There might not be a more delightful movie you’ll see this year than Disney’s Big Hero 6. It’s nice to be able to go into a film and just thoroughly enjoy the twists and turns, and be filled with a sense of wonder and awe and this movie delivers that in spades.
Big Hero 6 is set in Sanfransokyo, where a young boy named Hiro is content with wasting his potential, but increasing his bank account, by joining in underground robot fights. After one particularly contentious fight, lands him and his brother Tadashi in jail, his brother seeks to steer him on the right path. A tour of Tadashi’s school and a chance meeting with famous Professor Callaghan, leads Hiro to work on his best invention yet. However, when tragedy strikes and the technology falls into the wrong hands, Hiro enters an extreme depression. Enter Baymax, an invention by Hiro’s brother who becomes an unwitting accomplice to Hiro’s journey to solve a criminal plot and save the city.
Most animated films have strong emotional components but not since Up has a movie had me so verklempt during a screening. This can be directly attributed to a script that allows time for you to get to know the characters in an organic way and continues to find ways to show you new wrinkles in the characters. The relationship between the brothers is one of the finest committed to the screen. Big Hero 6 is a movie that finds depth in its character’s struggles to overcome loss, desires to be more than just regular person and a sense of scientific wonder missing from most scifi films. As you’d guess, this grounded approach really helps sell the more fantastical elements. For a film with a heavy science component there was never a point where I felt confused about what was happening (a theme this weekend I realize). Microbots could have been a dicey proposition but the way they are integrated into the plot, and the way they’re employed by the heroes and villains alike is wonderful to witness. More than this, the script creates one of the more believable unbelievable character creations in Baymax, a robot initially designed by Hiro’s brother to be a healthcare specialist who is turned into a superhero. Disney borrows much of what has made their Pixar brethren so successful lately in crafting a fully realized character from the most unlikely source. A caring robot was a bit of a genius plot device in that we know it’s empathetic but it’s just inhuman enough that we feel as though the character is growing throughout the film. Baymax is a comedy highlight but he’s also the emotional lynchpin for Hiro in his quest to overcome tragedy and gain confidence in himself.
The other aspects of the film are just as wonderful as the script. The visuals delivered by the artists and directors Don Hall and Chris Williams are top notch. Whether its journeying through Sanfransokyo or flying through the sky, you can tell this studio has been influenced by the Marvel brand of filming thrilling action. The voice work from the cast is also great with Scott Adsit and Ryan Potter leading the way.
I don’t want to get too much more into the film lest I rob you of any enjoyment you might derive from Big Hero 6. Just please make sure to check out the film.