Rise of the Guardians & Symbolism

As you already know, I am a huge fan of Rise of the Guardians.

But did you also know that one of the reasons I love it is because of the symbolism I see between that story and the Gospel?  Here, let me share some examples.

(The following should *NOT* include spoilers.  You're welcome.) ^-^

Jack: "Darkness.  That's the first thing I remember.  It was dark, and it was cold... And I was scared.  But then, then I saw the moon.  It was so big and it was so bright, and it seemed to chase the darkness away.  And when it did... I wasn't scared anymore."

First of all, talk about an awesome opening scene.  Beautifully written.  Now for the symbolism...

This world can be a very scary and dark place.  All you have to do is look at the news and see what's going on.  But, the light (Jesus Christ) can chase that darkness away.  When I turn to my Savior at times when I am scared of the uncertain future, I find peace and hope.

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Continuing along that same thought (of the Man in the Moon symbolizing Christ), later in the movie after longing for something he didn't have, Jack looks up at the moon.
"If there's something I'm doing wrong, can you, can you just tell me what it is?  Because I've tried everything... You put me here, the least you can do is tell me, tell me why..."

When life isn't going according to our plan, how often do we look up at Heavenly Father and say those same words?  How often does He respond with silence or "Patience, my child"?  For me, it's far more than I can count.  Ten years ago, I honestly thought my life would be different; for starters, I thought I would be done with college (still working on it), Mom would still be alive (but she's in a much better place now), and I would be married...  Well, none of those three things have happened yet.  But I have learned to have patience and recognize that the Lord has His timing and we have ours, often they are different.

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And when we don't receive an answer, but someone else does (through the Holy Ghost and inspiration), we then question why we were not told...

Jack to the Guardians:
"The Man in the Moon, he talks to you?  But why, why wouldn't he tell me that himself?"

Sometimes Often the Lord will work through other people in order to bless our life.  If we are too focused on what we want and not what He wants, how could we possibly hear Him?  It takes someone else to speak up and act in His behalf.  When I have had this happen, I stop and question myself, wondering what it was that caused me to be so "unavailable."  However, sometimes it isn't that we are to blame; sometimes the Lord simply has other plans.  Even if, like Jack, we are trying our best but we still can't receive inspiration, perhaps it's because He has a greater plan in store (So-and-so needed to talk to you because they needed it, etc.).

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North: "I don't know who you were in your past life, but in this life you are Guardian."
Jack: "But how can I know who I am, until I find out who I was?"

No, I am not endorsing reincarnation.  =P

What I love about this is that it doesn't matter what your past is like, you can still become who it is you want to be.  Thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, your past can be healed.  Yes, the scar may still remain for a time, but the pain will be gone, and we can move forward with the life we desire to live.

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Another aspect of this movie that I enjoyed was the concept of "What's your center?"  What's your purpose?  We are all here in this life trying to find our center.  For some it may take longer than others, but eventually I think we all find it.

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And don't even get me started on Pitch...

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This entire movie is also based on the premise of faith and believing in something you cannot see, which of course goes hand-in-hand with the Gospel.  So...

"Believe it."

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