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The San Fransokyo Treat

I laughed, I cried, I wished I could buy my own big, white robot with a heart of gold, if such a thing were available on Amazon. "Big Hero 6" is a movie that knows what you want and delivers that and more.

The star of the show is, of course, Baymax, a cuddly robot that was built as a health-care companion and shuns anything that "may undermine [his] non-threatening, huggable design." He looks like a giant marshmallow puff and is awakened by shouts of pain like "ouch!" and likely other words that wouldn't be featured in a Disney movie. Baymax was designed by kind robotics student Tadashi (Daniel Henney) in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo, which has a mix of cable cars (ooh) and cherry blossoms (aah).

Tadashi's younger brother Hiro (Ryan Potter) is more rebellious, and likes to build small, violent robots and take them to fights for money. But he is smart and could do something better with his life; if anyone could help him find his way, it would be Baymax. With a scary menace out in the city, a team of robot-building, self-proclaimed nerds band together to fight and restore order. Among them are Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), Go Go (Jamie Chung) and Fred (T.J. Miller).

"Big Hero 6" is a special flick that is best seen unspoiled, so there's not going to be any major plot points here. Better to see it and experience it for yourself, along with the opening short "Feast," which is another gift. Baymax is hilariously endearing, and Scott Adsit's soothing voice is perfect for the role. "Will this stabilize your pubescent mood swings?" he asks Hiro at one point. When he is running low on batteries, he acts like a clumsy drunk who manages to fall up the stairs. Oh and just wait ‘til you see him fist bump.

Directed by Chris Williams and Don Hall, who also co-wrote the story, "Big Hero 6" is a sentimental slam-dunk. It is sweet, funny, and also has plenty of action-packed scenes to highlight the animation. Thankfully there is at least one flight sequence so we can get a full picture of the stunning hybrid city, "How To Train Your Dragon"-style. It also has borrowed elements from "The Iron Giant" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" without being a direct clone of either. I left my heart in San Fransokyo, and so will you.