Line #22 YMMV/RiseOfTheGuardians


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: While most of the movie's fanbase knows that it's based on [[Literature/TheGuardiansOfChildhood a book series]], some people outside of it think that [=DreamWorks=] created the characters from scratch.
2	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
3	** Everyone. Some people think the characters are the same as in [[Literature/TheGuardiansOfChildhood the books the movie is based on]], while others prefer to keep them divided. Even the writer and some artists working in [=DreamWorks=] have different opinions about this.
4	** Tooth and Jack's relationship. Some people see her as a mother figure for Jack. Others view her as a possible love interest.
5	** Pitch. Is he a lying selfish bastard or a complex TragicVillain? [[TakeAThirdOption Or some mix of those]]?
6	*** Does he want to create a world filled with fear and darkness for his own selfish pleasure or is he a lonely being who [[IJustWantToBeLoved just wants to be believed in and loved]]?
7	*** Is he only manipulating Jack in the Antarctica scene, or is his compassion genuine, and Pitch truly wants him as a friend? According to the DVD's audio commentary and the movie's script, Pitch is definitely genuine in his opening up to Jack, and truly HatesBeingAlone but in the movie itself, it is hard to tell which interpretation is right.
8	*** Why does he initially refrain from attacking children or Jack? Is this a case of EvenEvilHasStandards, or is it just [[PragmaticVillainy counter-productive]] to make extra enemies and attack [[GodNeedsPrayerBadly your potential believers]]? Similarly, is his affection towards nightmares genuine, or does he play a BenevolentBoss to keep himself on their good side?
9	* AngstWhatAngst: [[spoiler:When Jack gets back the memories of his human life, he is absolutely delighted: he had a family once and even saved his younger sister! The facts that he died saving her and that, by now, all of the said family is long gone isn't shown to bother him at all.]]
10	* AwardSnub: The movie was edged out of a nomination for the Oscars' Best Animated Feature by the surprise choice of ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesBandOfMisfits''.
11	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/AlexandreDesplat's entire score.
12	* CrossoverShip:
13	** In ''Fanfic/RiseOfTheBraveTangledDragons'' fandom, you GottaShipEmAll. The most popular pairings are Jack/[[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]], Jack/[[WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} Merida]], and Jack/[[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon Hiccup]].
14	** After the release of ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen\|2013}}'', Jack is very often shipped with Elsa, not just because they're both [[AnIcePerson ice people]] protective of their younger sisters, but also because Jack's playfulness contrasts interestingly with Elsa's seriousness. The ship's name is "Jelsa" though some people prefer them as siblings and call them "Frost Family". The ship has inspired many fanworks to the point of attracting backlash from those irritated by its popularity.
15	** A small portion of viewers ships Elsa with Pitch instead, because his life's work is fear and her whole problem in the first ''Frozen'' is letting fear control her, and/or because both are viewed as loners wanting someone to accept them and their strange power.
16	** There's also a small following for [[WesternAnimation/PeterPan Wendy Darling]]/Jack Frost, or "Frosting," as Jack's personality is similar to Peter's.
17	** After the release of ''WesternAnimation/OverTheMoon'', there's a small following for Chang'e/North.
18	* CultClassic: It unfortunately bombed in theaters and isn't quite a household name like ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' or ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'', but it quickly developed a sizable, dedicated internet fanbase that persists to this day.
19	* DieForOurShip: Shipping Jack with Elsa from ''Franchise/{{Frozen}}'' is an odd case of a non-canon CrossoverShip inspiring this treatment. The pairing grew very popular, frequently featured everywhere from fanfiction to cosplay, so some perceive Jack as getting in the way of whatever other [[LauncherOfAThousandShips Elsa ship]] they prefer. To let her hook up with someone else, quite a few fanworks humiliate, [[RonTheDeathEater demonize]], or outright kill Jack.
20	* DracoInLeatherPants: Pitch has as many fangirls as Jack. Some even say, without a trace of sarcasm, that he's a complete [[TheWoobie woobie]] who should be forgiven for all his misdeeds (which includes his attempts to murder the Guardians and a child) or has done nothing wrong in the first place. This adoration can be attributed to the books on which the film is loosely based on, where he was once a human and had a daughter whom he lost making him more tragic. Or, the adoration can be attributed simply to his good looks.
21	* EnsembleDarkHorse:
22	** Despite only a few seconds of screentime, the little mouse is beloved in Latin America. [[{{Woolseyism}} The Latin-American dub]] has the Tooth Fairy say that the mouse is from the "Latina division" because, in Latin America, it's a little mouse named Perez who leaves children money when they lose a tooth.
23	** The fans are very fond of Jack's sister who only appears once and isn't even named.
24	* EscapistCharacter: Jack is a boy who dies young, becomes immortal, is free to travel the world without responsibilities, and has magic powers while dressed in a hoodie. No wonder he's popular with teenagers and fan artists.
25	* EstrogenBrigade: Being a PrettyBoy, Jack Frost has attracted a ''huge'' female fanbase, with most fanart and fanfics for the film being focused on him. His attractiveness is further solidified when Tooth Fairy swoons over his snow-white teeth while her baby fairies make heart shapes around him and faint whenever he smiles. This is lampshaded rather nicely in a [[http://rufftoon.tumblr.com/post/26685571155/wow-the-influx-of-jack-frost-fanart-is-almost comic]] drawn by one of the film's story artists.
26	* FandomRivalry:
27	** ''Franchise/{{Frozen}}'' fans and ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' fans often accuse Disney or Creator/DreamWorksAnimation of stealing the idea of a movie focusing on AnIcePerson. Neither invented the concept: in fact, each studio has been very open about both Elsa and Jack Frost being based on pre-existing characters that predate ''both'' films, Elsa being inspired by [[Literature/TheSnowQueen a nineteenth-century tale]] written by Creator/HansChristianAndersen and Jack Frost originating in folklore. Disney had been working on a film based on the Snow Queen on and off for decades, since the days of Walt himself, and leaked pre-production art was already online by 2008, the year [=DreamWorks=] purchased the film rights to William Joyce's ''The Guardians of Childhood'' book series, which united the variety of folkloric characters seen in the film, including not just Jack Frost, but other well-known childhood staples such as the Sandman and the Easter Bunny.
28	** There is a small-scale rivalry with ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fandom, particularly fans of Lincoln Loud due to their physical similarities, as well as both being LauncherOfAThousandShips within their fandom. Any complaints about Lincoln's ships often end up with fans complaining about the fans' SacredCow treatment of Jack and his many crossover ships.
29	* FanficFuel: Tooth's line that the Guardians were all someone before they were chosen gives rise to fics about their origins that may incorporate or disregard their backstories from the books.
30	* FanNickname: North is Heavy Weapons Santa, especially among the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' fandom, due to his resemblance in size, mannerism, and nationality to a certain, well, Heavy Weapons Guy.
31	* {{Fanon}}: Jack's sister is never given a name, but the most popular name in the fandom is Emma.
32	* FoeYayShipping: Pitch gets paired with every Guardian, most commonly with [[NotSoDifferentRemark Jack]], [[OppositesAttract Sandy]], and [[TheSmurfettePrinciple Tooth]].
33	* FriendlyFandoms:
34	** Fans of ''Rise of the Guardians'' tend to be fans of ''WesternAnimation/Epic2013'', given that both are an UrbanFantasy with characters who are HiddenInPlainSight. The fact that they're both inspired by the works of Creator/WilliamJoyce helps.
35	** For... [[EstrogenBrigade reasons]], people who like ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax2012'' also tend to like this movie: both feature an iconic character, [[YoungerAndHipper reimagined as]] a PrettyBoy DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife who gives up on everything he worked for, becoming a lonely soul in the process. Jack/The Once-ler is a rather popular CrossoverShip.
36	** ''Fanfic/RiseOfTheBraveTangledDragons'' is fans of ''Rise of the Guardians'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' taking FriendlyFandoms to extreme and becoming a fandom itself. Then, ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'' was released and added to the mix: both movies give a lot of focus and development to a TragicIceCharacter and have fear as the antagonistic force, and in fanworks, Jack is often paired up with Elsa. At the same time, there is a [[FandomRivalry rivalry]] with parts of ''Frozen'' fandom, for ''exactly the same reasons''.
37	** With ''WesternAnimation/Klaus2019'', due to both featuring a reinterpretation of a classic holiday character. Some [[EpilepticTrees speculate that Klaus was actually North before he died]].
38	* GeniusBonus: The magic sleigh, heavy furs, reindeer, and going up and down chimneys are all straight from Siberia, where Saint Nicholas was interpreted as a kind of super-shaman, who flew out the smoke-hole of his medicine tent and traveled the spirit world in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Now consider that Santa's accent isn't just Russian, but eastern Russian.
39	* GirlShowGhetto: While ''Rise of the Guardians'' is ''not'' a girly film, some people disregard it on account of [[EstrogenBrigade Jack's popularity with female viewers]] and [[LauncherOfAThousandShips shippers]].
40	* HilariousInHindsight:
41	** In this movie, Creator/JudeLaw voices the BigBad Pitch a.k.a. [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight the Bogeyman]] who [[IKnowWhatYouFear knows people's greatest fears]]. In ''Film/FantasticBeastsTheCrimesOfGrindelwald'', Jude Law plays the BigGood Dumbledore as he asks children what they fear and teaches them to fight [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight Boggarts]] who [[IKnowWhatYouFear take on the appearance of the victim's deepest, darkest fear]].
42	** This wouldn't be the only time that [[WesternAnimation/Wish2023 Chris Pine voiced a male character with silvery hair who also wields a magical staff]]. The only difference is that as a polar opposite to Creator/JudeLaw mentioned above, he voiced the BigGood in this movie and voiced the BigBad in the other movie.
43	* HoYay: Some fans take Pitch's words and actions in the Antarctica scene as him having a VillainousCrush on Jack.
44	** Making his WeCanRuleTogether offer, Pitch [[NotSoDifferentRemark stresses that he and Jack are not so different]], empathizes with his loneliness and says he longs for a family. Then, this follows:
45	--->'''Pitch:''' We don't have to be alone, Jack. I believe in you. . . . Look at what we can do! (points at a sculpture made of ice and black sand) What goes together better than cold and dark?
46	** When Jack refuses the offer, Pitch looks heartbroken and then, has an IfICantHaveYou reaction. He demands Jack's staff in exchange for Baby Tooth, only to refuse to let her go, break the staff, and blast Jack into a crevasse.
47	--->'''Pitch:''' You said you wanted [[ExactWords to be alone]]... so [[SuddenlyShouting BE ALONE]]!!
48	** The OST for the WeCanRuleTogether part is even called Seduction. WordOfGod says Pitch is sincere about not wanting to be alone, makes himself vulnerable for Jack, and is genuinely hurt by his rejection. The DVD commentary also says, "[Pitch] is spurned; Jack turned him down."
49	* HypeBacklash: The massive popularity of the Jack/[[Franchise/{{Frozen}} Elsa]] CrossoverShip and the heated arguments for and against it have gained a backlash not only against the movie but also [[MisplacedRetribution its fans and even William Joyce]], the original creator of the Guardians. Most of the backlash against the film is caused by it, as there was no such hate until ''after'' the ship took off.
50	** During an Instagram Q/A, William Joyce was asked about the ship to which he replied that "It would be delightful if they could be together", while also acknowledging the impossibility of it as the two are owned by rival studios. While met with approval, he was also on the receiving end of some not-so-favorable comments and he hasn't touched the subject ever since, at least on a public forum.
51	* IdiosyncraticShipNaming: Ship names include:
52	** Sweet Tooth for Bunny/Tooth.
53	** Rainbow Snow Cone or Frostbite for Jack/Tooth.
54	** Snow Bunny or Jack Rabbit for Jack/Bunny.
55	** Black Ice for Jack/Pitch.
56	** Black Sand for Sandman/Pitch.
57	** Braces or Sweet Dreams for Sandman/Tooth.
58	** Dust Bunny for Sandman/Bunnymund.
59	** Black Belief for Pitch/Jamie.
60	** Dark Chocolate or Rotten Eggs for Pitch/Bunnymund.
61	** Black Christmas and White Christmas for Pitch/North and Jack/North, respectively.
62	** Eggnog for Bunnymund/North.
63	** Cavity for Pitch/Tooth.
64	** The Black Ice ship has been expanded to include Golden Frost for Kozmotis/Jack.
65	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: A major complaint against Jack Frost is that despite his interesting character and origin, he still acts like a typical [=DreamWorks=] male lead: cocky, smug, and a smartass, yet still an outsider we are supposed to identify with and feel sorry for. Not helping is him being voiced by an A-lister, rather than a more proper voice for his supposed age.
66	* JustHereForGodzilla:
67	** Quite a lot of people went to see the movie just because of [[PrettyBoy Jack Frost]].
68	** Some wanted to see it not because of the plot or characters, but because of the incredible animation.
69	* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Jack Frost. He's paired with the other Guardians, Pitch, and Jamie, with original characters, with [[{{WesternAnimation/Tangled}} Rapunzel]], [[{{WesternAnimation/Brave}} Merida]], [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon Hiccup]], and [[Franchise/{{Frozen}} Elsa or Anna]]. Some fans like to [[EpilepticTrees speculate]] that Elsa and Anna are somehow Jack and Rapunzel's ''daughters''.
70	* MemeticMutation:
71	** Early on in the fandom, someone pointed out that without audio for Jack's "and the Easter Kangaroo" line, it looked like he was saying "You're an asshole." Double points for him pointing towards the camera. Needless to say, it caught wind with the other fans.
72	** As a snarky response to the fans' preference for Jack's spirit form over his human appearance, many say that Jack is a "Hollywood white-washing" that everyone is okay with.
73	* MoralEventHorizon: [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Pitch]] killing [[spoiler:Sandman]] is when we know he's willing to do anything to be believed in, no matter how horrible. Then, during the climax, he is ready to [[spoiler:either kill Jamie or [[MindRape turn him into a fearling]]]]. That's when he makes it clear he WouldHurtAChild.
74	* NarmCharm: It's a movie about legendary holiday figures whose source of power is children's belief in them. It sounds so overdramatic and pretentious, yet it still works.
75	* NoYay: Some feel this way about the idea of pairing any of the movie characters with each other.
76	** ShipTease between Tooth and Jack is squicky for those who view her as a mother figure to him and/or because she's [[BestialityIsDepraved an anthropomorphic hummingbird]].
77	** Pitch's interactions with Jamie and the other children can come across as molester-ish, especially the tone of voice with which he taunts and threatens them. In the scene where he turns Cupcake's unicorn dream into a nightmare, he voices just how much he's getting off on her fear.
78	* OlderThanTheyThink:
79	** WordOfGod mentions in the official DVD commentary that people accused ''Guardians'' of ripping off ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}'', though they claim ''Guardians'' was in production long before ''Avengers'' was even announced, due to animation taking longer to create than live-action. (And that's not even getting into the books, which are older than the movie.) However, ''The Avengers'' as well as the MCU as a whole, was years in development (the first ''Iron Man'' movie was released in 2008) and it was based on a long-running series of comics that were around decades before William Joyce began work on his books. Outside of the superhero team, there are barely any similarities story-wise. The film and books as a whole owe a lot more to the Rankin Bass Christmas specials than to the superhero genre.
80	** Many fans think of this movie as the first film featuring Jack Frost as a young protagonist. That honor actually belongs to the stop-motion Rankin Bass Jack Frost film.
81	* ParanoiaFuel:
82	** The spirits in this movie are invisible to anyone who doesn't believe in them. One of them can easily watch you from the window or stand right next to you as they have the means to get into your house, and you will never know. They can even access your dreams and memories.
83	** The MonsterUnderTheBed is real. He can corrupt your dreams and give you endless nightmares about things you fear the most or, if you have children, he will prey on ''them''. As a sensible person who doesn't believe in the Bogeyman, [[InvisibleToNormals you'll never know what hit you]], and you are an ordinary muggle against this supernatural menace.
84	* QuestionableCasting: For some, the Australian Creator/HughJackman as the Easter Bunny. Australia doesn't have the EasterBunny since rabbits are an [[IntroducedSpeciesCalamity invasive species]] there, and some think Jackman's signature baritone is unfitting for the character and makes him hard to take seriously.
85	** Some viewers felt that Creator/ChrisPine was an odd choice to do the voice of Jack Frost, as his voice doesn't sound anything like what you'd expect from a carefree 18-year-old. It's just too deep and weirdly raspy at times.
86	* RonTheDeathEater:
87	** In some fanfics intending to sink the Jack/Elsa ship, Jack turns into an insolent egotistic jerkass or an outright villain, a far cry from the AllLovingHero he is in the movie.
88	** When Pitch gets put into the [[DracoInLeatherPants leather pants]], the Guardians (sans Jack) sometimes get the matching set of Death Eater masks. [[SarcasmMode Why, all they do is torture the poor, innocent Pitch for the lulz!]]
89	** Pitch gets this treatment as much as a villain can. In the movie, he's a bad guy all right, but he is [[AntiVillain somewhat morally ambiguous]]. In some fanfics, he turns into a Voldemort with a nose.
90	* RootingForTheEmpire: Some fans feel that Jack should have joined Pitch just for the sake of making the movie more interesting.
91	* ShipToShipCombat: A rather odd crossover example, but fans who ship Jack with [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] sometimes get into disputes against those who prefer to ship him with [[Franchise/{{Frozen}} Elsa]], while the latter group of shippers is also frequently at war with fans of [[FoeYayShipping Hans/Elsa]].
92	* SignatureScene:
93	** The scene where [[spoiler:Jack's life before Jack Frost was shown, especially since it shows him genuinely caring for his little sister and [[HeroicSacrifice saving her from drowning, only to end up drowning himself]]]].
94	** The scene where Jamie finally gets to see Jack. The emotional payoff and atmosphere of that scene are ''perfect''.
95	* ThemePairing: Elsa from ''Franchise/{{Frozen}}'' is shipped with Jack Frost because they share having [[AnIcePerson ice powers]].
96	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Some fans of [[Literature/TheGuardiansOfChildhood the original books]] criticize the drastic {{Adaptation Personality Change}}s for most characters. In particular, Bunny and Tooth are nothing like in the books, and Pitch's backstory isn't even hinted at.
97	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: A major driving force for Jack was his desire to know about his past and his reason for being. However, when he actually regains his memories, the revelation of his having a family and a sister seems to have no lasting impact on him after the reveal. While it's true that 300 years have passed since he became a mythical spirit so his family would be long dead, the story doesn't show him having any desire to explore his past life. (It's possible they were planning on exploring this in future sequels that never launched due to this movie being an AcclaimedFlop.)
98	* VindicatedByHistory: The movie bombed in cinemas but quickly developed a sizable, dedicated internet fanbase. Then, thanks to the superhero genre's popularity (especially to ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}'' coming out that same year), and the perceived similarities between [[AnIcePerson Jack Frost]] and [[Franchise/{{Frozen}} Elsa]], many people who missed ''Rise of the Guardians'' in theaters checked it out and came to appreciate its merits. Sadly, like ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'', Creator/DreamWorksAnimation continues to treat the movie as an OldShame.
99	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Everything is detailed to the last hair. Jack's design of the ice and snowflakes perfectly captures Guillermo Del Toro's art style.
100	* TheWoobie:
101	** Jack Frost. [[spoiler:He never sees his little sister again after saving her, then spends 300 years all alone with nobody knowing he exists.]]
102	** Bunny becomes this after [[spoiler:Pitch's nightmares destroy his eggs, causing the children to lose their belief in him.]]
103	** Tooth. In the film, children stop believing in her, causing her palace to disintegrate and her wings to stop working. Not to mention her fairy helpers (e.g., Baby Tooth) are put in danger, and if you factor in ''her'' backstory from the books...
104	** Jamie Bennett, when all the kids start losing their belief in the Guardians.
105	** Jack's sister witnesses his death and didn't even know he has become a spirit.
106	* {{Woolseyism}}: When the Tooth Fairy and Baby Tooth accidentally encounter the Tooth Mouse (Tooth Fairy's equivalent in many Latin American and European countries), the Tooth Fairy refers to him as part of the European Division. The Latin American Spanish dub instead refers to him as part of the Latina Division, with Tooth's "Ça va?" being replaced by a "¿Qué tal?".

Context YMMV / RiseOfTheGuardians