Big Hero 6 (November 7, 2014)

This is another one of my favorite Disney animated films. The film tells the story of Hiro Hamada, a young robotics prodigy who forms a superhero team to combat a masked villain. It is also the first Disney animated film to feature Marvel Comic characters, whose parent company was acquired by Disney in 2009. The film was financially successful grossing over $657 million dollars on a $165 million budget, leading to a TV series which continues the story of the film running from 2017-2019 on the Disney Channel and Disney XD. Starting off, this film has a great cast of characters. They fit together perfectly, with unique personalities and body shapes. Even Fred, who serves as the overenthusiastic comic relief never becomes grating or annoying. I have small problems with Go Go, she is a bit too “girl power” oozing cool confidence but her suit is so cool, and she mostly lets her actions do the talking that I overlook her minor feminist outbursts. Hiro is by far my favorite. He is grieving over the death of his older brother Tadashi, seeking revenge for the apparent “accident” that killed him. Tadashi was a big supporter and advocate of his younger, believing he was capable of doing great things, brother and his death really hit Hiro hard, in ways he refused to admit. This causes Hiro to become reckless in his pursuit of the kabuki-masked man who apparently caused fire that burned the collegiate science institute building which led to his brother’s demise. But Hiro learns that, after a poignant scene where he commands Baymax, a personal healthcare companion turned fighting machine to kill the man, violence is not the answer, it is not what Tadashi would have wanted for him. Hiro goes through such deep and important emotional growth and I love that about this movie. It is not afraid to explore dark themes in a visually exciting way. Segueing into the technical side, the animation in his movie is impressive; Walt Disney Animation Studios even created new software technology to produce them. This results in a stunning marvel with dynamic action scenes and interesting, science effects all set in the fantastic hybrid fictional city of San Fransokyo. This movie also has one of my favorite movie soundtracks. I used to listen to it on repeat and even still can picture a part of the film just by listening to a song. Its signature song, “Immortals” by Fall Out Boy is a fantastic montage song, creating excitement for the creation of the super suits of Hiro’s team. And what cool suits they are. They each build off their own scientific inventions, packaged in sleek, cutting edge designs. Baymax’s is my personal favorite with his cool, aerodynamic look with killer wings to match. Overall Big Hero 6 is a fantastic comic book movie with futuristic visuals, a killer soundtrack, complex themes, and endearing characters, all culminating in a stunning climatic scene which brought me to tears when I first witnessed it in theaters. I whole heartedly recommend this film to animation and comic book fans as one of Disney’s best and most creative films produced in the last decade.

Final Rating: 9/10