Review // Big Hero 6

With last year’s Frozen Disney reminded us that they can still produce the fairy-tale magic upon which they built their empire.  With Big Hero 6, they show that they’re equally capable of crafting a fairy-tale for the modern age; an age where names like Andersen and Grimm have been replaced by Lee, Miller and Moore. You’d think that – considering the enormous success of the Marvel cinematic universe – Disney would be happy to stick to the fairy tale feel-goods and Pixar inventions, but you’d be wrong. Instead, they’ve opted to dig into the Marvel back catalogue, grab a largely unknown Japanese superhero team, and turn them into a smart, emotionally resonant action film. And they’ve succeeded.

The story centres on Hiro, a teenage robotics prodigy living in the hybrid city of San Fransokyo sometime in the near future. Though he has great potential (he graduated high school at thirteen) Hiro prefers to spend his evenings in sketchy back-alley warehouses participating in the illegal sport of bot fighting. A charming mix of self-assurance and teenage angst, Hiro (ably voiced by Ryan Potter) has no trouble fleecing the unsuspecting adult bot fighters with his less-than-intimidating looking robot, but he relies on his older brother Tadashi to save his skin when things get heated.

With their parents out of the picture (victims of Disney protagonist disease we assume) and their goofy Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph) left to raise them, Tadashi is more a father figure than a brother to Hiro. He implores him to use his gift by registering at the robotics university where he attends. Though resistant at first, after a tour of this scientific wonderland Hiro is hooked.  The lab – overseen by the paternal Professor Callaghan (James Cromwell) – is a place of dizzying invention populated by colourful grad students with cutesy nicknames like Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), Go Go (Jamie Chung), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and…Fred (T.J. Miller).  They’re an eclectic group and refreshingly diverse for a Disney flick, however the introductions are short lived. After a presentation of Hiro’s “microbots” invention, a mysterious fire breaks out at the college’s science fare, taking Tadashi and Callaghan with it.

Disney Animation’s technical bravado is on full display, especially their peerless ability to fill a film with wall-to-wall visual gags.

This early assault on the heart-strings is starting to feel like a predictable tactic for modern Disney films, but it still hurts.  Luckily, help is on the way in the form of Disney’s newest beloved sidekick Baymax. An inflatable medical assistance robot designed by Tadashi, Baymax is unquestionably the star of the film. Unimpressed by the robot at first, Hiro soon finds a use for the compassionate Baymax who is happy to stick around as long as he believes he is treating the grieving boy. 30 Rock‘s Scott Adsit gets considerable mileage out of the robotic, emotionless Baymax who is programmed to help anyone in need, friend or foe alike. Soon it seems like a lot more is going on behind those two black eyes, as Baymax acts as a wonderful conscience thrown over the superhero shenanigans that follow.

And of course shenanigans follow.  Hiro soon discovers that his microbots were not destroyed in the fire, and instead a Kabuki masked villain is using them for his own sinister purposes. Returning to the college Hiro has soon retrofitted the science team’s inventions for combat, and even made some major upgrades to Baymax. Though the second half of the film plays out as a pretty typical superhero adventure, the relationship between Baymax and Hiro remains at the forefront and provides the film with a compelling take on loss and friendship even amongst the explosions and car chases.

That’s not to say that all the superhero stuff isn’t a ton of fun. Disney Animation’s technical bravado is on full display, especially their peerless ability to fill a film with wall-to-wall visual gags.  The powers of each team member make for a flurry of interesting visuals during the multiple action set pieces, and the quippy repartee – though occasionally falling flat to adult ears – provides more than enough laughs. Add to that a refreshing message of non-violence and a franchise ready character in Baymax, and Big Hero 6 is a true success. Whether Disney plans to dig into the comic book genre in earnest, or whether this represents a simple one-off experiment, Big Hero 6 is an interesting animated toe in the waters of the Marvel universe.

Reviewed by Evan Arppe.

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