Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Owls?

Sometimes I hammer out these little screeds just to create a sort of online diary about my tedious little life, so that years from now I can look back and wonder why I, for instance, ever appreciated Van Camps Pork N' Beans well enough to write a bawdy limerick about them.

As such, this weekend Beloved Girlfriend and I took in an IMAX-powered showing of Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. I knew nothing about the many books this movie is based on, all I know is that the film springs from the same talented people who created Happy Feet, one of the relative handful of DVD's I keep in The Collection.

So what did I get for my $14 American?

Pros: Simply the most gorgeous computer-animated film yet. Beloved Girlfriend and I were stunned by the level of detail, bordering on the magical. The animators must be some kinds of OCD prodigies as there were too many "hero" feathers to count. We spent a lot of time nudging each other, pointing out some detail that must have been pure Hell to animate.

Cons: Conventional plot. These were just people in owl costumes, the author having woven multiple layers of human technology (music, art, metallurgy.. yes, metallurgy!) into the life of normal owls. There's conflict to be sure but they reach resolution through the time-worn technique of pitched battle. Seriously. Picture owls with swords.

I'm not sure who this film is aimed at. The animation's far too sophisticated for just a kids film, the plot too simplistic for adults, and there's no romance to sweeten the pot. Granted, a love story doesn't have to be crammed into every movie but it's almost entirely what separates this film from Happy Feet.

Big Picture: The positives far outweigh the negatives, so if you enjoy deftly-handled animation, go see this one while it's still in theatres.

=Lefty=