Big Hero 6 (****1/2)

There was a time when Pixar was the undeniable champion of computer animated films. They were original, touching, deeply human, and always exciting. Now it seems like their filmmakers are losing steam, and the competition has taken over. Yes, Big Hero 6 is a Disney film (who also owns Pixar), but this is a movie that is both true to the Disney spirit of moviemaking and also a complete breathe of fresh air.

The story is allegedly based on a Marvel comic, and the trailers would suggest that this is a robot-boy friendship film along the lines of Iron Giant. Yes, this is a brief description, but there is so much more. The boy's name is Hiro, a child prodigy of sorts who finds fascination in robotics. He is rebellious, lacking motivation, and clever. His older brother, Tadashi, attends a school in which robotics and technology are explored and learning is nurtured. After one visit, Hiro is convinced he must attend.

Through a series of plot points and incidents Hiro comes into possession of Baymax, his brother's newly-designed robotic nurse. He inflates, treats your symptoms, and deflates upon completion. In many ways he is like Wall-E, a robot with very few emotional characteristics or facial features that any audience can find lovable. Through the course of the film, Baymax adapts to Hiro's habits and mannerisms, and it's not soon before we see a fistbump or two.

As a Marvel-based story, we know we need a villain, and Hiro discovers a man who harnesses the power of micro-robots in order to control the world (so we assume). Hiro collects some of his older brother's friends to work with him to capture the masked man, and they suit up to form a set of superheroes along the lines of the Avengers.

The moments that work are those between Hiro and Baymax. Charming and sweet, there is something so wonderful about a lonely boy coming to terms with life through a non-human friend (what a strange, frequently-used plot device as well, come to think of it). Our vigilantes arrive in the third act, and are quickly assembled and at times detract from the real story being told. Yes, it's an action movie, but it's more so a personal story about this boy who loses his brother. There are heavy themes throughout the movie, oftentimes sad, and it works along the lines of Lilo & Stitch in creating a picture of a realistic family in an extraordinary, modern setting.

As an animated film, this is surely one of the best of the year. Come Oscar-time (when this film is undoubtedly nominated), it will go head to head with another movie about loneliness and identity set in a fantastical world (The Lego Movie). Which film is better I cannot say. As movies released in 2014, they are surely amongst the year's very best.

(Awards potential: Best Animated Feature, Best Art Direction)