Explore the art from the DreamWorks film – its evolution from drawing-board concept to the final product on the silver screen!
Author: Ramin Zahed, plus a foreword and preface by Alec Baldwin and William Joyce
Publisher: Titan Books
Length: 156 pages
Binding: Hardback
RRP: £24.99
What’s good: fantastical full colour illustrations, thorough notes and a real insight into the design process
What’s not so good: those interested in animation may want more technical detail
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS (November 2012) is DreamWorks’ latest addition to their CGI catalogue of films. Based on a series of children’s books by American author William Joyce, the story explores the worlds of the various Guardians (Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman, voiced by Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman and Isla Fisher – the Sandman doesn’t speak), who are fighting to stop the Boogeyman (Pitch) destroying childhood. And if this book’s anything to go by, it looks like it’ll be stunning.
THE ART OF RISE OF THE GUARDIANS gives you a close look at the characters and landscapes, and the journey from concept art to final product. At first glance the cover reminded me a bit of a ‘70s prog rock album (never a bad association of course). Inside you’re greeted with a few words from Alec Baldwin (voice of Santa Claus/North) and William Joyce, the author of the books. But it’s the main section of this book, penned by American journalist Ramin Zahed which really grabs you and brings the film’s worlds to life.
The book has a logical structure, divided into the different characters’ realms: North Pole, Bunny Empire, Tooth Palace, the Clouds, Pitch’s Lair and the human world, as well as a brief chapter detailing how a typical DreamWorks sequence is made. Each section is wholly absorbing. For example we find how out the North Pole is based on a fusion of Russian Constructivism, the polar landscape, the colour red and square shapes (there’s even a double page spread of geometric posters with an air of Soviet propaganda) while the Easter Bunny’s world favours triangles, greens, the Australian wilds and Japanese gardens. The aesthetics are incredibly detailed, deliberate and precise, while it’s fascinating to find out about their development; it surprised me how organic the process is. I imagined all the ideas would be set in stone, but often the designers adapted pragmatically, for example Bunny was originally supposed to be a stiff upper lip kind of rabbit, but with the addition of Hugh Jackman as the voice the character soon changed its image, becoming more of an adventurous outback warrior.
We also find out about abandoned concept designs – a definite pull for any fans of the film. Sandy (the Sandman) was originally going to travel about his Cloud realm on the “Dream Ship”, an ever-changing haze of sand that morphed into different shapes. The artwork looks amazing here – there’s a whole page of mini-sketches and a large breath-taking illustration of a whale and squid all in golden sandy hues.
The artwork as a whole is magnificent, all lovingly reproduced in sumptuous colour (or the early black and white sketches) by a variety of artists and in a number of styles. You can see each character in its different manifestations in the planning stages. One particularly impressive illustration is of Jamie’s bedroom (he’s the young kid from a normal American town thrown into the Guardians’ worlds and drafted to help). The artists and concept designers were all heavily influenced by the ‘80s films they watched as kids, and Jayee Borcar’s nostalgic illustration, with its golden light and boy’s room containing maps, globe and a telescope pointed out the window, sharply evokes E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982).
Those interested in animation and design will certainly enjoy THE ART OF RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, although it is mainly of the concept stage; the fold-out section on “The Making of Sequence 1300” is quite brief. However this is a gorgeous book that has a much wider appeal and will make a worthy companion to the film.
THE ART OF RISE OF THE GUARDIANS is available from Titan Books now.
