directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams
written by Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson and Jordan Roberts
Big Hero 6 has the unenviable task of being Walt Disney Animation's first movie since their runaway blockbuster Frozen. The good news is that even without showtunes or princesses, it's a thoroughly satisfying time at the movies. The even better news is that anime nerds are in for a real treat; this is probably the best anime tribute ever to come out of Hollywood.
Set in the city of San Fransokyo, Big Hero 6 is the story of Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) a budding teen genius with a knack and love for robotics, who spends most of his time in underground 'bot fighting tournaments. His older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney), who also happens to be his only remaining father figure, knows that Hiro can do more with his life than hustle money from illegal gambling, so he takes him to the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology where he works, where Hiro meets fellow prodigies Gogo Tomago (Jamie Chung), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), and self-proclaimed "science enthusiast" Fred (TJ Miller). Hiro also meets his own personal hero, the robotics pioneer Professor Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell). Hiro is dazzled by the technology, and makes a successful bid to enroll in the school. Suddenly, tragedy strikes, leaving Hiro in mourning. Hiro then gets to know Tadashi's pet project, healthcare robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit) a whole lot better, and not a moment too soon; Hiro needs Baymax's help to get to the bottom of a mysterious threat to San Fransokyo. The threat proves too great for the two of them to handle on their own, and Hiro now has to recruit his fellow science nerds. Thus, Big Hero 6 is born.
While this film is actually based on a relatively obscure (and no doubt now highly sought-after) Marvel Comics title from several years ago, from a visual perspective it owes a lot more to the work of Osamu Tezuka than anything else. There are shout-outs to its comic book heritage, such as Hiro's alliterative name and a virtually obligatory cameo that just about every fanboy in the audience will recognize, but it definitely feels much more like a loving homage to the robot anime of the 70s and 80s than yet another comic-book adaptation. The attention to detail, and the delightful visuals of the mashed-up cityscape are reminiscent of the colorful work of Hayao Miyazaki, as well. After the staid blues of frozen Arendelle last year, it was really a blast to see a full-color adventure like this one.
As dazzling as the visuals and animation are, though, it's heart that makes a Disney movie watchable, and this movie has it in spades. Though Hiro's journey is a soul-crushingly tragic one (he's an orphan who loses his only brother) it is also an uplifting one, and I haven't quite seen a Disney movie that deals with the grief of losing a loved one quite as poignantly as this movie does. Fortunately, Hiro's support system includes a loving Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph) a younger, "Aunt May" type of character who owns the coffee shop above which Hiro and she live, his nerd friends, and, of course, Baymax. Scott Adsit, whom I remember well from his performances as Pete Hornberger on 30 Rock, infuses the vinyl robot-nurse-turned-combat-machine with a unique and truly memorable personality. He really does live up to the hype as the star of the show, and Adsit's performance is an integral part of that charm. The other voice actors are no slouches either, and most notable for me was how genuine the relationship between Potter's Hiro and Henney's Tadashi felt. It made the turn of events in the film all the more moving. It was nice of Disney to cast actors of actual Asian descent in these roles; even though they speak like Americans it was nice to know they were going for some kind of authenticity.
As nerd fare, the movie is a great deal of fun, though not quite as chock-full of references as Wreck-It-Ralph. The action is very well-staged, and the out-and-out-violence is surprisingly minimal considering this film's comic-book roots; The Incredibles had a much higher body count. People going to see Baymax and the rest of the crew in action will certainly not be disappointed. One downside to the story is that the villain of the piece is nothing to write home about, but clearly, he's just an excuse for the gang to all get together. The onus is now on Disney to provide a more compelling antagonist the next time around.
Overall, the movie is great family fun, even as it panders to the inner twelve-year-old of many of the dads watching, and I, for one, am more than ready for more nerd-service starring this crew of newly-minted superheroes whenever Disney is ready.
8.5/10
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