Review 341: Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6 is a heroic animated film and a pretty good example of how much Disney Animation has improved lately.


Based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouen, Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) is a robotics prodigy who learns to harness his genius—thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago (Jamie Chung), neatnik Wasabi (Damon Wayans, Jr), chemistry whiz Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and fanboy Fred (T.J. Miller). When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo (a mixture of the cities San Fransisco and Tokyo), Hiro turns to his closest companion - a robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit) - and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery.

The plot is wonderful, it's a love letter to the superhero genre and it also deals with very simple themes such as friendship and family as well as satirical elements on the superhero genre, but it doesn't satirise as in make fun of them, it more tributes them, the characters are kinda self of aware which is nice and (like Guardians of the Galaxy) it has a lot of heart.

Friendship: The friendship between Hiro and Baymax is so charming, their relationship goes from being just a robot assigned to heal his master to a real and genuine friendship, it's wonderful watching their bond grow over the course of the film along with Baymax learning to understand human personalities which leads to a lot of funnier moments in the film. 

Family: When you watch the character interactions between Hiro and Tadashi as well as his team, you really get the sense of a strong family bond between them in the way they support each other and comfort each in times of need and makes the film all the more relatable and believable. There is also a strong family bond and atmosphere with the team, Hiro is almost like this lost born leader and the other five member are almost like his surrogate family. They are there for him when he needs them. They make each other strong.           

Directors Don Hall and Chris Williams' animation direction is passionate, the animation is rich, it's fast paced, the score by Henry Jackman is brilliant, the scenery is breathtaking, the setting is creative and imaginative (seriously I want to live there), the action scenes are exciting, thrilling, well choreographed and expertly staged, the jokes hit the mark, the character design is marvelous and looks fresh, the production design is spectacular, the gadgets and gismos the teams have are wicked, the tension is relentless and the the theme song "Immortals" by Fall Out Boy is really catchy.

The voice acting is top notch, Ryan Potter brings a wonderful character to life in the form of Hiro Hamada, he's rebellious, funny, smart, sarcastic but above all, he's a big softy. He is so creative and aspires for revolutionary things and when the supervillain stirkes he finds a purpose as the leader of this team that he puts together.

However Scott Adsit steals the show as Baymax, this character is the highlight of the film, he is the main source of the laughs in this film and he's the kind of character you just want to walk up to him and give him a big hug. This character is so warm yet so robotic it's just touching. Boy I wish I had a robot like that.

Now on to the team: Jamie Chung is great as GoGo Tomago, she's a very tough, very athelitic, she's a woman of few words as well as an adrenaline junkie. Basicly she's got attitude which is very appealing as well as character.

Genesis Rodriguez is wonderful as Honey Lemon, possibly because she has a cheerful, bubbly persona which is always terrific in a film like this. She's primarily a glass-is-half full kinda person. But she also has the mad-scientist qaulity with a twinkle in her eyes as well as very optimistic and very maternal towards Hiro.

T. J. Miller is also great as Fred, he's a real student of comedy in this movie as well as very jumpy and very energetic. There is also a nice little characteristic of him being a comic book fan which can be seen as a nice little tribute to comic book fans.  

Damon Waynes Jr, is terrific as Wasabi, yes you heard that correctly I actually found a member of the Waynes family funny - I'm just as surprised as you are. Wasabi is great character, he's smart, slightly nuerotic. He's actually the most conservative, cautious and the most normal member of the team. He really grounds the movie in its second act and becomes, in a way, the voice of the audience and points out what they're doing is crazy.

Daniel Henney is also very strong as Tadashi Hamada, Hiro's brother, he acts as Hiro's mentor and shows him there's a bigger world out there than just illegal robot fights and being rebellious. Their relationship is one of the films many strong points.

James Cromwell is very strong as Professor Robert Callaghan, the head of a robotics program at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology where Hiro meets his future team. He's a complex character with a dark past. I can't say too much because it's a spoiler.

Other voice actors in the film are Alan Tudyk and Maya Rudolph.

Big Hero 6 is a twisty, heroic animated feature and another sign the Disney is on a role, 4.5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.