Rise of the Guardians (2012)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A group of legendary guardians must team up with a newly awakened Jack Frost to stop a villain from plunging the world into darkness.
The story
Jack Frost emerges from a frozen pond with amnesia and finds himself invisible to the mortal realm. Three centuries later, Nicholas St. North learns of the return of Pitch Black, who threatens to plague children with nightmares. North rallies his fellow Guardians, E. Aster Bunnymund, Sanderson Mansnoozie, and Toothiana, and they discover that Jack has been chosen to join their ranks. Jack is kidnapped by Bunny and transported to the North Pole, where he learns from North that every Guardian has a "center", something they foster in children. Jack knows nothing of his center and resists the call to become a Guardian.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Jack Frost awakens from a frozen pond with amnesia and invisibility to the mortal realm. Three centuries later, the Guardian Nicholas St. North discovers that Pitch Black has returned to plague children with nightmares. North and his fellow Guardians—the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman—discover that Jack has been chosen to join their ranks. After being taken to the North Pole, Jack learns that each Guardian possesses a 'center' they foster in children. During a confrontation with Pitch, the Guardians manage to drive him away, but Pitch steals all the children's teeth, weakening the belief in the Tooth Fairy. Jack learns that these teeth hold memories and may help him uncover his past. The Guardians embark on a mission to collect teeth, and during their journey, they encounter a young boy named Jamie Bennett. On their way back, the Sandman is killed by Pitch's Nightmares. As Easter approaches, the Guardians travel to the Bunny's Warren. Jack is lured into Pitch's lair, where he finds his own teeth. Pitch destroys the Easter eggs, causing children to stop believing in the Easter Bunny. Jack flees to Antarctica, where Pitch breaks his staff and throws him into a chasm. Upon reclaiming his memories, Jack learns he was a mortal boy who died saving his sister. He repairs his staff, rescues the fairies, and ultimately finds his center is 'fun.' He restores Jamie's belief, which in turn restores the other Guardians and resurrects the Sandman. The children's dreams prove stronger than the Nightmares, who are dragged to the underworld by their own forces. Jack accepts his role as the Guardian of Fun.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Ramsey
- Writers
- David Lindsay-Abaire · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Chris Pine · Jack Frost; Alec Baldwin · Nicholas St. North / Santa Claus; Jude Law · Pitch Black / Boogeyman; Isla Fisher · Toothiana / Tooth Fairy; Hugh Jackman · E. Aster Bunnymund / Easter Bunny
- Genres
- animated; fantasy; action
- Themes
- belief; memory; identity
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; adventure; mythology
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Guardians of Childhood (book series) and The Man in the Moon (short film)
- Reception
- mixed-to-positive reviews from critics
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 75% · scale: percentage · review count: 159
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Animated Feature Film · nomination; Annie Award · Best Animated Feature · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was a box-office failure despite grossing over its budget.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…