Anthony's Film Review - Big Hero 6 (2014)

An exciting superhero action movie, but more importantly a movie with funny and heartwarming characters...

The 2014 Disney animated film Big Hero 6 definitely reminds me of the 2004 Pixar animated film The Incredibles. Both movies feature explosive action, more than family-friendly action movies of years past, that is mixed with humor and heart. Certainly, if you like The Incredibles, you'll like Big Hero 6. Interestingly, Big Hero 6 is actually based on a Marvel comic (Disney now owns Marvel Comics, by the way), though many changes were made so that the movie is a combination of Marvel and Disney elements. I have not read the comic before seeing the movie, but I can tell you that the movie Big Hero 6 is a sure winner.

I'm not really going to talk about the action, simply because it's the secondary element of this movie. Yes, it's fun, excited, and presented well, but there's nothing more to say about it. Instead, I want to talk about the primary element of this movie: the relationship between a boy named Hiro and a robot named Baymax. Big Hero 6 is one of those movies that humorously depicts the challenges and successes of helping a robot learn and understand. It is funny to see a robot follow commands literally or have a literal, not metaphorical or idiomatic, understanding of many things. Baymax in this movie is no exception, and the way voice actor Scott Adsit gives life to Baymax easily leaves you laughing and smiling.

Speaking of which, Baymax is definitely designed as a lovable character, especially during the non-action scenes. The robot was designed by Hiro's older brother to be an intelligent healthcare bot that can diagnose and treat various medical ailments. When Baymax speaks in his role as a healer, he is a warm and adorable character. When he does the same thing in different contexts, he becomes a funny character. What makes Baymax even more lovable and funny is the fact that he is an inflatable balloon-like robot. Instead of a solid body of metal, Baymax is a thin metal skeleton surrounded by a vinyl covering that can be filled with air.

Now let's talk about Hiro, the other main character. The one thing that makes Hiro very likable is his intelligence. Or rather, his genius. This is a 14-year-old kid who already graduated high school the year before. If there's anything wrong with him, it's that, in the beginning of the movie, he chooses to use his smarts to design fighting robots to win bot fighting competitions against some shady people. Otherwise, he is a character who is ultimately a hero in dealing with the mysterious masked villain, and also deals with emotional issues at certain points in the story.

Big Hero 6 is undoubtedly an entertaining movie. You have fun action, likable characters (including supporting characters, not just Hiro and Baymax), and an interesting setting in the form of the city of San Fransokyo (which combines San Francisco and Tokyo). It's also worth noting that this is a 3D-animated film that comes from the Walt Disney Company, but developed by its in-house studio rather than Pixar, which is fine in this case given how much fun it was for me to watch the movie. Overall, Big Hero 6 earns a big hero 8 (stars, that is).

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Big Hero 6, visit the Internet Movie Database.