Review: 'Big Hero 6' is good enough

Disney's purchase of the Marvel universe — lock, stock and superheroes — is bound to expose a few black holes of greed.

Big Hero 6 isn't one of them, but this first invasion of Marvel's comic book sensibility on Disney's animation empire suggests it is possible. This is something the Mouse House and Pixar — another acquisition — did before and better with The Incredibles. Big Hero 6 is brawnier and grasping, a primer for the next generations of Marvel fanboys and girls babysat by video.

It's a familiar boy and his robot story at heart, made unique by multicultural personalities, formed in the futuristic East-West melting pot San Fransokyo. There's a distinct anime influence in names, hairstyles and physical traits, and occasional traces of Miyazaki whimsy. A healthy overseas Asian marketplace awaits this smartly calculated movie.

Hiro Hamada (voice of Ryan Potter) is a brainy teenager who invents swarming miniature robots that can revolutionize everything, it seems. He becomes the owner of Baymax (Scott Adsit), a cuddly, inflatable personal health monitor invented by Hiro's brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney). Baymax is the film's breakout star, like Olaf in Frozen, a cute wrinkle in the formula.

Hiro's minibots are stolen by a mysterious villain in a Kabuki mask, who becomes the object of a vengeful manhunt. Baymax is upgraded to a fighting machine, while retaining enough compassion for goodness lessons later. They're joined by four other meddling kid geniuses in the Scooby-Doo mold, including a shaggy Fred (T.J. Miller) and a sexier Velma named Go Go Tomago (Jamie Chung).

Big Hero 6 is second-tier Disney/Marvel entertainment, fine for a day out with the children yet doesn't seem enough, after the creative advances of Wreck-It Ralph and the emotional heft of Frozen. Unlike those comparable risks, this is built with a sequel squarely in mind but what do you call it? Big Hero 6 2?

Contact Steve Persall at spersall@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8365. Follow @StevePersall.