Disney XD will launch 'Big Hero 6 The Series' with a one-hour movie

Disney XD, one of the many channels owned by Disney, said today that "Big Hero 6 The Series" will have a special one-hour movie. It will also air on Disney Channel. Called "Baymax Returns," the animated film will have a series of shorts, previewing what the public may expect from the animated show when it premieres in 2018, being the bridge between the movie and the animated series.

In the story, Hiro will discover the first chip his brother Tadashi designed to create Baymax and will use it to rebuild the robot. However, his overconfidence and penchant for taking shortcuts will lead to trouble. The one-hour special will air on November 20 and will be followed by two full-length preview episodes of "Big Hero 6 The Series," exclusively on the DisneyNOW app and Disney XD VOD. Also, beginning on November 24, shorts will roll out every Friday for six weeks on the apps and on Disney XD on YouTube.

The animated series

Expected to premiere worldwide in 2018, "Big Hero 6 The Series" will follow Hiro, the new prodigy at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, facing academic challenges and the social trials of being the little man on campus.

Outside, the stakes are higher than ever for the high-tech group of heroes, as they protect their city from an array of scientifically-enhanced villains. The first season will have 21 half-hour episodes. Stan Lee, the master behind the greatest Marvel heroes, will return as the voice of one of the characters.

Disney Television Animation is the producer of the animated series, with development by Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley, and Nick Filippi, those behind "Kim Possible," one of the most successful series on the Disney Channel. "Big Hero 6 The Series" is already renewed for a second season and had a special video released at San Diego Comic-Con this year.

Animated film

Loosely based on heroes from Marvel Comics, "Big Hero 6" was directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams and won the category of Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015.

With the voices of T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph, Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, and others, the animated feature earned approximately $657.8 million worldwide at the box office -- making it the highest-grossing animated film of 2014. The overall response from critics was very positive. RottenTomatoes, the review aggregation website, reports 89% approval for the animated feature.