1. I hate the Disney "classics" Sleeping Beauty and Pinocchio with a passion. To put it briefly, I think they are boring and disturbing, respectively.
2. I have a lot of opinions about Frozen that a lot of people don't quite relate to (If you're curious about what I think, you should read the post I wrote dedicated entirely to that movie.).
And 3. I love the 2014 Disney movie Big Hero 6, and I think it is wonderfully underrated.
Now, if you frequent any site that has a large fandom community, you've probably seen something about this movie. At the very least- you've heard of Baymax.
The thing about Big Hero 6 was that even though Disney did advertise for it and promote it before the movie came out, it wasn't a smash hit like Frozen the year before. It did well in the box office, and even won its own Academy Award for best animated film in 2015, but it didn't get nearly as much hype as its predecessor, and it mostly got swept under the rug.
Aside from this movie's obvious lack of princesses, I'm really not sure why Big Hero 6 was less popular than Frozen. To me, this movie's structure is much more interesting and compelling than Frozen by a long shot, and honestly, I enjoyed Big Hero 6 much more than Frozen when I saw each of them in theaters.
But, let's put all speculation aside for now and just get into the breakdown of why I think more people should watch and appreciate Big Hero 6 as much as I do (Warning: Potential spoilers ahead!):
Category 1: Plot- B
The one detriment of this movie is that it doesn't fully explore the depths of all the characters all that much. Like, there are six characters (seven if you count Tadashi, but it's called Big Hero 6, not Big Hero 7...), but I can really only describe like two of them to you in detail: Hiro and Baymax.
Hiro is a kid genius attempting to relate to the world, despite his insane mental capabilities. His older brother, Tadashi, was a saint, who was probably going to cure the world of all its infectious diseases (Lord knows we need that right about now). Tadashi was a good, kind hearted person, and that eventually comes to be true of Hiro, after he realizes what happened to his brother and he learns to forgive the bad guy at the end of the movie.
The rest of the crew I can sum up in maybe like a phrase each, from left to right.
Category 3: Themes- A
No joke, I love the themes in this movie so much.
I mean, it's hard to argue that the animation in any Disney movie is bad, but in this movie I kind of felt like the animators were just showing off. In fact, the animators on this movie met with real researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in order to come up with a way to make Baymax look as soft and inflatable as he does in the film.
The comedy in this movie will leave you in a good mood. This movie isn't insanely funny like some of the other Marvel movies out there, like Thor: Ragnarok, or even sarcastic and full of quips like any of the Iron Man movies, but it brings its own humor in it's relatability.
Category 6: Kid-Friendliness- C+
Baymax from Big Hero 6
Aside from this movie's obvious lack of princesses, I'm really not sure why Big Hero 6 was less popular than Frozen. To me, this movie's structure is much more interesting and compelling than Frozen by a long shot, and honestly, I enjoyed Big Hero 6 much more than Frozen when I saw each of them in theaters.
But, let's put all speculation aside for now and just get into the breakdown of why I think more people should watch and appreciate Big Hero 6 as much as I do (Warning: Potential spoilers ahead!):
Category 1: Plot- B
I love the plot of this movie because it feels like something ripped straight out of a comic book (likely because the source material was a Marvel comic, but I digress). When I saw this movie in theaters for the first time I was in shock because of how well the plot introduces all of the main players and throws them into an action packed adventure.
Needless to say, the plot is on par with literally any of the Avengers movies, sparing maybe the very first one, because I'm convinced that the first Avengers movie was the best one (don't come for me). Essentially Big Hero 6 is about a brilliant kid who plots to avenge his brother's death by turning himself and his brother's friends into superheroes. (Now that I put it like that, it sounds literally exactly like the
Avengers, except more gender-balanced and diverse.)
If we want to talk about why this movie didn't do as well as Frozen, I'm gonna be honest with you. Based on the promotional materials for Big Hero 6 alone, I wasn't super clear on what this movie was about. The only thing I knew about this movie before it came out was that it had a banger of a soundtrack (with "Immortals" by Fall Out Boy and "Top of the World" by Greek Fire playing in the advertising), and so I when I saw it, I went into it optimistic, but unsure.
I will say that the marketing for this movie certainly didn't do it any favors, and the fact that it was not as cutesy as Frozen with its Disney Princess charm definitely didn't help, either. But I still feel like this movie was grossly overlooked, even considering the popularity of other superhero movies at the time. Hell, The Guardians of the Galaxy came out the same year as Big Hero 6, and yet that movie was a smash hit.
As much as I hate to say this, I think one of the reasons why this movie didn't do as well as some of the other superhero movies to come out during this time is because of the next category...
Category 2: Characters- C+
The one detriment of this movie is that it doesn't fully explore the depths of all the characters all that much. Like, there are six characters (seven if you count Tadashi, but it's called Big Hero 6, not Big Hero 7...), but I can really only describe like two of them to you in detail: Hiro and Baymax.
Hiro is a kid genius attempting to relate to the world, despite his insane mental capabilities. His older brother, Tadashi, was a saint, who was probably going to cure the world of all its infectious diseases (Lord knows we need that right about now). Tadashi was a good, kind hearted person, and that eventually comes to be true of Hiro, after he realizes what happened to his brother and he learns to forgive the bad guy at the end of the movie.
Even though Baymax was a robot in the movie, he had a lot of personality. It was mostly in the innocence with which he interacted with the world, and his lack of social skills that sold him for me. Multiple times he references uncomfortable topics such as puberty and grief during inappropriate moments, and it comes off as charming because he's a robot that doesn't know any better. Plus, it doesn't hurt that they designed him to look so darn cute.
Hell, Tadashi even mentions that he wanted to design Baymax to look and feel like a big marshmellow, and so his design is meant to draw you into his charm.
The rest of the crew I can sum up in maybe like a phrase each, from left to right.
Wasabi: Nervous wreck (Honestly, same).
Honey Lemon: Cute overachiever.
Go-Go: Strong independent woman who don't need no man.
Fred: Idiot. Oh, and he's rich.
Overall, I just wish there was more character progression among the supporting cast of characters. And while I understand that the bulk of this movie is about Hiro and his emotional battle after the loss of his brother, it was hard for me to remember literally anything about the rest of the cast after the movie was over. They weren't particularly memorable, and I think that's a little bit of detriment.
Sidebar: To Disney's credit- I do admire how they depicted different types of people in their character design. I like how Wasabi is shown as this big black guy who's smart, but also neurotic, and Go-Go looks and acts amazing as well. I hate to give studios credit for doing the bare minimum, but I like to shout out representation when it's not problematic, too, so I guess we've reached an impasse.
(Mind you, I know that this is based on a comic book, and in the comic book, all of the characters look insanely different than they're depicted in the movie. Of course Disney had to up the cute factor to make it more appealing to general audiences, because the source material? Well, it looks pretty anime, to say the least.)
Honey Lemon: Cute overachiever.
Go-Go: Strong independent woman who don't need no man.
Fred: Idiot. Oh, and he's rich.
Overall, I just wish there was more character progression among the supporting cast of characters. And while I understand that the bulk of this movie is about Hiro and his emotional battle after the loss of his brother, it was hard for me to remember literally anything about the rest of the cast after the movie was over. They weren't particularly memorable, and I think that's a little bit of detriment.
Sidebar: To Disney's credit- I do admire how they depicted different types of people in their character design. I like how Wasabi is shown as this big black guy who's smart, but also neurotic, and Go-Go looks and acts amazing as well. I hate to give studios credit for doing the bare minimum, but I like to shout out representation when it's not problematic, too, so I guess we've reached an impasse.
(Mind you, I know that this is based on a comic book, and in the comic book, all of the characters look insanely different than they're depicted in the movie. Of course Disney had to up the cute factor to make it more appealing to general audiences, because the source material? Well, it looks pretty anime, to say the least.)
Big Hero 6 comic book covers
Category 3: Themes- A
No joke, I love the themes in this movie so much.
Not only are there themes of revenge, sacrifice, and forgiveness in the face of evil in this movie, but this movie also raises the question of what are the consequences of seeking revenge? It honestly made me think. (SPOILER WARNING) If Callaghan hadn't gotten revenge on Cray- he wouldn't have known if his daughter was alive. But since he did get revenge on Cray, he got sentenced to a life in prison while discovering that his daughter was alive and was able to be saved from a wormhole. But the question is, is it better to not know if your daughter is alive and try to live peacefully, or to cause chaos for the sake of just knowing?
It raises some interesting questions that I still think about even now, despite this movie being several years old. It really makes you think, you know?
Category 4: Animation- A
It raises some interesting questions that I still think about even now, despite this movie being several years old. It really makes you think, you know?
Category 4: Animation- A
I mean, it's hard to argue that the animation in any Disney movie is bad, but in this movie I kind of felt like the animators were just showing off. In fact, the animators on this movie met with real researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in order to come up with a way to make Baymax look as soft and inflatable as he does in the film.
Not only was Baymax's design inspired by real robots that are actually being researched right now, but
Hyperion was a brand new animation engine that Disney created and used on this film in order to make Baymax reflect light in a realistic way. According to Teena Maddox from TechRepublic.com:
Hyperion is what gives "Big Hero 6" its beautiful cinematic imagery and depth. Until Hyperion was developed, Disney was never before able to use light in such a way. The light is what gives Baymax a transparent glow and allows light to bounce around inside of him, explained Don Hall, who directed the film with Chris Williams. (par 4)
On top of Baymax's lighting and design, the setting of this film is also pretty unique and phenomenal. Combining the eastern aesthetic of Tokyo with the more western aesthetic of San Francisco really works to build the character of this movie. Not only were they able to design the fully realized fictional city of San Fransokyo, but they were able to make the setting seem real and lived in.
Overall, I really can't help but appreciate the quality animation that went into this movie. Disney usually kills it in their animation department, but in this movie it's easy to tell that the animators really put a lot of hard work into it.
Category 5: Comedy- B+
There are so many moments of relatable humor in this movie, that I- no joke- have about five or six memes for this movie saved onto my phone. Many of the humorous moments come from the fact that this is an animated movie and ergot it's more adaptable to comedy, but some of the funniest moments just come from the characters themselves. The fact that almost all of the main characters are overworked college kids is funny, because they're relatable. They're dealing with things like normal people would, and it's incredibly apparent with characters like Tadashi, especially when he is working on Baymax in one of the most pivotal emotional scenes in the movie.
I think that's what I like the most about this movie- it's got a lot of balance. (SPOILER WARNING) Like, sure, it's sad because Tadashi dies, but it's also got so many moments of brevity that it doesn't feel like you're overwhelmed by sadness like some Disney movies can leave you (take the first ten minutes of UP, for example). There's even a Stan Lee cameo in the movie, and it's pretty funny what they do with him.
Literal Big Hero 6 memes that I still had saved on my phone after all these years. (Mind you, this is nowhere near all of them.)
Category 6: Kid-Friendliness- C+
Let's get one thing straight: this movie is not Frozen. Frozen was appealing to general audiences because it promoted themes of family, love, and sisterhood over all else. Now, was that bad?
No.
Did those themes weaken the overall value of Frozen for a more mature audience?
I would say yes (see my argument on why I think Frozen should have focused more on mental health), but a lot of people would say no.
I think its a toss up. While Frozen was arguably more kid friendly (with less death and explosions and more singing trolls and ice palaces), I feel like this movie is probably more important for children to watch.
Will it keep them as entertained as Frozen would?
No, probably not. That is, unless they're the type of kid who's more into superheroes than princesses.
The only thing is, for younger children, this movie may be a tough watch. Kids should see this movie when they're ready and aware of the subject material. This movie is for children that are familiar with the concept of death, and who need to learn how to overcome it without being a victim. Kids above the age of eight would appreciate this movie for what it is- an animated action dramedy. Anyone under eight years old might just enjoy it for the sake of laughing at Baymax.
No.
Did those themes weaken the overall value of Frozen for a more mature audience?
I would say yes (see my argument on why I think Frozen should have focused more on mental health), but a lot of people would say no.
I think its a toss up. While Frozen was arguably more kid friendly (with less death and explosions and more singing trolls and ice palaces), I feel like this movie is probably more important for children to watch.
Will it keep them as entertained as Frozen would?
No, probably not. That is, unless they're the type of kid who's more into superheroes than princesses.
The only thing is, for younger children, this movie may be a tough watch. Kids should see this movie when they're ready and aware of the subject material. This movie is for children that are familiar with the concept of death, and who need to learn how to overcome it without being a victim. Kids above the age of eight would appreciate this movie for what it is- an animated action dramedy. Anyone under eight years old might just enjoy it for the sake of laughing at Baymax.
Baymax petting Hiro's cat, otherwise known as a "hairy baby."
In the end, I love Big Hero 6 with all my heart. It's honestly one of my favorite Disney movies, one of my favorite superhero movies, and one of my favorite movies in general. I still feel like this movie is dreadfully underrated, and I will recommend it to everyone I know until the day I die, but I hope that I maybe convinced someone out there to watch it for the first time.
I would (obviously) give this movie an A for "Awesome," because Baymax warms my heart. Watch it with your family this holiday season and see if they don't love it, too.
I hope that everyone out there is having a safe and happy holiday season, and I hope to see you all next year. Happy Holidays! Please wear a mask!