TRAILER: 'Rise of the Guardians' Is 'The Avengers' of Holiday Characters

I have no problem taking shots at DreamWorks Animation's movies (since they're usually crap filled with topical humor and fart jokes), but every so often I do have to give the studio credit when it deserves it. How to Train Your Dragon was probably the most Pixaresque of any of DreamWorks' movies, and may have actually stuck to the Pixar standard better than Cars 2 and Brave did, and I have no problem recognizing that film as a good animated movie. Even the Kung Fu Panda movies have potential. Shrek is one-note garbage that no one will understand in 20 years though.

That said, DreamWorks Animated released the second trailer for Rise of the Guardians, its upcoming movie based on the Guardians of Childhood books by William Joyce. The best way to describe the movie is that it's The Avengers of holiday movies. Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), the Sandman and Jack Frost (Chris Pine) team up to fight the Nightmare King (Jude Law), who's basically the Boogeyman and definitely should not be confused with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Nightman. I can only assume that there's no paying a troll to gets a boy's soul in Rise of the Guardians. I could be wrong though.

Guillermo del Toro is one of the film's executive producers, which bodes well. Rise of the Guardians could wind up being DreamWorks' usual level of work, but I think it could be good.