By Joseph McAleer • Catholic News Service • Posted November 7, 2014

NEW YORK (CNS) — Parents be warned: Your kids will want a robot for Christmas.

If so, blame “Big Hero 6” (Disney), the latest 3-D animated adventure from the studio that brought you last year’s cuddly must-have sensation, Olaf the snowman from “Frozen.”

This time, it’s Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit), an inflatable vinyl robot designed by a college student, Tadashi (voice of Daniel Henney), to be a “Personal Health Care Companion.” In other words, Baymax is to serve as both nurse and nanny for Tadashi’s troublesome younger brother, Hiro (voice of Ryan Potter).

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Unlike Mary Poppins, Baymax is short on words and discipline. Instead, this distant cousin of the Marshmallow Man offers warm, squishy hugs and a playful demeanor — and steals the movie.

Unfortunately, the rest of “Big Hero 6” is less inventive and follows a familiar playbook. That’s not especially surprising given that the film is loosely based on a Marvel Comics series.

The setting is the city of “San Fransokyo,” a mash-up — as its name obviously suggests — of San Francisco and Tokyo: think cable cars and cherry blossoms. Tadashi and Hiro are orphans (a Disney standard), raised by their sassy Aunt Cass (voice of Maya Rudolph). They share a passion for robotics.

After Tadashi dies in a lab explosion under mysterious circumstances, Hiro uncovers an evil conspiracy (naturally), and sets out to find the bad guys.

Of course, Hiro needs backup. So Baymax gets a high-tech makeover, which turns him into a version of Iron Man. And an assortment of Tadashi’s college buddies are recruited for the adventure: cyclist GoGo Tomago (voice of Jamie Chung), beatnik Wasabi (voice of Damon Wayans Jr.), chemistry whiz Honey Lemon (voice of Genesis Rodriguez), and monster-loving Fred (voice of T.J. Miller).

Superhero feats are not in their nature, however. “We’re nerds,” Wasabi protests.

“No — you can be anyone you want,” Hiro insists. With distinctive costumes and high-tech weapons, the sextet — rounded out by Baymax — is christened “Big Hero 6.”

Directors Don Hall (“Winnie the Pooh”) and Chris Williams (“Bolt”) ramp up the action as “Big Hero 6” morphs into a version of “Revenge of the Nerds.” The film’s Marvel provenance is evident in noisy smash-bang sequences which may be too intense for younger viewers.

Parents will appreciate the movie’s calmer moments which offer good lessons in friendship, self-sacrifice, and resisting temptation.

Preceding “Big Hero 6” is “Feast,” a charming animated short directed by Patrick Osborne. It offers a dog’s-eye view of life, love, and the pursuit of happiness, one meal at a time. “Feast” is acceptable for all ages.

The film contains mildly scary sequences, references to puberty and some slightly edgy humor. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

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McAleer is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.