If you’re a viewer of a certain age, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been a big part of your formative years. That’s the case for me. I remember owning the action figures, watching the cartoon and owning the live-action films on VHS. So, I’m probably something of the target audience for a re-birth.

It’s clear that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who worked on the script for this new film with director Jeff Rowe, felt the same. You can see the passion and love for the source material to this new adaptation, an animated film that brings audiences back to the world of the turtles.

In the new film, we begin with Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) working on a formula to create his perfect mutant creatures. He’s interrupted and some of his magic ooze makes its way down into the sewers. Flash-forward 15 years, and we find Splinter (Jackie Chan) playing father to four teenage turtle sons—Leonardo (Nicholas Cantu), Raphael (Brady Noon), Michelangelo (Shannon Brown, Jr.) and Donatello (Micah Abbey). They live in the sewers, but the boys dream of the human world.

Splinter is weary of a world that won’t accept them, but his sons want to go to high school and be part of the normal world. When the turtles come across a teenage journalist, April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), they form a plan to catch the criminal Superfly (Ice Cube) and become heroes, gaining acceptance in the world.

As you might suspect, things don’t go according to plan. Can the turtles save New York and come out of the shadows?

That’s the premise of this film, which has a lot of fun with the teenage turtles and all the other characters. We get familiar faces like Beebop and Rock Steady, too. Superfly makes for a decent foil and its fun dropping in on these characters as teens—including April—making this something of a fun origin story.

The action and the comedy blend works here, but it’s the heart of the story that sets it apart. This is about the most basic of longings—for friendship and acceptance. Those are universal themes that everyone can relate to, and they’re beautifully woven into the tapestry of a film that’s fun for audiences of all ages.

It’s been a great summer for animated features with Across the Spider-Verse and Elemental already bowing. And, of course, the No. 1 film of the year so far at the Box Office is The Super Mario Bros. I suspect that Mutant Mayhem will join those ranks as being among the best animated films of the year. It’s a fun ride and one that’s full of heart. Hopefully it’s the start of a re-birthed franchise.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.