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I was expecting eye candy going into this film and that’s what I was served, but by the time the final course was uncovered I had gobbled up Andy and Larry Wachowski’s neon-glowing confection. No one who has ever seen the original series would confuse it with good animation. Nonetheless it had a charm that was undeniable. The Wachowskis capture that charm, frosting their entire production with it. They are not interested in “improving” the original material with an overdose of extra hip wink winks — the same ingredient that has destroyed so many other animation-to-live-action adaptations. They’re interested in bringing the good flavors to the forefront and minimizing the cheesy aftertaste.

Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch, INTO THE WILD) is from a family of racers, who thinks about nothing but racing. He looks up to his older brother Rex (Scott Porter, TV’s FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS), a champion driver. But something happens to pull apart Rex and his dad Pops (John Goodman, BARTON FINK), spurring Rex to leave home and later parish in a racing accident. When Speed grows up, he is courted by all the major sponsors, especially Royalton (Roger Allam, V FOR VENDETTA), a shady corporate tycoon. Soon enough, Speed learns painful lessons about the way the racing world is really run and is approached by the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox, TV’s LOST) to join him and blow the lid off the evil corporate conspiracy to fix races.

While no great acting skills are need, the casting for this film is perfect. Hirsch plays the cool, sometimes cocky, driver well. Allam chews up the scenery as the villain you love to hate. But one of the keys to the film is Speed’s family. Goodman brings the right notes to a smalltime veteran of the racing world who doesn’t want to believe that his life’s passion is rotten to the core. Susan Sarandon (DEAD MAN WALKING) as Mom Racer brings her star wattage to benefit the production by lifting the supportive mom character out from the shadows. Christina Ricci (PUMPKIN) as Speed’s girl Trixie has never been sweeter. Her wily and smart character makes us quickly understand why Speed would want this cutie in his corner. The young Paulie Litt (TV’s HOPE & FAITH) nails Speed’s younger brother Spritle. His energy is contagious and his delivery elicits some of the biggest laughs. He also gets a chimp sidekick in Chim Chim. Using a real chimp was another great move in a long list of great moves. Fox brings the right kind of mystery to Racer X, even though, from time to time, he looks awkward in the mask and leather.

The original was a kids show and that’s what this movie is targeted to. However, the plotting is done so well that there’s actual tension built when we come to the obligatory final race. While the film is for kids, the Wachowskis never dumb it down for kids, knowing that kids will connect with the action and silliness and don’t need to understand every nuance. When Speed discovers what makes him race, it’s surprisingly more complex than a simple one-word answer like family or justice, but a mix of many internal struggles and motivations.

Because I wouldn’t call myself an avid SPEED RACER fan, I consulted one — the artist par none of Unloosen.com Chris Leavens, and he confirmed my hunch that the Wachowskis stayed true to the spirit of the show. The crazy physics of the car races, which is being dubbed car-fu, is right out of the series. The filmmakers even find ways to make some of the show’s contrived standards work, like Spritle and Chim Chim always hiding out in the trunk of the Mach 5 and popping out just in time to save the day. The Wachowskis weave all the elements that fans would be looking for into a plot that doesn’t feel like it’s stopping for arbitrary fan pandering. This said the Wachowskis also find ways to inject what feels like personal feelings into the story. Using the family independents and pitting them against thoroughly corrupt massive companies feels like former indie filmmakers taking aim at their new corporate bosses. But even these elements are used in service of staking the deck against the heroes.

Some will be turned off by the hyper-stylized world and frantic action. The neon-infused look is like TRON on acid and the cross-country rally scenes brought up unfavorable memories of the pod race sequence from STAR WARS: PHANTOM MENACE. Nonetheless, I came to like these characters and the action always highlighted their personalities from establishing Speed as the best driver around, to showing how easily he and Racer X work together.

I suspect many critics will not like SPEED RACER, complaining about the simple dialogue or the clichéd message about family or the cheesiness of the surreal visual effects. But those critics don’t remember what it’s like to be a kid. You’ll read words like mindless, but those folks are confusing innocence for stupidity. They’re also neglecting to look at what the Wachowskis have really done — created a live-action cartoon that isn’t completely vacuous or panders constantly to the lowest common denominator. They haven’t insulted fans by tainting the source material nor have they tortured non-fans by slavishly following formulas that only the insider would know. The vibrant world has a hopeful glow despite its dark underbelly. We know from the start that good will triumph and the villains will pay, but we are given enough fun, humor and twists to make the journey exciting. Go into this movie remembering what it was like to be nine years old before the harsh world crushed your dreams. Remember your own childhood ambition and the things that ruined the purity for you in that dream. Then replace racing with that dream, sit back and enjoy the ride. Kids can just go and have fun.