, the moon rising behind him?

      Soren: Uh...

      Ezylryb: Well, this is what it looks like when you've actually fought in battle. It's not glorious, it's not beautiful, it's not even heroic. It's merely doing what's right, and doing it again and again, even if someday you look like this.

    • Crazy credits
      At the very start of the film Soren's father, Noctus, is shown flying through the sky at sunrise passing through the Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow logos, before diving under the film's title.
    • Alternate versions
      Also released in a 3D version.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Alice in Wonderland/Stolen/Brooklyn's Finest (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      To the Sky
      Written and Produced by Owl City (as Adam Young)

      Performed by Owl City

      Courtesy of Universal Republic Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

      Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 24, 2010 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Australia
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ga'hoole: La leyenda de los Guardianes
    • Filming locations
      • Disney Studios, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Village Roadshow Pictures
      • Animal Logic
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $80,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $55,675,313
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $16,112,211
      • Sep 26, 2010
    • Gross worldwide
      • $140,073,390
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1
      • 2.39 : 1

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    Jim Sturgess, David Wenham, Emily Barclay, and Adrienne DeFaria in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)
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