Ever since the release of the first season of Spy x Family, I have known that it has the winning formula. Its memorable cast, witty and fast-paced writing, and hilarious animation direction all works so well. The latest entry in the series, Spy x Family Code: White, is a roughly two-hour spin-off movie that takes all of those elements and kicks them up to the max.

The Spy x Family movie begins with a simple assignment at Anya’s school to create a dessert for a project, but it soon snowballs into a winter holiday weekend trip for the Forger family. Their trip to the snowy town of Frigis is a picturesque setting and a solid departure from the usual locales fans see in the core series.

Without going into spoilers too much, Spy x Family Code: White is essentially just an adorable side story. It has no major bearings on the actual core plot of the series. That said, it carries all of the wit, charm, and humor of the main series, and I would say it even lands better in some places. Where it stumbles a bit comes as a result of the lengthy runtime for the movie. A lot of times, spin-off anime movies like this will go for only 90 minutes or sometimes even less in some cases. However, this Spy x Family movie almost clocks in at two hours, which I feel is about an hour longer than it needs to be. Outside of its bombastic finale, the film feels like it could’ve been two episodes in the series and that’s it.

Surprisingly, the efforts made to lengthen the wacky adventure don’t hurt the move that much. The pacing is generally pretty good, even when not a lot is happening. Moments like a whole side competition at a restaurant early in the film don’t overstay their welcome. This is due to the constantly funny jokes and moments involving the Forger family.

Though Spy x Family Code White looks almost identical to the series, in terms in animation quality, it does justify its big screen moments. There are a couple of sequences, without spoiling too much, where the animators really flexed their skills. These moments even changed up the animation style briefly in some extraordinary ways. Wit Studio and CloverWork, which also worked on the first season of the series, really go all-in on making this an elaborate experience.

But perhaps the most impressive part about the visual quality of this film comes from the action segments. The various setpieces and segments are far more active than ones I became used to seeing in the Spy x Family anime series, and the movie all the better for it. Two of the latter fights, in particular, honestly rival some of the great action anime out there right now. The general effects, rich color palettes, and fascinating character designs help to add to the experience and make it more memorable.

Even though this is a spin-off movie, it doesn’t feel too much like filler for Spy x Family. Instead, the story makes full use of the Forger family in some fun ways. Anya is at her peak in terms of comedic gags and ridiculous facial expressions. Meanwhile, Yor has some of her best action segments in the series to date. Naturally, Loid continues to be the calculated anchor for the family. Even Bond the dog gets some standout moments in the spotlight.

Spy x Family Code White is the type of movie that doesn’t move the overarching plot forward. However, it doesn’t really need to. The intense and surprising action goes far beyond expectations. Meanwhile, the comedic scenes and writing is at its peak for the series. Even for a side adventure, and a lengthy one at that, this is the type of movie to watch as we wait patiently for the series to continue.

Spy x Family Code: White is airing in theaters theaters worldwide, following a Japanese debut in December 2023.