“Rise of the Guardians” definitely rises to the occasion and is worthy of being part of the long list of must-see holiday movies.

Honestly, stepping in to this movie, I didn’t have very high expectations. The trailers all made it seem to be just another feel-good holiday film, with some average animation, cringe-worthy voice acting, and no plot.

Boy was I wrong.

The only reason I wanted to see this movie was to listen to Santa Claus talk. A Russian Santa voiced by Alec Baldwin? Count me in. Then I learned that Hugh Jackman would be voicing an Aussie Easter Bunny and Jude Law would be the bad guy and my excitement for this movie just escalated.

But when I heard that Chris Pine would be Jack Frost I grew a little worried. I’ve seen some of his other movies and let’s just say I’m not really his biggest fan. Watching “Rise of the Guardians,” though, I realized there was nothing to worry about. Pine completely captured the mischievous, fun-loving, tortured Jack.

While the plot had some twists that I didn’t see coming, for the most part it was predictable and neat, as expected for a children’s movie.

The Guardians are the protectors of children and defenders of their happiness. For as long as anyone has ever believed in them, they have been protecting children against anything that threatens to ruin their happiness.

They are Santa Claus, also called North (Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) and the Sandman, who doesn’t speak. Suddenly, the happiness of children is threatened by the reappearance of Pitch Black (Law) and the Guardians soon learn that they are no match for this Boogie Man-like creature.

This is where Jack Frost (Pine) comes in. For the past 300 years, Jack has spent his time having fun and making it snow. Even though Jack loves making it snow and seeing children enjoy all of his snow days, nobody believes in him. Because of this, he is completely invisible to humans and he hates it.

But now Jack is chosen as the newest Guardian and must join the ranks of these childhood icons to help save the day and defeat Pitch Black.

It wasn’t so much the plot that made this movie so charming, but the liberties taken with such famous childhood figures.

Reimagining Santa Claus as some tattooed Russian was just brilliant and then an Aussie Easter Bunny that acted very non-bunny-like had me smiling like a goofball every time he spoke. The Sandman was adorable and it was clever that he expressed himself with pictures using his sand instead of words.

The Tooth Fairy’s character design was the most original, though. She seemed to be based off a hummingbird the way she flitted around with countless energy, and her character is very unique and original because of her amazingly colorful feathers.

I also loved that Pitch Black was the Boogie Man under the bed, but he wasn’t called the Boogie Man. While there are references to the Boogie Man, calling him Pitch was a smart move. “Watch out for Boogie” just doesn’t sound as threatening. Law did an excellent job as Pitch as well. I never thought a British accent could sound so scary.

Jack’s character was the most average and unimaginative of the protagonists but nonetheless fun. His growth through the movie was expected but heartwarming at the same time.

The animation was so wonderful it was beyond comprehension. There were certain scenes where I had to step back and just admire how beautiful everything looked. The action sequences were amazing and the Sandman’s sand was probably the most stunning I have ever seen.

For the breathtaking animation, predictable plot, awesome characters, and Russian Santa, I give this film 3.5 out of 4 Grizzly bear claws.

A wonderful holiday movie that is just so much more than a holiday movie. Something to enjoy with the family all year round.