A touching relationship between a boy and his robot is the precursor to a new superhero franchise in Big Hero 6, the latest Walt Disney Animation creation that contains much emotional value amongst its vibrant swagger.

Big Hero 6 is quite the striking amalgamation of styles, genres and cultures. While many of its elements have been done before (perhaps even better in some films), the merging of varied ingredients by directors Don Hall (Winnie the Pooh) and Chris Williams (Bolt) results in a feast for the eyes and the heart.

Based upon the short lived Marvel Comics series (of which many creative changes were made to fit the Disney model), Big Hero 6 provides a more kid friendly alternative to the glut of superhero movies currently haunting cinemas, yet doesn’t lose any of its dramatic power while being so.

The films main protagonist is Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) a 13 year old science prodigy who uses his smarts to avenge the death of his older, equally intelligent and caring brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney). The instrument of his vengeance is Tadashi’s invention Baymax (Scott Adsit), a robotic “Health Care Consultant” that resembles the Marshmallow Man, walks like a Penguin, and is the cutest robot to entertain the screen since WALL-E…that is until Hiro does some fine tuning and turns Baymax into a karate dispensing crime fighter.

Tadashi’s nerd brigade of friends also gets a makeover and a superhero squad is born.  Voiced by Daman Wayans Jr., Jamie Chung, Genesis Rodriguez and T.J. Miller, they are a fun, silly and eccentric bunch of characters who provide the right balance to the real story in Big Hero 6: the relationship between a boy and his robot.

There has been many a film that touches on the same story arc, from Flight of the Navigator to The Iron Giant. Yet not many can capture hearts, minds and “awesome flying robot!” excitement as Big Hero 6 does.

That Hiro is a young teen character dealing with many messy emotions – grief, anger, and the head-trip of puberty – adds to the dramatic strakes at play, while also providing a relatable character to a demographic that will come for the animated adventure, yet leave with much more.

It’s all set within a brilliantly conceived and delivered world of “San Fransokyo”, a combination of two vastly different yet vibrant cities (San Francisco and Tokyo for those who haven’t figured it out), that the wizards at Walt Disney Animation give a heartbeat and a personality. The mesh of cultures and visuals doesn’t stop there, with Western and Asian animation styles merging seamlessly, as does Marvel and Disney story elements.

Yet for all of its vibrant visual bluster it’s the relationship between the dynamic-duo of Big Hero 6 that is the films true super power.