Artistic Significance: The past helps shape who we are

In the midst of the 2012 flurry of popular movies like “Hunger Games” and “The Hobbit” came a gem that did not receive as much attention as it deserved.
“The Rise of the Guardians” follows the story of Jack Frost as he teams up with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Sandman to protect the children of the world from Pitch Black.
Honestly, it’s a simple premise with beautiful animation and a stellar cast.
I didn’t realize I needed Hugh Jackman playing an Australian Easter Bunny or an overly excited Santa Claus with naughty/nice list tattoos until they came into existence.
Repeatedly, we see the guardians struggle to get along with kids.
Like Santa says, “We are very busy bringing joy to children. We don’t have time for children.”
However, the underlying theme of the film is that Jack doesn’t know who he is.
For the last 200 years, he’s been invisible to the world around him. He brings snow days to communities, but nobody really believes in him, which means they can’t see him.
The first thing he remembers is the moon chasing darkness away from him, but with no clue about what he’s supposed to do.
When he’s approached to become a guardian, chosen by the Man in the Moon, his first reaction is to think he wouldn’t belong.
The guardians have been called by the Man in the Moon to bring light, joy and happiness to kids while protecting them from the darkness.
But Jack doesn’t think he can do that.
“You’re all hard work and deadlines and I’m snowballs and fun times.”
When the Tooth Fairy finds out he doesn’t have any memories, she offers to help as childhood memories are stored in their teeth. However, Pitch already stole all the teeth from her palace.
So, Jack agrees to help get them back in exchange for his memories.
When he learns about his life before becoming Jack Frost, the truth becomes unavoidable.
Long before becoming Jack Frost, he was making kids happy with jokes and silly antics.
He became Jack Frost after falling into a frozen lake he’d been skating on with his younger sister. She went on to a patch of thin ice that was cracking under her, and he saved her.
What’s the point in all this? Jack’s journey to find out who he was sends a strong message; you need to understand your past before you can truly help people.
He was chosen to become a guardian because in many ways he’d always been one. He’d been doing what a guardian is supposed to without the title or even knowing the title was there.
However, when he didn’t know that, he was determined that he did have what it takes to be one.
Finding out who he was and therefore who he still could be only gave him the confidence to do the right thing.