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Hollywood superstar and onetime "king of the world" Leonardo DiCaprio will be making his animated feature debut in The Guardians, a modern fairy tale based on classic fairy-tale characters, set for release in November 2012.
DiCaprio will play Jack Frost, who alongside fellow imaginary icons "North" (Santa Claus), "Bunnymund" (The Easter Bunny), Sandy" (The Sandman), and "Tooth" (The Tooth Fairy) will fight to save the world from "Pitch" (The Boogeyman), an evil spirit bent on ruling the world, so long as he comes out of the closet.
If this storyline doesn’t sounds familiar, it shouldn’t. The William Joyce-authored book series on which it’s based, The Guardians of Childhood, hasn’t even been released yet (tentative date: December 2010). But you can appreciate the "high concept" appeal of children's beloved fairytale characters knocking heads and taking names. Santa has plenty of time to hit the gym.
The Guardians is being produced by DreamWorks Animation, the makers of Shrek, who obviously have some experience reimagining mythical characters, then marketing them to death. So expect The Guardians to become a franchise as much as a movie. I can already foresee some obligatory sequels and spinoffs:
The Guardians 2: New Tooth
The Guardians 3: The Rise of Frosty
Guardians Origins: Santa
Guardians Origins: Enter Sandman
The Dark Bunny
First Wives Club: Mrs. Santa, Mrs. Bunny, and Mr. Fairy
Bunny Versus Fairy
Shrek Meets The Guardians
