Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess) is a young barn owl. He has always been enthralled by stories of the Guardians of Ga’ Hoole, who are owl warriors which once defeated an evil group known as, oddly enough, the Pure Ones. Soren’s kid sister, Eglantine (voice of Adrienne DeFaria) sides with Soren in her excitement regarding the legends. Soren’s brother, Kludd (voice of Ryan Kwanten), however, doesn’t believe in these stories or the legends. Soon the brothers fall from their nest and they face immediate danger as they still can’t fly. Just as a carnivore is about to devour them, a group of owls snatch them up and their adventures begin. It turns out that two characters are creating a powerful weapon to destroy all other owl kingdoms. Not happy about that or what the Pure Ones have done to him as well as many others, the old owl warrior Grimble (voice of Hugo Weaving) teaches Soren and Gylfie how to fly and then arranges for their escape.
This movie is about being heroic when it is not easy and doing the right thing. The animation is terrific and the characters are delightful and appropriately evil in some cases. There is a lot of fantasy violence, though little blood. Some images may be too frightening and intense for young viewers. The movie is a treat for the eyes and we gladly award our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for ages twelve plus. These owls will guide you into a whole other world for some ninety minutes. That is exactly what a good movie should do.