Big Hero 6 is one of the first joint projects between Marvel and its new parent company, Disney. It is an interesting experiment on Disney’s part, but not one that inspires over the top excitement.

The story seems innocent and fun for the first 20 minutes, but is immediately slowed down when a minor character’s (who is also major, I guess?) death is used as a plot device. Fast forward past the awkward moments following this character’s departure, and viewers are more thoroughly introduced to Hiro and his companion robot, Baymax, the stars of the movie.

Hiro’s character is rather unoriginal, but he serves his purpose well. Baymax, however, steals the show. The audience finds out early on who made Baymax and why he is with Hiro, but everything after is irrelevant; what’s important is that Baymax is a constant, innocent source of comedy throughout the film.

Baymax’s goal is to heal and protect Hiro; something that makes him to do bizarre things to curb Hiro’s “emotional status.” Asking him whether or not he is going through puberty or wants a hug constantly reminds the audience that this is a kids movie and not a true superhero movie.

Hiro’s pals are interesting characters, but they are never really focused on enough for viewers to be attached to any of them. There should have been, and maybe backgrounds for each, as they seemed genuinely interesting. Instead, we got a watered-down interpretation of the rest of the team that was quite lackluster.

The setting, animation and presentation in Big Hero 6, however, is gorgeous. The East-meets-West theme was handled beautifully, and viewers will easily get lost in the rich environments throughout the film. Finding out what references to Japanese and American culture were littered throughout the film on billboards and posters is quite fun for everyone watching.

Of course it is rough on the edges, but Big Hero 6 shows that Disney is willing to try out new things with their newly acquired properties from Marvel. It’s a step in the right direction and a nod to what could be coming from Disney in the near future. It is worth a watch; just don’t go into the film expecting The Avengers.