East meets West in a Disney/Marvel collaboration that attempts to become more than the sum of its many varied parts. Visually impressive, and with enough comic moments to entertain the parents aswell as the kids there’s enough here to get excited about. Just don’t expect Big Hero 6 to be as ‘big’ as it could have been…
When Disney Feature Animation decided “if you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em!”, in 2006 and acquired Pixar Animation Studios, it was understood to be a major win-win for Disney. Not only would they be eliminating their greatest competition for a place in the hearts of cinema audiences that they once held by default, but they would also be acquiring the talent and creative genius that had made Pixar into what Disney used to be – a family studio that made successful films using the passion and instinct of its employees rather than the cold, impersonal analysis of its market research.
The aim, according to John Lasseter - the then head of Pixar and current Disney Chief Creative Officer – was to turn Disney from an “executive driven studio into a film-maker driven studio” and ensure that the seismic success that he had overseen at Pixar seeped into the newly renamed Walt Disney Animation Studios. The hope was that Pixar’s ethos would become the brown sauce to not only complement - but also save - Disney’s bacon.
The green shoots of recovery have been evident since the release of Tangled in 2010 and any doubts as to whether Disney still had the magic were finally answered in spectacular fashion by the behemoth that was Frozen in 2013 - a film that subsequently became the highest-grossing animation of all time. So the big question is, does Big Hero 6 continue this resurgence or dampen it? The answer…a little bit of both.
Big Hero 6 is loosely based on the short-lived Marvel comic of the same name (Disney having also acquired Marvel in 2009), and tells the story of Hiro, a young robotics prodigy who assembles a team of superheroes in order to uncover the truth behind a devastating event and take down a mysterious masked villain. Despite the title referring to the six members of the team, the films central narrative revolves around Hiro and his relationship with Baymax – an over-inflated ‘Care-bot’ who looks like a cross between Wall-E’s EVE and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Reminiscent of the likes of Terminator 2: Judgement Day and ET, there is nothing new in the story of a robot/alien that can’t ‘feel’ who manages to teach a human exactly what feelings are and how to understand and process them. Subsequently, it is this universal theme that Big Hero 6 uses as its base with which to construct the comic and visual elements synonymous with all of its animated features.
There is a full kaleidoscope of emotions on offer here; loss, grief, abandonment, familial bonds, the power of friendship and the importance of a support network in overcoming adversity. Baymax is programmed to care, no matter what happens that is his first directive, and it is this directive that Disney uses to highlight exactly what true love and care really is. Shouldn't we do anything that is within our power - our programming - in order to heal those we care for? It’s no coincidence that the slot in which Baymax’s chips are inserted are in the exact position his heart would be where he to have one. There are many lessons we could all learn about the lives we lead and the choices we make many of which are highlighted at one point or another during Big Hero 6 - and that is Disney at its finest.
It is the effortless chemistry and the comic nature of the relationship between Hiro and Baymax that is the films greatest strength - and also its biggest weakness. Calling this film ‘Big Hero 2’ wouldn't really allow it to lose any of its lustre. The friends - read ‘support network’ - of Hiro’s never feel like anything more than an afterthought and are far from the central characters that they are supposed to be. The problem with an animation with this many characters is that oftentimes some can feel under-used, especially with the shorter run-time not afforded to similar super-hero ensemble’s such as Avengers Assemble. With a limited amount of time on screen how do you ensure that the other players are not side-lined? It’s a tricky task that Disney doesn’t quite manage to handle here. Big Hero 6 is a buddy-movie packaged as a film about a superhero team, and whilst there is nothing wrong with that there is a feeling that the central message - that friends and a support system are one of the most important parts of overcoming pain and anguish - feels a little lost at worst and muddled at best.
When pitching his invention of the ‘micro-bots’ Hiro holds one aloft and tells us that it “doesn’t look like much but when it links up with the rest of its pals…” before proceeding to show us the power that they can wield when placed in conjunction with its counter-parts; its support system. The intention being that we are supposed to see Hiro in the same way. Yet, unlike his relationship with Baymax there is never the impression that Hiro really needs his friends as long as the big inflatable guy is around.
We do have to remember however that this is, at heart, a kids movie and in that respect as a pure entertainment piece for the kids, the family and even fully grown adults you will not be wasting your money if you invest in a ticket to see it. Visually impressive, Disney has created a beautiful visual world, incorporating amazing, spell-binding colours and even wonderous other-worldy dimensions. There is never a limit to the imagination within animation and this imagination is allowed to run and run as our journey with Hiro takes us through some of the most spectacular flying sequences you’re likely to see this year.
Disney have also done a creditable job in their handling of the fusion between Eastern and Western culture with some neat touch’s employed. The film is set in the hybridised fictional city of San Fransokyo replete with a Golden Gate Bridge clone that houses flashes of ancient Eastern architecture. The streets are awash with a hustle and bustle of different ethnicities, fast-food outlets and both American and Japanese signage that gives the whole city a multi-cultural feel and the impression that the creators have really tried to immerse us into a new world that is somehow familiar yet different. The impressive visuals don’t only extend to the backgrounds and locations however, as there are also numerous laugh-out-loud moments that will entertain old and young alike as baymax in particular runs the full gamut of visual comedy from Buster Keaton to Laurel and Hardy - with even the hint of a drunken ET during one stand-out scene in which he desperately needs to recharge his batteries.
The inflatable robot owns the film and it seems harsh to criticise the studio for the fact that Big Hero 6 often feels a little lesser whenever he’s not on-screen - they could rightly argue that they have fashioned such a loveable central character that it actually highlights the success that has gone into his creation when his absence is so keenly felt. Despite this criticism, no doubt Disney will reap the rewards of what will more than likely be not only a box-office smash but also a huge merchandising phenomenon as kids around the world clamour to own their very own Baymax toys. The executive influence at Disney still hasn’t completely died it seems.
Ultimately then, Big Hero 6 hits many of its marks but still seems to fall short of the classic animated films we’ve enjoyed over the past decade, sitting somewhere just below Wreck It Ralph and Frozen in Disney’s back catalogue. That isn’t to say that Big Hero 6 doesn’t entertain - or even touch the heart in places - but it ultimately falls just short in reaching that classic animation status that has been afforded to the likes of Up, Wall-E or any of the Toy Story releases in being one of those critical success’ that transcends the boundaries of the animation genre and makes itself a masterpiece.
“Are you satisfied with your care?” is Baymax’s trade-mark query.
'Satisfied, but not entirely fulfilled' comes the response.
The aim, according to John Lasseter - the then head of Pixar and current Disney Chief Creative Officer – was to turn Disney from an “executive driven studio into a film-maker driven studio” and ensure that the seismic success that he had overseen at Pixar seeped into the newly renamed Walt Disney Animation Studios. The hope was that Pixar’s ethos would become the brown sauce to not only complement - but also save - Disney’s bacon.
The green shoots of recovery have been evident since the release of Tangled in 2010 and any doubts as to whether Disney still had the magic were finally answered in spectacular fashion by the behemoth that was Frozen in 2013 - a film that subsequently became the highest-grossing animation of all time. So the big question is, does Big Hero 6 continue this resurgence or dampen it? The answer…a little bit of both.
Big Hero 6 is loosely based on the short-lived Marvel comic of the same name (Disney having also acquired Marvel in 2009), and tells the story of Hiro, a young robotics prodigy who assembles a team of superheroes in order to uncover the truth behind a devastating event and take down a mysterious masked villain. Despite the title referring to the six members of the team, the films central narrative revolves around Hiro and his relationship with Baymax – an over-inflated ‘Care-bot’ who looks like a cross between Wall-E’s EVE and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Reminiscent of the likes of Terminator 2: Judgement Day and ET, there is nothing new in the story of a robot/alien that can’t ‘feel’ who manages to teach a human exactly what feelings are and how to understand and process them. Subsequently, it is this universal theme that Big Hero 6 uses as its base with which to construct the comic and visual elements synonymous with all of its animated features.
There is a full kaleidoscope of emotions on offer here; loss, grief, abandonment, familial bonds, the power of friendship and the importance of a support network in overcoming adversity. Baymax is programmed to care, no matter what happens that is his first directive, and it is this directive that Disney uses to highlight exactly what true love and care really is. Shouldn't we do anything that is within our power - our programming - in order to heal those we care for? It’s no coincidence that the slot in which Baymax’s chips are inserted are in the exact position his heart would be where he to have one. There are many lessons we could all learn about the lives we lead and the choices we make many of which are highlighted at one point or another during Big Hero 6 - and that is Disney at its finest.
It is the effortless chemistry and the comic nature of the relationship between Hiro and Baymax that is the films greatest strength - and also its biggest weakness. Calling this film ‘Big Hero 2’ wouldn't really allow it to lose any of its lustre. The friends - read ‘support network’ - of Hiro’s never feel like anything more than an afterthought and are far from the central characters that they are supposed to be. The problem with an animation with this many characters is that oftentimes some can feel under-used, especially with the shorter run-time not afforded to similar super-hero ensemble’s such as Avengers Assemble. With a limited amount of time on screen how do you ensure that the other players are not side-lined? It’s a tricky task that Disney doesn’t quite manage to handle here. Big Hero 6 is a buddy-movie packaged as a film about a superhero team, and whilst there is nothing wrong with that there is a feeling that the central message - that friends and a support system are one of the most important parts of overcoming pain and anguish - feels a little lost at worst and muddled at best.
When pitching his invention of the ‘micro-bots’ Hiro holds one aloft and tells us that it “doesn’t look like much but when it links up with the rest of its pals…” before proceeding to show us the power that they can wield when placed in conjunction with its counter-parts; its support system. The intention being that we are supposed to see Hiro in the same way. Yet, unlike his relationship with Baymax there is never the impression that Hiro really needs his friends as long as the big inflatable guy is around.
We do have to remember however that this is, at heart, a kids movie and in that respect as a pure entertainment piece for the kids, the family and even fully grown adults you will not be wasting your money if you invest in a ticket to see it. Visually impressive, Disney has created a beautiful visual world, incorporating amazing, spell-binding colours and even wonderous other-worldy dimensions. There is never a limit to the imagination within animation and this imagination is allowed to run and run as our journey with Hiro takes us through some of the most spectacular flying sequences you’re likely to see this year.
Disney have also done a creditable job in their handling of the fusion between Eastern and Western culture with some neat touch’s employed. The film is set in the hybridised fictional city of San Fransokyo replete with a Golden Gate Bridge clone that houses flashes of ancient Eastern architecture. The streets are awash with a hustle and bustle of different ethnicities, fast-food outlets and both American and Japanese signage that gives the whole city a multi-cultural feel and the impression that the creators have really tried to immerse us into a new world that is somehow familiar yet different. The impressive visuals don’t only extend to the backgrounds and locations however, as there are also numerous laugh-out-loud moments that will entertain old and young alike as baymax in particular runs the full gamut of visual comedy from Buster Keaton to Laurel and Hardy - with even the hint of a drunken ET during one stand-out scene in which he desperately needs to recharge his batteries.
The inflatable robot owns the film and it seems harsh to criticise the studio for the fact that Big Hero 6 often feels a little lesser whenever he’s not on-screen - they could rightly argue that they have fashioned such a loveable central character that it actually highlights the success that has gone into his creation when his absence is so keenly felt. Despite this criticism, no doubt Disney will reap the rewards of what will more than likely be not only a box-office smash but also a huge merchandising phenomenon as kids around the world clamour to own their very own Baymax toys. The executive influence at Disney still hasn’t completely died it seems.
Ultimately then, Big Hero 6 hits many of its marks but still seems to fall short of the classic animated films we’ve enjoyed over the past decade, sitting somewhere just below Wreck It Ralph and Frozen in Disney’s back catalogue. That isn’t to say that Big Hero 6 doesn’t entertain - or even touch the heart in places - but it ultimately falls just short in reaching that classic animation status that has been afforded to the likes of Up, Wall-E or any of the Toy Story releases in being one of those critical success’ that transcends the boundaries of the animation genre and makes itself a masterpiece.
“Are you satisfied with your care?” is Baymax’s trade-mark query.
'Satisfied, but not entirely fulfilled' comes the response.