I haven't been to a Disney animated film since UP (2009) and just last month my buddy, Clint, and I sat down to watch BIG HERO 6. The fact that it was a Marvel Comics based film had a large part to do with it but neither of us were familiar with the comic or even the story. So we were going in blind and hoping for a treat. The trailers seemed pretty fun and given recent Marvel movies (Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Guardians of the Galaxy) chances that this film would be good were very promising.
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SPOILERS AHEAD
The plot of film is this: Hiro and his brother Tadashi live in the city of San Fransokyo, a fictional and totally awesome melding of San Francisco and Tokyo. It's futuristic with a modern feel too. Hiro is either 12 or 13 years old and a child protege when it comes to robotics and technology. His brother Tadashi too is a genius enrolled in Nerd College and trying to get his little brother to enroll. Hiro, for his entrance exam, creates a thousand microbots that are controlled with one's mind and can create whatever physical structure the user can imagine.
During the presentation there is a fire which claims the life of his microbots, college professor, and most importantly his brother Tadashi. His brother's death devastates Hiro. One day months later Hiro stubs his toe in his room and yells "Ouch!" This noise activates the final creation of Tadashi's, the robot Baymax, a robot designed solely to help injured people. Baymax tries to cure Hiro's pain but since it is a pain of the heart rather than the body Baymax can't perform his duty easily. He follows Hiro doing whatever he can to improve the young boy's mood.
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| Kabuki Man (the villain of the movie) |
They accidentally stumble into an abandon warehouse where Hiro and Baymax discover the long thought destroyed microbots and a masked madman using the microbots to attack the city. Hiro, Baymax, and four friends from Tadashi's school build themselves suits of armor and attempt to stop the masked man from destroying the city.
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| Comic Book art |
This movie kept me entertained from start to finish. I felt for Hiro's loss. I loved his friends. And above all I loved Baymax! I am a huge fan of characters in film, video games, and books and this year in film has seen some of the strangest characters from Marvel's stable realized in incredible, endearing ways. Rocket and Groot, two characters no one in a million years would have ever thought would become so beloved by the world over. Baymax is just as good as either of them. Hiro and his friends too are fun likable characters that I want to see more of too.
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| The art for this comic feels like a mix of American styles and Japanese themes... weird. |
The actions scenes are thrilling and fun, again something quite amazing considering the amazing action sequences already seen this year. The plot moves along fast and doesn't waste a single moment. And the music keeps you energized and ready for more. There are also quite a few treats for comic book fans including easter eggs likes Sleepwalker, Orka, and Turbo. And since this is a Marvel film you know that Stan Lee is going to make a cameo somewhere, and he does! (despite the fact that it's an animated film). And in keeping with the rest of the Marvel Studios films there's a post credits sequence too.
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| Big Hero 6 Heroes |
From what little I have seen of the comic it looks like the filmmakers took quite a few liberties. The comic images posted above seem far more adult and less stylized than their movie counterparts. Not having read the comic sadly I don't know the degree to which the film stays faithful to the comic or not. But just by looking the comic appears far more risque and adult with it's art and subject matter yet maintaining a fun story and characters.
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| Go Go |
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10
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| Comic to Film Comparison |
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