“Big Hero 6,” a computer-animated film that is based on the Marvel comic of the same name by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau, brings us a heartfelt and witty tale about a young boy who’s dealing with loss and later uses his intellectual strengths to save the day. Able to be enjoyed by both children and adults, this is a film with an admirable blend of comical and emotional elements, a synthesis that viewers of any age can appreciate.
In the city of San Fransokyo, 14-year-old robotics expert and early high-school graduate Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) spends most of his time involved in secret robot fights. When his older brother, Tadashi (voiced by Daniel Henney), thinks Hiro should be doing something better, he takes him to his lab at a local university and introduces him to Baymax (voiced by Scott Adsit), a healthcare robot that he created. Hiro, having been encouraged by his brother to apply to the school, builds a swarm of microbots to present at a science show put on by the university. When a fire following the show kills Tadashi and destroys the microbots, Hiro teams up with Baymax and some of his brother’s college friends, forming a group of heroes that begins a pursuit of a masked villain who might be responsible for the tragedy.
The animation throughout the film is resplendent in its detail. The city of San Fransokyo is vividly realized and stunning to look at with its merging of the cultures and architectural structures of San Francisco and Tokyo. All of this is seen especially in the sequence when Hiro, having finished providing Baymax with his new armor, takes him out for a flight through the bustling city. It’s a section of the film that gives you an expanded view of the film’s setting, allowing you to become familiar with the film’s colorful and imaginative backdrop.
The screenplay by Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson and Jordan Roberts does a thorough job in providing us with an idea of the sibling relationship between Hiro and Tadashi. Actually, most of the first half hour of the film commits itself to having us get to know these two characters and the strong bond they share. The time we spend with these two brothers allows us to have a deeper understanding and feeling of the grief that Hiro experiences when losing Tadashi. The emotion of this story is Pixar-esque in its sincerity, a sincerity that I love to see in children’s movies because of how it allows older viewers to appreciate this type of film as well.
Although the movie could have spent a little more time developing the villain, it’s a minor and forgivable flaw because the film doesn’t waste that time, but rather uses it to focus on Hiro to have us learn about his origins as a superhero in the making.
Directors Don Hall and Chris Williams do a terrific job with the action sequences, especially the chase scene between the villain and soon-to-be-heroes on the streets on San Fransokyo. These thrilling segments are finely spaced throughout the movie, never overtaking the film’s emotional core.
Given how well they carry out the action, I wouldn’t mind if Hall and Williams directed a big-budget film in the future, similar to how Brad Bird successfully went from directing animated films, such as “The Incredibles” and “The Iron Giant,” to directing “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.”
“Big Hero 6” delivers a great deal of fun as it introduces us to its group of heroes, providing us with a story that is as humorous as it is touching. Given how enjoyable this film is, I would really like to see another outing of this superhero team, and the final shot of the film does its job in getting us excited about where the story will take these heroes next.
Final grade: A-
Reviewer’s note - Before the main feature begins, there is an animated short called “Feast,” a truly heartwarming story about a Boston Terrier, his new owner, and their bond over food. It’s a magical start to what is a wonderful viewing of animated cinema.
Also, be sure to stay through the end credits of “Big Hero 6” for a special scene. The one at the end of this film includes an insanely fun cameo that hilariously sets up a possible sequel.
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