5/5
Disney and Marvel do it again, as “Big Hero 6” hits all the right buttons. Bring tissues; you will cry.
The Disney animated film, loosely based on an obscure Marvel comic of the same name, follows a young robotics genius named Hiro Hamada as he investigates the mysterious fire that caused his older brother’s death. He is joined by a medical robot his brother made called Baymax. Hiro convinces the robot that solving the mystery would “improve” Hiro’s mental health.
Also joining them are his older brother’s friends from university: — Honey Lemon, a chemist; GoGo Tomago, who studies magnets; Wasabi, a laser expert who earned the nickname even though he only got wasabi on his shirt one time and Fred, the school mascot. Together they patrol the city of San Fransokyo, a weird mash up of San Francisco and Tokyo.
The animation is gorgeous. The colors are bright and the movement is fluid. It’s clearthat the animators had fun with the robotics. The design of San Fransokyo is creative, blending the styles of both San Francisco and Tokyo perfectly. The overall effect looks quite cool. The action is well-animated, and each character suit has its own special ability and design.
Honey has chemical orbs that explode into foam when thrown, GoGo uses magnetic discs to fight, Wasabi has a laser sword and Hiro made Fred a monster suit that breathes fire.
The villain uses microbots, which are tiny robots, to attack the heroes. They can turn into any shape, lift heavy objects and carry the villain around.
The soul of the film lies in the relationship between Hiro and Baymax. Baymax is probably the most adorable robot since Data from “Star Trek.” Hiro ties to teach Baymax human stuff like how to first-bump and karate, which Baymax fails to see the point of.
These are things that have been done before, but the voice actors bring enough enthusiasm that it still manages to feel fresh. “Big Hero 6” manages to combine Disney heart and Marvel adventure, with some anime features thrown in. It’s not too intense for little kids but it also doesn’t condescend to them. It is truly a movie for all ages.
