It’s number one at the box office for good reason! Big Hero Six offers up original, loveable action heroes that will delight you and your family. Marvel Comics and Walt Disney Pictures have joined forces to create an animated superhero comedy adventure that is intelligent, moving, visually exciting and fun. Set in the futuristic city of San Fransoyko, which is a cool combo of the San Francisco and Tokyo, Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) an orphaned 14 year-old boy genius teams up with a large, inflatable and very charming robot Baymax (Scott Adsit), as well as, four odd tech geeks to create a band of high-tech superheroes.
Nerds rule, villains drool.
Based on a little known Marvel comic book creation, this story is a fusion of Marvel style excitement and classic Disney story storytelling. The action is wild and the leads are heroic, but in classic Disney style, Hiro is not only an orphan, but loses his beloved older brother at the opening in a fiery explosion. This might be too much for very young kids. The villain in kabuki mask is also very scary and threatening. That being said, my son and I were in a packed house of kids and saw no one leave and heard no crying.
The death of Hiro’s brother sets him on a journey to solve the mystery of the fire that killed him and the presumably related theft of one Hiro’s great inventions “microbots”. Joining him on his journey are technology students, self described “nerds”, but the real emotional relationship Hiro forms is with Baymax, the large, white marshmallow-like robot that his brother left behind. Baymax is designed to be a health care robotic professional, but the care he takes of Hiro and his crew is profound and moving. Hiro, Baymax and their companions use brainpower and technology to transform themselves into awesome crime fighting machines.
Suffice it to say, my nine-year old son loved it, as did the audience who burst into applause at the end. I really appreciated how smart the young Hiro is and the victory of the team of six is essentially a celebration of brains and ingenuity. The relationship between Baymax and Hiro took me back to ET, which is a high compliment indeed.
One final note — be on time! The movie opens with a six minute animated film called Feast, directed by Patrick Osborne, that stars an adorable terrier named Winston. As a rule I’m not a fan of short films, but this one tells a very simple, surprising rich love story through the eyes of a very hungry and funny dog. It leaves you reminded that life is indeed a feast.
Running Time: 102 Minutes
Directors: Don Hall, Chris Williams
Stars: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung, Maya Rudolph
Reporting by Cary Bickley
