Big Hero 6

Ever since Disney bought Marvel a few years back, an animated film based on one of Marvel's properties was within the realm of possibility. The possible is now actual as Big Hero 6, Marvel's Animesque Super Team, has their own Disney animated feature.

The hero of Big Hero 6 is Hiro Hamada, a teen genius in the futuristic hodgepodge metropolis of San Fransokyo. His brother Tadashi attends the elite San Fransokyo Tech and encourages Hiro to enroll there. Hiro does so by demonstrating his new Microbots at the University science fair. A few hours later, Tadashi and famed instructor Professor Callaghan are killed in a fire at the school.

Hiro is miserable until he finds Tadashi's last invention, the medical balloon-bot Baymax. He also finds a masked villain using his Microbots. Hiro suspects the baddie of starting the fire and vows to catch him. Hiro upgrades Baymax into a fighting robot and enlists Tadashi's friends - tomboy GoGo, peppy Honey Lemon, uptight Wasabi and laidback Fred - to fill up the Big Hero 6.

The city of San Fransokyo may be fictional, but it's great. It's a bright, colorful animated environment which convincingly looks like both of its two inspirations. It especially appealed to me as I was in San Francisco twice this year (and expect to be there again next month). It felt like I was there again.

The Big Heroes of the movie have their charms. Baymax's cuddly design and soft voice should make him an instant hit with kids. Hiro is a likable, relatable protagonist whose youthful misbehaving never annoy the audience. Wasabi and Fred are good comic relief. Honey Lemon's enthusiasm endears herself to all. And GoGo's just cool (her catch-all catchphrase is "Woman Up!"). Overall, this was a great bunch of super heroes. Their final defeat of the masked villain involves some unique uses of their skills.

This super adventure differs a lot from its source material. But that's not bad. The story they devised was funny, meaningful, fun and quick-paced. Whether in 3D or Flatscreen, Big Hero 6 is a Marvelous adventure for all.

An animated short, Feast, opened the film. A story of a Boston Terrier and his love of human food, it was both cute and cringe-worthy at the same time. Stay tuned after the credits for a cameo from Marvel's legendary Stan Lee.