“Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie,” also titled “Ladybug & Cat Noir: Awakening,” is an animated film film kids that falls on the wrong side of the “catering to/pandering to” line, in terms of children’s entertainment.

That should be no shock to anyone, considering that the movie is based on “Zag Heroez” branded French TV series dubbed for showing on The Disney Channel, with doll sales and all manner of merchandising is built into this exercise in entertainment “world building.”

The CGI animated characters and action sequences are sharp enough. The cutesy dialogue is cute-ish.

“Don’t be bemused. It’s just the news!”

The tunes our heroine, hero and villain sing are innocuous and pleasantly forgettable.

The messaging — “Stop worrying about what others think. You just have to believe in yourself” and “Who saves a life saves the world” (borrowed from Jewish and Islamic scriptures) — is generally positive.

But the prefabricated nature of it all feels focus-grouped, cut-and-paste “borrowed” from comic book and other “universes.”

Kids may find it a passable time-killer, but grownups should smell the cynicism of it all, despite the French settings, “bourgeois” jokes and baguette references.

There are these “Miraculous” gemstones, we’re told, which can be used or misused, and as one of them contains “the ultimate power,” guess which one falls into the hands of our villain, Gabriel (voiced by Keith Silverstein)?

“Chaos will REIGN today!”

Yes, he’s from that most evil tribe, most villainous profession among professions. He’s a fashion designer. Oh, and he’s mourning his dead wife, so all this evil is carried-out to bring her back.

Two of the other “miraculous” stones must fall into the hands of “heroez” fit to “work together” and save the world from this new menace.

That’s how Marinette, the baker’s daughter (Cristina Valenzuela) comes into possession of “Ladybug” earrings which transform her into a “water melon” suited (red, black polka dots like the bug, but you can see how people would make a mistake) super heroine, complete with “genie” advisor and a magical yo-yo that makes her into more of a Spider-Girl than Ladybug.

And that’s how the blond hunk from her school, Adrien (Bryce Papenbrook) puts on a cat gem ring and becomes Cat Noir, “the new hero in town.”

“All you have to do is follow my lead, sidekick!”

Sidekick? Who’re you calling SIDEkick?

Can two bickering teens foil the machinations of Hawkmoth, who just happens to be Adrien’s obsessed, grieving, neglecting-his-son Dad?

Jeremy Zag of “Zag Heroez, Inc” directed, composed the songs and co-wrote this, which is aimed both at fans of the TV series and at introducing new fans to the franchise.

Because that’s what “Ladybug & Cat Noir” and their movie really are, a franchise, just “content” conceived by marketers and executed by decent animators, voice-actors and crew.

Limp one-liners, derivitive characters and action set pieces remind us every minute or so just how little originality ever figured into it.

Rating: TV-PG

Cast: The voices of Cristina Valenzuela, Bryce Papenbrook, Carrie Keranen and Keith Silverstein.

Credits: Directed by Jeremy Zag, scripted by Bettina Lopez Mendoza and Jeremy Zag. A Netflix release.

Running time: 1:45