Big-Hero-6Four years on from Disney’s acquisition of Marvel, the studio are officially announcing their first animated feature based on a Marvel property, Big Hero 6, which is expected to be released in November 2014.

The announcement, coming courtesy of Hero Complex, brings with it a dazzling and promising first look at the animated movie. It may only be small, but from tiny acorns…

The CG-animated movie will center on a robotics prodigy named Hiro Hamada and his robot companion BayMax, who join a team of superheroes in a high-tech city called San Fransokyo.

Don Hall (Winnie the Pooh) is in the director’s chair, and he notes that the source material’s lesser-known status amongst comic book fans is one of the things that attracted him to the idea of adapting it:

“I was looking for something on the obscure side, something that would mesh well with what we do,” Hall said. “The idea of a kid and a robot story with a strong brother element, it’s very Disney.”

The original comics, created by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau in 1998, were in Tokyo, and Hall’s adaptation translates the city into a hybrid creation of Tokyo and San Francisco – San Fransokyo – blending elements of Japanese culture and architecture into the Californian landscape.

“Marvel properties take place in the real world,” Hall said. “We were looking for something to do where we could make our own world — bring in the Japanese influences,  have recognizable landmarks mashed up with a Japanese aesthetic.”

Big Hero 6 is expected to be released on November 7th, 2014. And if it wasn’t already on your radar, I think it has probably earned itself a spot now. A Disney Animation / Marvel movie is definitely something to look forward to.