A scene that takes place in a seedy back alley, with a
gangster and illegal gambling activities, is not how you'd expect the latest
Movie from Disney Animation Studios to start.
But 'Big Hero Six' proves to be an example of what Disney does best -
entertainment for all the family, big on heart and emotional notes, and
creating yet another adorable character to their repertoire. Although this film is based on a Marvel
comic, and is in many ways a standard superhero origin story, what sets it
apart from other CGI animated efforts is a surprisingly sensitive handling of
themes of loss and grief.
Hiro (vioced by Ryan Potter) is a young, genius robot builder living in San
Fransokyo - a kind of cross-cultural, high-tech reimagining of the city, where
robots and advanced technology are day-today stuff - with his older brother
Tadashi (voiced by Daniel Henney) and their Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph). Hiro is coasting,
using his technical knowledge to build robots for the illegal underground
robot-fighting scene, but Tadashi steers him on to a more positive path,
encouraging him to join the Technical College where Tadashi and his friends are
developing amazing tech. Tadashi's
project is Baymax, a robot built to respond to medical needs and emergency. Inspired, Hiro enters a science fair in order
to win a place at the same college with his brother. His invention - thought controlled
micro-robots that can link to make big structures - is a riotous success. But then tragedy strikes, and Hiro loses his
invention (or so he believes), and, sadly, his brother. But when Hiro and Baymax accidentally
discover his technology has been stolen, Hiro sets out to find the person he
believes is responsible for his brother's death.
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| "I am satisfied with my care": Baymax is a fun and charming character |
Plot wise, this film hits notes highly familiar in the
superhero genre - although in this case it is super-tech, but with his college
friends there's the usual developing/harnessing/learning of abilities, and a
first mission that goes awry. Add to
that plot twists that aren’t all that difficult to see coming (probably moreso
if you're an adult, at least), 'Big Hero 6's weakest point is without doubt its
story. But it's easy to overlook this
due to, firstly, the sheer visual beauty of the animation, and of San
Fransokyo's design and realisation.
Outside of Pixar, it must be said the Disney Animation Studios have
produced some of the best looking CGI animation with this film - their craft
and artisan-ship is way ahead of Dreamworks Animation or Illumination Studios.
The next thing in the film's favour is the characterisation
- although supporting characters aren't given a little more than be archetypes
in some respects, they're still fun to watch.
The real star, though, is the robot Baymax. He is charmingly innocent and funny, his
strict parameters for health care and his 'non-threatening' design make for
some amusing moments of misunderstanding and physical comedy; respect to the
film makers that they didn't simply use his design to make a series of 'fat'
jokes, with pratfalls etc owing entirely to the fact he's not a slim
design. Baymax is sure to win kids of
all ages over - on the one hand he is a truly cuddly robot design - surely no
mean feat in itself - but when he 'suits up' he looks every bit the superhero
any kid would want to have as a friend.
Again, I think Disney's portrayal of a body-positive message here is
really praise-worthy - despite his 'size', Baymax can still become the
hero. Sure, he needs some 'training' (or
reprogramming) and some tech upgrades, but there's a positive message there for
kids of all shapes and sizes.
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| As a Superhero Origin Story, this film doesn't break the mold, but it certainly looks great! |
The other part where this film excels is how it deals
with the main character's grief, and his journey in dealing with it. Disney films have traditionally had a knack
for hitting all the emotional notes just right, being capable of making you
laugh one minute and cry the next. Here,
Hiro works through despondency, anger and heartbreak - and it used effectively
to drive his motivations, and at the right moments, to give the character a
real development arc. Perhaps some might
argue that this film doesn't go deep enough in its exploration of grief and how
it effects people, but for a film squared predominantly at children tackling
these themes head on as it does is truly noteworthy.
'Big Hero 6' is fun, charming, has a surprisingly deep
emotional core, and is absolutely gorgeous to look at. It might not have a story that stretches
genre conventions or pushes the story-telling envelope, but if you're looking
for a film to take your kids to this month (with half-term just around the corner),
then don't be surprised if you find yourself being won over by its charms (and
charming robot), and enjoying it as much as your kids will.
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