Big Hero 6 is a triumph! The new wave of Disney movies proved that Disney can tell a heart-warming story no matter the medium. Action-packed, often hilarious, fast paced, full of heart, and never losing site of the overall message, Big Hero 6 delivers on all levels.
Set in the city of San Fransokyo, Hiro is a boy genius who uses his intelligence to enter bot fights. His older brother, Tadashi, encourages him to enroll into college to use his intelligence for good rather than making money at winning bot fights. Eventually, Hiro enters the colleges science fair and shows off his nanobots: tiny robots that can create anything Hiro imagines. Hiro is then accepted into the college by Prof. Callaghan, who gives him the choice of entering into the college or selling his design to Callaghan's rival, a shrewd tech guru who seeks profit rather than knowledge. After celebrating Hiro's acceptance,the building burns to the ground, where Tadashi goes back in to save Callaghan. Both perish in the fire. I'll let you see the rest of the movie so you can be as surprised as I was.
The story begins here, with the death of Hiro's brother (Hiro and Tadashi are also being raised by their aunt after both their parents death). Introduce Baymax, the lovable, squeezable, primary healthcare giver and Hiro's only link to his dead brother. What begins as an unlikely friendship soon blossoms into something truly special. This is the main focus of the movie, healing and dealing with loss. Not just physically but emotionally. Baymax never lets us forget that with every upgrade Hiro makes, he is deviating from is primary function: a care giver.
I haven't laughed this hard in a movie in a long time. Baymax, with his overly-friendly and marshmallow design offers so many laughs. There is a scene about 10 minutes long that I simply did not stop laughing. Not a chuckle or a snicker, but a good laugh out loud moment. The dynamic between Hiro and Baymax remains fresh throughout the movie and both are dynamic characters.
There are also very heart warming and sad moments. From the death of Hiro's brother to Hiro's need to avenge his brothers death. One particularly horrifying moment is when Hiro changes Baymax's program card from Tadashi's original healthcare one to his karate and defense card. You can feel Hiro's anger, but also your angry for knowing that is not what Tadashi ever wanted Baymax to be capable off.
The supporting cast is sound and doesn't detract from the movie. GoGo, Honey Lemon, Fred, and Wasabi round out the Big Hero 6 team nicely and, as their names suggests, add a lot of unique and appetizing flavors to the mix. There are wonderfully choreographed fight scenes with all the characters and the action and pacing is relentless. Never did I feel I had to wait for something to happen. Constantly things were being propelled forward and pacing was never an issue. If anything, it was too short and I wanted to see more.
The look and feel is phenomenal. Sanfransokyo is fully realized, with a wonderful colorful pallet both at night and during the day. Neon shines bright, the sun set is awesome, and all in contrast with the darkness of the city streets and buildings.
Overall, Big Hero 6 has a Big Hero Heart and Big Hero Action. It is the perfect balance of action, sci-fi, heart, and laughs that anyone of any age could enjoy. I will be going back again to catch all the action and look for easter eggs!
P.S. Stitch is in the movie, look hard! Oh, and an after end credits scene as well.
