Big Hero 6 is a 3D animated superhero film produced by Walt Disney Animated Studios. The story is based on the Marvel Comics but animated to appeal to children. It's colorful characters and heartfelt story make this more than your average superhero movie.Taking place in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo, 14-year old Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) buys his way into an underground bot fighting match. His older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) saves him from a gang of thugs, but land themselves in jail. Their Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph) bails them out and takes them home. Hiro reveals his parents died when he was three.
Tadashi takes Hiro to his research lab and introduces him to his friends, Go Go (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and Fred (T.J. Miller). Hiro also meets Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell), the head of the robotics program. Tadashi shows Hiro his project, an inflatable robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit). Hiro signs up for the school's science fair and creates an invention he calls microbots. The presentation is a success and the CEO of Krei Tech offers to buy his product, but Callaghan insists he not sell out to them. Hiro turns down the offer and Callaghan accepts him into the university. Later on, the building with the science fair goes up in flames and Callaghan is the only one left inside. Tadashi runs inside to save him but is killed by an explosion.
Weeks later, Hiro accidentally activates Baymax, as it responds to physical harm. Hiro finds his remaining microbot pulling itself like a compass. They follow it to an abandoned warehouse to find someone has been mass-producing the microbots. They are attacked by a masked man controlling the microbots. Hiro reprograms Baymax with karate skills and body armor. They track the masked man to the docks and Baymax calls in Tadashi's friends for help. They're chased down by the microbots and escape to Fred's mansion. They decide to create a high-tech superhero team to take down the villain.
Baymax uses his new high-powered sensor to track the masked man to an island. They find an abandoned Krei Tech factory and discover it was used for teleportation research that had gone wrong. They fight and unmask the villain to reveal it's Callaghan, who used the microbots to protect him from the explosion. Hiro removes Tadashi's chip from Baymax and orders him to terminate Callaghan. Honey puts the chip back in just before he carries out the order and Callaghan escapes.Back home, Hiro tries to remove the healthcare chip but Baymax refuses and shows him a video of Tadashi working on his prototype. The team visits Hiro and shows him a flash drive recovered from the factory. Video files reveal Callaghan's daughter was lost in a teleportation test causing him to seek revenge on Krei Tech. The team confronts Callaghan at Krei Tech's headquarters and uses the portal to destroy the building. Hiro and the team use the portal to destroy the microbots and takedown Callaghan. Baymax scans the portal to discover Callaghan's daughter is still alive. Hiro and Baymax fly into the portal and find her. Baymax's armor and thrusters are destroyed and he sacrifices himself to save Hiro and Callaghan's daughter using his rocket-propelled fist. Hiro then finds Tadashi's chip inside the detached fist and rebuilds Baymax.
The visuals in Big Hero 6 are done very well, on a similar level to a Pixar animated film. The most stunning visuals were inside the portal and the rainbow supernova of hyperspace. The story combines science fiction and superheroes making this an imaginative and unique animated adventure. Bubbly and lovable protagonist Baymax is a joy to watch, constantly being upgraded with new knowledge and abilities. Even though it's a robot, it learns to feel human emotion.The superhero team is brought to life with their distinct personalities and wonderful voice acting. T.J. Miller is perfectly cast to voice Fred, the comic book reading slacker that wants to breathe fire. Scott Adsit voices Baymax resembling an electronic personal assistant. Maya Rudolph and Genesis Rodriguez voice the upbeat and optimistic females, adding humor to their scenes.
Big Hero 6 will be greatly enjoyed by fans of animated superheroes such as the TV series Teen Titans. It may not be as good as Pixar's The Incredibles, but it is superior to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Fans of Big Hero 6 will be happy to explore the TV series released on Disney Channel. I recommend this film to children and adults.
3.5/4
Supplements:
Recording Sessions
The Making of Big Hero 6
Deleted Scenes
