The holidays are finally here, and Arthur Christmas started off the season with a bang on Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving.

Arthur Christmas tells another tale of Santa and his workshop, but with modern twists. When the North Pole misses one child on Christmas Eve, Santa’s misfit son Arthur (James McAvoy) is determined to deliver a present to her to keep the magic alive.

If you have ever wondered how Santa delivers over two billion presents, eats fifteen million cookies, and drinks eighteen million glasses of milk all in one night, this movie will show you how, and you will be amazed at the magic behind it.

Santa has chucked his sleigh and reindeer and gone with a more modern delivery vehicle: the spaceship. Technology like touchscreens, military equipment, and GPS devices replace standards like reindeer, climbing down the chimney, and the big red sack that holds the presents, but don’t worry. Arthur Christmas still has that same Christmas magic we all love.

To be honest, going into it, I thought this movie was going to be childish and cute—a kids movie; I was not expecting to laugh so much and cry so hard.

But before you get to that, you have to sit through something…er…someone else: Justin Beiber. The film starts off with a short music video from Bieber entitled Santa Claus is Coming to Town. It’s a little catchy, I’ll admit, but not exactly what I paid for.

But luckily, this prelude was brief, and before I knew it, the main attraction came on.

Arthur Christmas is anything but disappointment. Right after the first scene, I forgot the Canadian singer and laughed my heart out for the rest of the movie. It has everything you want in a Christmas movie: humor, magic, heart-felt moments, and a bunch of tiny elves to laugh at.

The actors (James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Ashley Jensen, and Jim Broadbent) did splendid jobs of putting their own magic into each character. Before you know it, you start to think the animated characters are real people.

There’s something for everyone. You can’t help but make a connection with at least one of the characters, especially Arthur. The animation style contributes to the believability of the characters and the settings, with so many details to take in.

I recommend Arthur Christmas to everyone no matter how tough or “too old” you are for animated or Christmas movies in general. It gets my giant seal of approval: four ho-ho-hos (it is that great) and Merry Christmas on top!

You have my guarantee that all will love this offering for the Christmas-Thanksgiving holidays.

Arthur Christmas is now playing in 3D and 2D at the Maui Mall Megaplex.