The trailer gives a good sense of the overall storyline and tone of the film, but does not fully capture the humor present in this latest from Aardman Animations (the people who brought us Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit). Judging from the thirty minutes that we were able to see, the film strikes a genuine balance between the charm and warmth necessary to qualify it as a “family film” and the comedic bite necessary to entertain the adult segment of the audience.

The jokes are intermittently sweet and sharp and the characters fresh and vivid, with a lead who is an appealing, kind-hearted, underdog who wants to bring his unusual family “business” back to its fundamental roots. With a Santa who won’t let go of the metaphorical reins, an eldest son caught in the web of his technological obsession, a Ms. Clause who functions like a political wife of yore, and a cantankerous GrandSanta who responds to Arthur’s exclamation that their mission is “impossible” with the rebuttal, “we used to think it was impossible to teach women to read,” this truly is a fun and inventive take on the occupants of the north pole.

Told in the vein of an elaborate spy-mission, a quirky family comedy, and a classic Christmas tale with a modern twist, strong visuals are joined with a clever script to take you on an engaging holiday adventure.