Rise of the Guardians gives us enough good reasons to believe

Ostensibly a Christmas movie, Rise of the Guardians, an animated 3D flick based on the William Joyce book series, has a pretty good twist. While it refers to both Santa and Jack Frost, it throws a few other magical childhood heroes into the mix.

The story centers on Jack Frost (Chris Pine), a troublemaker who likes to amuse himself by creating snow days and throwing snowballs at people when they’re not looking. An impending crisis, however, will bring his carefree days to an end.

The Boogeyman (Jude Law) has slowly risen to power and now threatens to wipe out Easter and Christmas with his evil power. Led by the Santa (Alec Baldwin) and directed by the mysterious man in the moon, the good “Guardians” have to band together if they want to stop him. So Santa enlists the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) and the silent Sandman to work together to try to stop him. They’re not able to do it on their own, however, and Santa sends his Yetis out to kidnap Jack and bring him into the fold. Jack initially resists, but he soon realizes the Boogeyman must be stopped and he wants to help out.

The story’s plot is a familiar one. The good guys nearly lose out to evil and it’s only through great perseverance that they have a chance at saving the world. The terrific cast makes this film worthwhile. Baldwin makes Santa both jolly and simple-minded and Jackman is a hoot as the tough-talking Easter Bunny. Fisher holds her own next to the guys as the sweet and charming Tooth Fairy.

While the film has a dark side, that’s one of its strengths. The lesson here is a simple one — you’ve gotta confront demons and find your inner strength if you ever want to get ahead in life.