Based on author Philip Pullman's bestselling and award-winning novel, 'The Golden Compass' tells the first story in Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. 'The Golden Compass' is set in an alternative world where people's souls manifest themselves as animals, talking bears fight wars, and Gyptians and witches co-exist. At the center of the story is Lyra, a 12-year-old girl, who starts out trying to rescue a friend who's been kidnapped by a mysterious organization known as the Gobblers and winds up on an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well.