Dreamsand Miracles, a letter to Dreamworks Animation

{14th January 2013}
A fan letter for Rise of the Guardians.

To the lovely person who took the time to read this letter,

Hello. My name is Rachel, I am 15 years old and I come from Malaysia. In case you don't know where that is, it is a country in South East Asia. I am writing regarding the beautiful animated film that is Rise Of The Guardians.

     Maybe none of you will read this, but I just want everyone involved in the production of this film to know how much I appreciate the love and effort that they put into this film. I may just be one person, but I am pretty sure that I am not alone in thinking this.

     This is the first time I cried while watching a movie. And what is truly amazing is that I wasn't crying because I was sad, I was crying because I was so happy. Yes, this film made me shed tears of pure joy. This was the part where Jamie started believing in Jack Frost. Maybe it was partly due to Alexandre Desplat's score, which was beautiful in every way imaginable, but all I know was that Jack Frost's moment of recognition touched me in so many ways. All his life, nobody knew he existed, nobody cared about him, and the only thing he wanted so badly was to be believed in. Somehow, I can relate to that. Feeling alone in this world, and never receiving any attention or any form of recognition from anyone. And when Jack Frost and Jamie faced each other and looked at each other, I don't know why but it was just so moving I teared up and cried right there in the theatre, which I have never done. I was just so happy for Jack, he waited for so long to receive even just a tiny shred of recognition, and he finally received it. It was pure cinematic magic.

     Seriously, I have no idea what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is doing, excluding Rise Of The Guardians from the nominations for Best Animated Feature. In my most humble opinion, this film is an epic classic that deserves that Oscar (as well as any other awards) way more than all the other movies combined.

     So once again, thank you, thank you, and thank you for making the most beautiful film I have ever seen, animated or live-action. It has made me once again believe in magic, hope, wonder and fun, things I have forgotten and stopped believing in as I grew up. It has made me believe that one day, we will all get our happy ending, one way or another. No other film has made me feel as much as I did as the Rise Of The Guardians. Somehow, I have a feeling that DreamWorks has found the magic that several other animation studios have lost. I sincerely hope that there will be a sequel for this movie, because I am really looking forward to seeing Jamie, Jack, Tooth, Bunny, Sandy, North, and maybe even Pitch on the big screen again. And once more, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

{P.S. 19th & 23rd July 2013}

     In March, I received the Guardians of Childhood books as a birthday present. (To be honest, I requested for it specifically.) At first I was a bit hesitant. A 16 year old reading a children's book isn't really considered "cool". But I thought, whatever. I wanted to read it, so I did.

     And I loved it. (The series is now among my favourite books of all time.)

     When I first wrote this letter, it was to thank the filmmakers who made the film. I never thought of thanking the creator of the world. Now, I can't believe I never thought about it until now.

Thank you Mr Joyce,

     Thanks to you, I know I'm no longer alone at night. Thanks to you, I will always see the world with my eyes open in wonder, and let my mind wander and imagine. Thanks to you, I will never give up, I will keep on hoping, I will keep on believing that tomorrow will be a better day. Thank you.

     Thinking about Mary Katherine and Jackson, I think they're very lucky to have a dad who loves them so much. And I'd like to think that wherever she is, MK would be proud of the things her dad's given the rest of us. Hope, belief and wonder.

Thank you all.

When I write a letter thanking someone for something they have done, it's because that something brought me out from a deep dark hole and shined a bright light into the vast emptiness of my life, that something cheered me up, brought me happiness, inspired me and became a part of my dream.