Let’s face it, Disney and Marvel really know what they’re doing when it comes to the superhero movies that they’ve released over the last few years. 2014 could very well be the “Year Of The Comic Book Movie” thanks to films like
Captain America: The Winter Soldier,
X-Men: Days of Future Past and of course
Guardians of the Galaxy. The bad news is that the year is coming to a close. The good news is that there’s still one more comic book movie to be enjoyed thanks to
Big Hero 6, Disney’s creative take on the Marvel comic of the same name!
I’ve spent a bit of time at Walt Disney Animation Studios learning about
Big Hero 6 (see
BIG HERO 6 Film Makers Discuss The Film, Its Story And Its Characters,
BIG HERO 6, Disney’s New Superhero Movie, Is Over Twice As Big As Frozen & Wreck-It Ralph and
A Look At San Fransokyo - The Home Of BIG HERO 6), but nothing prepared me for what I saw three weeks ago during the press screening. My biggest complaint after the screening of the film – The fact that I had to wait three weeks to see it again! If you want to save yourself some time, you can skip the review and go see the film. Yes, it’s that good. I had the opportunity to speak with Mark S. Allen on
Mark at the Movies (you can find them on REELZ channel (Dish 299, DirecTV 238) every Saturday morning 8am PST) last weekend about the film and what I shared with him still holds true –
Big Hero 6 is my favorite Disney movie of all time. I may even like it better than
Guardians of the Galaxy. Go see it! You won’t be disappointed!
The team behind
Frozen and
Wreck-It Ralph has created a truly memorable film in
Big Hero 6. There’s action, laughs and emotion. It’s a film with a lot of heart, which is probably the one thing, aside from Fred (more on him later), that really surprised me.
When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo, prodigy Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) turns to Baymax (Scott Adsit) and his close friends adrenaline junkie GoGoTomago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred to uncover the mystery of who’s responsible for the tragedy. Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes dubbed
Big Hero 6. We follow Hiro as he attempts to cope with the tragedy and his new friend Baymax, a huggable robot that was created by Hiro’s older brother Tadashi. What ensues is an action-packed romp through the fictional city San Fransokyo that’s filled with fun, action and some very touching moments.
When the filmmakers set out to create the movie, they wanted to balance action, humor and emotion, but according to Producer Roy Conli, it’s not necessarily an even split. “When all is said and done, heart and humor are so important to us – we want to make sure that the action always has meaning – an emotional context to live in.” Like most Disney movies,
Big Hero 6 has a little of something for everyone. There are some GREAT action sequences, a great cast, amazing visual effects and of course a VERY good story, but at its core,
Big Hero 6 is a story about a boy and his robot and the bond they develop. Hiro has to face some very tough events and decisions in his life. The filmmakers and cast do such an amazing job with the film that you’ll find yourself sucked right in. Many of the questions and issues faced by Hiro are things that we have all faced in life, whether as children, teenagers or adults. It’s truly an emotional journey that will have you laughing at one point and wiping tears away from your eyes at others.
As mentioned earlier, the cast and visuals are amazing. Hiro and Baymax’s first flight will likely have you sitting at the edge of your seat, while the end of the flight will remind you of the good ol’ days spent with friends, not having a care in the world. The storytelling is fantastic and really brings some very tough situations, that aren’t normally covered in animated films, to the forefront. The second and third acts are outstanding with a few plot twists that you won’t see coming. Rumors surfaced regarding the identity of the villain after the second trailer was released. I don’t want to spoil who the villain is, but I think most movie-goers will be surprised when his identity is unveiled.
After seeing the film, my 14 year old and I both agreed that
Big Hero 6 was our favorite Disney movie. Unlike some of the other Disney films,
Big Hero 6 truly has something for everyone. There are strong female characters in GoGo Tomago (Jamie Chung) and Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) for girls to look up to. There are robots, heroes and villains for the boys and there is the emotion and fabulous storytelling that Disney is known for that will make the movie enjoyable for the parents. The filmmakers even manage to slip in a fart joke to put a smile on everyone’s face!
One thing that my boys and I couldn’t agree upon was who the best character was. Baymax will be an instant favorite for almost everybody and my 7 year old was no exception. I have a feeling he’s going to be a VERY hot commodity this Christmas... My 14 year old really liked Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), the energy blade wielding neat-freak. The one character that really surprised us was Fred (T.J. Miller) the crazy mascot of the team who can’t help but narrate the teams’ adventures throughout the film. Fred is definitely the comic relief in the film, especially if you’re a comic nerd like me. T.J. Miller and Fred steal just about every scene they’re in and will have you laughing out loud.
Big Hero 6 may be my favorite movie of 2014. Big Fun. Big Action. Bigger Heart. Be the hero and take your family to see it!
Keep an eye out next week for my exclusive interviews with Ryan Potter (Hiro), Scott Adsit (Baymax) and T.J. Miller (Fred)!
From Walt Disney Animation Studios, the team behind “Frozen” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” comes “Big Hero 6,” an action-packed comedy-adventure about the special bond that develops between Baymax, a plus-sized inflatable robot, and prodigy Hiro Hamada.
When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo and catapults Hiro into the midst of danger, he turns to Baymax and his close friends: adrenaline junkie GoGo Tomago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. Determined to uncover the mystery, Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes called “Big Hero 6.”