Film Review: Big Hero 6
The annual animated winter season Disney flick has arrived! And boy, is it impressive, at least visually. The Marvel comic-based plot of Big Hero 6, released Friday, may not hold up to the enthusiastic twists and turns of last year's Frozen, but I've always been of the opinion that those twists and turns were sloppy at best and wholly distracting at worst; at least BH6, despite its predictability, is clean-cut. The film tends to make up for its lackluster storyline with stunning design; the animation is gorgeous, an improvement upon Disney's already consistent CGI work, and art direction is deftly handled by three of my favourite artists in the business: Jin Kim, Scott Watanabe, and Shiyoon Kim, all of whom hold special places my heart for their myriad of exquisite work on Disney's most recent films. The setting design of the imagined San Fransokyo, especially, is breathtaking, both in the concepts:
and the finished product:
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As a long-time Tokyo resident, the ability of the art and animation team to capture the essence of the city while complementing it with the best aspects of San Francisco is perhaps my favourite part of the film. I take some issue with the Americanization of the comic book setting, which is actually Tokyo, but Disney is somewhat forgiven on the basis that the storyline of the original BH6 doesn't quite cater to the studio's target audience. Besides, the hybrid city is a fun idea, and makes for fun and varied visuals.
BH6's aesthetic is not its only remarkable quality, though it might be its most distinguished. The (many) characters are as endearing as expected from Disney, and for once, the most lovable appreciably get the most screen time.
BH6's aesthetic is not its only remarkable quality, though it might be its most distinguished. The (many) characters are as endearing as expected from Disney, and for once, the most lovable appreciably get the most screen time.
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| 14-year-old protagonist Hiro and his "care-bot," Baymax |
The rest of BH6's science fiction is fairly innovative, featuring microbots, 3D-printed armor, and plenty of extra tech that's just about high-fangled enough to count as sci-fi. Most of the tech in this movie is perfected by Hiro, who takes center stage, but it's based on the schoolwork of the rest of the motley Big Hero 6 crew: San Fransokyo Institue of Technology students Honey Lemon, quirky chemist (mad scientist?); GoGo Tomago, Korean biker coolkid; Wasabi No Ginger, neurotic obsessor in the running for best name; and Fred.
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| From left to right: Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Hiro, Baymax, GoGo, Fred. |
These guys aren't onscreen nearly as much as anyone would like, especially considering the film's title, and they face a devastating lack of character development, but most of the movie is understandably dedicated to Hiro and how he's managing loss, a theme handled so well and so emphatically in Big Hero 6 that it moved most of the theatre to tears. Specifically, Hiro is forced to deal with the loss of his brother, Tadashi, who is in all respects a perfect human being with just enough screentime for you to fall in love before he goes up in flames.
However vanilla and predictable the plot of BH6 might be, I feel it's been a while since I saw an animated film so confident in its own goodness, in its value, in its heart. The feature film-length animation world has seemed a little unsure, lately, a little messy and half-finished and just all right, but BH6 pulls through with both vigor and grace. It is thoroughly enjoyable in the face of its flaws, and the end result is something decidedly lovely.
As a standalone, Big Hero 6 is a nice watch. But in the end, as with any superhero film, and considering the underdeveloped characters of the rest of its gang, it is doubtless just an origin story—it all but begs for a sequel, and knowing Marvel, it will get one (or three). I, for one, will be waiting with bated breath for its arrival.
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