Earlier this year, Guardians of the Galaxy proved that even a relatively obscure Marvel Comics property could translate into box office gold. While Marvel’s own productions had previously performed admirably (including the back-to-back billion-dollar releases of The Avengers and Iron Man 3), Guardians took a quirky group of characters without any built-in audience appeal and made household names out of a gun-toting raccoon and a walking tree with a very limited vocabulary.

Disney’s Big Hero 6 then marks the second time this year a little-known Marvel superhero team has been brought to life on the big screen. However, unlike Guardians, the film is not a Marvel Studios project (despite the fact that Marvel has been a Disney property since 2009), meaning that the creative team that has so successfully brought Iron Man and Captain America to theaters had little to do with this animated adventure. Would the film live up to Marvel Cinematic Universe (in terms of quality, at least) or tarnish the Disney/Marvel track record?

Taking place in a futuristic city known as San Fransokyo, the film follows teenage robotics expert Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter), who longs to follow in his older brother’s footsteps in pursuing his inventions at the nearby university. However, when tragedy strikes, Hiro must turn to Baymax (voiced by 30 Rock‘s Scott Adsit) and his new friends at the school for help in uncovering a terrible mystery.

Just like most previous Walt Disney Animation Studios films (e.g. made by the same division as classics ranging from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to last year’s still-ubiquitous Frozen), Big Hero 6 is a visual marvel (pun intended). The character design, energetic action and sweeping cityscapes are breathtaking, and credit is truly due to the animators for their superb job of injecting life into the onscreen antics. Likewise, the voice talent brings their A-game throughout, especially Adsit and Potter, who essentially serve as the film’s leads.

Where Big Hero 6 gets a bit dicey is its storyline. Despite all the spirit and heart the film carries, its overall plot is sorely lacking in both storytelling logic and character development. Besides Hiro and Baymax – who are justifiably awesome – the remaining four members of the team are very thinly established, though this will likely be rectified in future installments. Furthermore, the relationship between Hiro and his brother serves as the emotional foundation of the film, but a few heavier moments of genuine drama aside, even that arc is ultimately underwhelming by the time the credits roll.

That being said, the predictable plot beats won’t deter families from having a fun time with the film. Not as inventive as Wreck-It Ralph or instantly memorable as Frozen, Big Hero 6 still has plenty of laughs (you’ll never look at fist bumping in the same way again) and serves as a solid introduction for what will certainly develop into a franchise. More importantly, Big Hero 6 maintains what has largely become Disney’s second Renaissance, as the studio has arguably delivered its strongest string of films in the last few years since The Little Mermaid reinvented the studio’s approach 25 years ago.

A Marvel property in the wrong hands can sometimes prove disastrous (just ask The Amazing Spider-Man 2), but the creative team at Disney has made a hilarious, albeit flawed, family adventure out of Big Hero 6. It’s a film that will likely only continue to grow in popularity in the years to come and will leave audience members young and old craving their own Baymax. Bring on Big Hero 7.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Big Hero 6 stars the voices of Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., T.J. Miller, Genesis Rodriguez and James Cromwell. It is directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams and is now in theaters.