Even Owl History Matters~

Daughter Hannah and I sat in an empty theater last Tuesday with nachos,
jalapenos, and Coke in hand to watch the movie about wise owls called “Legends of the Guardians.”
Our attention initially was drawn to the amazing animation on the
screen. We opted for the non-3D version (both get a little queasy)
but still the graphics were remarkable.

The story opens with a family of owls going about day-to-day
life; with Soren, the middle child and youngest owl, fantasizing about
the legendary Guardians of the Ga’Hoole. Evidently his
father has painstakingly ensured that his family knows and appreciates
its rich heritage and those who fought to afford them the right to
live such peaceful and contented lives.

Kludd, Soren’s older brother (very appropriate name) reminds me of the character Henry Evans (Macaulay Culkin) in the “The Good Son”. He is less than impressed with dad’s frequent stories of yore. He’s a self absorbed, mean-spirited type.

And this is where the story takes off. Both boys are quarreling and
end up tumbling out of their tree falling to the ground, which happens to be “the most dangerous place to be” for owls. Just when you think they are going to be eaten by some wild animal two huge owls come to save them. But not
really. The Pure Ones, these huge owls, take them to some kind of evil
lair, reminiscent of a concentration camp.

Upon arrival the deeper character differences in these
brothers becomes obvious. Soren declares that they need to be freed and even comes to the valiant defense of a smaller female owl, which costs him, and his newfound friend ,a trip to the labor camp.
Kludd denies that Soren is his brother and is therefore selected to be a future soldier for the dark side. Things aren’t looking good for good son Soren. The plot of the Pure Ones appears to be owl genocide. Soren and his side kick begin planning their escape and pull together a small band of
resisters. With the help of a defector from the Pure Ones, the band of
owl heroes launch into action to invoke the once thought to be
only a fable Guardians who are “sworn to protect the innocent and vanquish evil.”

I won’t spoil it for you but I thought the story and film was AMAZING! It caused me to reflect on my own heritage, to recall the guardians from our mutual history like George Washington, Ben Franklin and Samuel Adams, to recognize the importance of perpetuating their stories so my children and theirs have the fullest possible knowledge of all the sacrifice and courage it took in the hearts and souls of men to make America great – and free.

This was in my view what became a cautionary tale of America, the good versus evil; the virtuous versus the power-hungry, the liberty versus enslavement.

The film was completely family-friendly, no swearing, no needless sexual innuendos, no sex scenes or embarrassing moments. My 16-year-old daughter and I both thought it was RICH in the depth of its story. The stunning graphics with extraordinary detail made it so very appealing to watch (although for very young children it might be a little scary in a scene or two). We walked away feeling innocently entertained, uplifted and in a way reminded that because ego and evil are real, freedom is never free.