Since its inception, DreamWorks has been known for being irreverent and spoofy, being the complete opposite of what Disney stands for. But they did have their fair share of classic fairytale stories in the 3D landscape, with a major example being 2010’s HTTYD, however, their next attempt at straying away from their usual formula won’t exactly deliver.
Produced by Guillermo del Toro, Rise of the Guardians hit the big screens in December of 2012 but unfortunately became a box-office disappointment, eventually falling into obscurity. And recently reflecting on the family fantasy, the Oscar-winner held DreamWorks’ sloppy marketing responsible for its failure.
Guillermo Del Toro Holds DreamWorks’ Marketing Responsible for Rise of the Guardians’ Failure
Produced by Guillermo del Toro, shot by Roger Deakins, scored by Alexandre Desplat, and written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, DreamWorks brought in all the big guns for this film. And with a passionate director Peter Ramsey helming the direction, accompanied by a voice cast, comprising Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, and Hugh Jackman, Rise of the Guardians appeared too big to fail. But despite the firepower, the animated feature failed to hit the numbers the studios were aiming for, becoming a box-office flop despite a collection of over $300M.
Reflecting on the movie’s disappointing box-office collection despite releasing around Christmas, Del Toro held DreamWorks’ misguided marketing responsible, stating that as a producer, “It hurts”.
In 30 years, I have seen 3 wonderful films hampered and hobbled by misguided marketing- this is one. As producer, It hurts. But those that know- know. It still made over 300M globally and announced the feature arrival of my brilliant pal, @pramsey342 https://t.co/NM30Km1RFn
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 21, 2023
Ramsey, who would later score an Oscar win for Into the Spider-Verse, had similar viewpoints on the film’s failure, stating that the marketing material didn’t represent the original film.
Peter Ramsey Had Similar Comments About His First Feature’s Failure
Expanding on the movie’s misguided marketing, Peter Ramsey expressed that it was frustrating for everyone involved, as the material DreamWorks used to market the film didn’t represent the actual work. Ramsay further revealed that it took a long time for the studios to get the appeal of the film he was making, as their whole brand was built on being irreverent and spoofy. He told Vulture:
“Anybody who cares about the movie will tell you that the marketing didn’t seem to represent what was up on the screen, and that was a huge frustration for all of us. People who saw the movie later — on DVD or later in the run — would tell me, “You know, I had no idea it was going to be anything like that. It was completely different than I had any expectation that it was going to be.”
While Rise of the Guardians isn’t DreamWorks best, it still had a lot of heart, making for a perfect Christmas experience, which could’ve been a big success if it wasn’t for the sloppy marketing.
Rise of the Guardians is available to rent on Apple TV.
