Do you remember watching epic animated movies like Puss in Boots, Rise of the Guardians or Epic, as a kid?

No?

Then you probably won’t remember this one either.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is a 2010 animated fantasy/adventure story about a young owlet, Soren (Jim Sturgess), who yearns to fly and become like his hero: Lyze of Kiel, a guardian of the Great Tree, “Sworn to protect the innocent and vanquish evil.” Together, with his new friends Gylfie (Emily Barclay), Digger (David Wenham) and Twilight (Anthony LaPaglia), they must stop the evil Metal Beak (Joel Edgerton) and his army of Pure Ones from enslaving owlets and conquering the land of Ga’Hoole.

Directed by Zack Snyder, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is a wonder, with incredible attention to detail and relative realism for battles between owls. The animation rivals movies made even today. Created with a realistic effect in mind, the characters look and feel their parts, despite only being animated and the voices and dialogue portray an epic-like quality comparable to other big-time fantastical adventure films.

However, that isn’t to say there aren’t any issues.

One doesn’t need to watch it for long to notice that the film tries to appease two audiences: children and pre-teens. Some parts, especially the beginning, are more childish in nature, more to represent Soren’s innocence than anything else. As the story continues, the themes get a bit more serious, as the main character realises that the childhood stories of battles and the like are vastly different than the real thing. Even in these darker moments, though, there are light-hearted jokes and scenes every so often that might discourage the older audiences.

Overall, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is a movie experience like no other. The animation alone is enough to marvel at. Add in great voice actors, an awesome soundtrack and an epic story of good versus evil and you have one of the best animated epic adventure stories this journalist has ever seen. The biggest problem with the movie is that there isn’t more of it!

While Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, isn’t perfect, it comes pretty darn close.

8.5/10