We will watch over the Children of Earth,
Guide them safely from the ways of harm.
We will guard with our lives their hopes and dreams,
For they are all that we have, all that we are, and all
that we will ever be.
Those words are the guiding light to William Joyce‘s, Guardians of Childhood, book series. It is also the quote that propelled the book series to become DreamWorks, Rise of the Guardians. Last week, I finally got a chance to see the film. It was a movie that I was 
anticipating for quite some time. The idea of seeing your childhood heroes coming together to battle an ancient evil, tugged at my heartstrings. It was filled with great colors and wonderous CGI and it blew away me and my 5yr old nephew. I wanted to watch the movie before I wrote this review on the Art of Rise of the Guardians from Insight Editions and written by Ramin Zahed; so that I could delve deeper into the book and know how the art would be reflected in the final product. I’m glad that I did too, because the movie only enhanced the book.
Pouring through the pages of this book was more than just going through the stages of making the movie, it was a trip down the memories of my childhood. When you would daydream about how it was possible that Santa could deliver all those presents to the children of the world in one night. Or how did the tooth fairy know when you lost a tooth? Or why the Sandman made you sleep when you had every intention of staying awake. William Joyce and the artists of DreamWorks took all these questions and created a world that answered those questions and made you remember why you asked them in the first place.
The book explores all the different kingdoms of the Guardians. From the North Pole, to The Easter Bunny’s ‘Warren’, to the Tooth Fairy’s ‘Library of Memories’. This was one particular part that I really enjoyed in the movie as well as the book. A place where the idea that all of your memories are kept in your teeth. It’s a wonderfully inventive idea that as imaginative on the screen as it is in the conceptual artwork.
In closing, I’d say that if you’re a fan of Animation, or if you have ever wanted to feel yourself back in your 5yr old self again, go see Rise of the Guardians, and then pick yourself the Art of Rise of the Guardians over at Insight Editions. You will not be disappointed by either and you may just find yourself being lost into a colorful world filled with Superheroes that have exsited well before those of Spider-Man and Batman.
Art of Rise of the Guardians retails for $40.00 and you can pick up a copy at Insight Editions HERE. To see more of William Joyce’s work, check out his website here.
~Chaz
