Rating of
3/4
Domo Arigato, Baymax
Chris Kavan - wrote on 11/13/14
Pixar has done superheroes before with one of my personal favorites in the animated field: The Incredibles. Now Disney tries their hand - but since this one is based on an existing brand (from Marvel, no less), despite having some incredible visuals and some fine vocal talent, I can't help but feel Big Hero 6 is just yet another original story - a very colorful and enjoyable one - but, in the end, nothing really special.
We start with Hiro Hamada - a child prodigy with and emphasis in robotics. While he older brother, Tadashi is putting his talents to good use at college, Hiro is more interested in underground (and illegal) robot fights. But after landing in jail, his brother takes him on a short tour of the university, where his is introduced to his group of "nerd" friends: Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Go Go and Fred - along with the father of modern robotics, Professor Robert Callaghan. He also gets a chance to see what his brother has been working on - a personal medical robot in the form of walking marshmallow, the calm, collected Baymax. Hiro is inspired to enter a prestigious robotics competition in order to earn a spot at the university - and when he impresses with his microbots, everything seems to be going his way - until tragedy strikes and changes everything.
Most of the film revolves around two big emotions: revenge and remorse. Hiro has to deal with both, trying to stop a villain who has taken control of his microbot technology while also coming to terms with having to deal with the grief in his life. While the revenge angle is common amongst almost every superhero original story ever, the dealing with death has rarely been presented as well as in Big Hero 6. You would think throwing a robot in the mix wouldn't help this storyline along, but Baymax makes for a surprisingly good friend and companion.
The biggest problem with Big Hero 6 is that in introducing all these characters - we never get a well-rounded view of any of them. The supporting characters are given a few traits (Wasabi is overly cautious and precise; Fred is laid back and obsessed with comic books; Honey Lemon is a bubbly blonde; Go Go is the tomboy daredevil) but no real depth. There are plenty of motivations for the actions taken - but again, they really are surface-level and suffers from lack of depth as well. The whole film seems like a setup for something bigger (and we'll probably get a sequel).
The film does boast some fantastic visuals, great vocal talent and a nice soundtrack. I especially loved T.J. Miller as Fred (a kind of Shaggy-esque role) - he provides a lot of the comic relief and has some great lines (many of which he apparently ad-libbed). But the rest of the cast, from Ryan Potter as Hiro to James Cromwell as Professor Callaghan are all well placed. But by and large the film works because of Baymax - Scott Adsit is calm, reassuring and (in one memorable scene) kind of drunk - but Baymax steals the show and is worth the admission right there.
Origin stories are always tough - they do so much in such a short time, you always feel a bit shortchanged. Big Hero 6 is no exception, though the lack of depth is saved partly by the visual and auditory punch. A great family film but not a standout for Disney.
