Big Hero 6 Review

  Over the past few years we've seen a shift in what company is the king of animation. From the mid 1990s up until 2010, the undisputed king was Pixar. You had some other talented studios like Dramworks Animation and Studio Ghibli, but no one could surpass Pixar and their 7 best animated feature Oscars. But for the last few years the mantel has shifted, back to Disney Animation of all people. For the longest time, Disney was a god among men from the earliest days of animation to the mid 1990s. But after their renaissance period (late 80s to mid 90s) Disney dropped the ball. For several years they couldn't seem to recapture that magic they once had, up until 2010 anyway. In 2010, they ushered in a new wave of Disney animation with "Tangled." Shortly after they followed up with 2012's "Wreck-it-Ralph" and 2013's two time Oscar winner "Frozen" (not only was it the first Disney movie to win best animated feature, it would become the highest grossing animated movie of all time). Which leads us to "Big Hero 6," the first Disney animated movie to be inspired by a Marvel Comic book. So in a film industry that is seemingly run by Marvel comic book movies, can "Big Hero 6" stand out? And the answer to that question is yes.

     Hiro Hamada is a young genius living in the fictional city San Fransokyo, and despite his intellect he chooses to spend his time squandering his abilities on useless endeavors. One day his brother Tadashi, an aspiring inventor, takes him to the university he is attending. After looking around and meeting a legendary scientist, Hiro decides he wants to enroll. He enters in a science competition that the university is holding, where the best creation will ensure acceptance into the school. After a rocky start, Hiro ultimately comes up with an idea. He builds microbots, small robots that can be linked together with other microbots to create and do just about anything. Blowing every other entry out of the water, he gets accepted. Shortly afterwards, a fire in the presentation building destroys all of the microbots and results in a few deaths. Devastated, Hiro shuts down and locks himself away from the rest of the world. A few days later a microbot in Hiro's possession that survived the fire started to move again and attempts to go to some location. After following its directions, Hiro learns that the microbots survived and more are being made. He is then attacked by a masked man who Hiro believes started the fire. From then on Hiro's only goal is to bring this man to justice; but since he knows he can't do it alone, he decides to gets some help from a few friends. 

     Since getting back into the game, Disney has set the bar real high. With box office successes like "Tangled," Wreck-it-Ralph," and the Oscar winning "Frozen," "Big Hero 6" had a lot to live up to. Fortunately though, it manages to stand by those aforementioned movies. In today's day and age, a majority of animations all look the same. They are computer generated and look just like each other. Having good animation isn't enough anymore, it has to stand out. "Big Hero 6's" animation is beautiful and distinct in some ways; it has that Disney trademark we've seen from their last few films, but also seems to have both a comic book and Japanese anime influence. The futuristic world they live in is gorgeous and vibrant, and the combination of the cultures of San Francisco and Tokyo makes for an interesting combination. When people go see an animation, they usually want a light hearted and fun film; "Big Hero 6" manages to do that and then some. The film is very funny, on more than one occasion was the entire theater filled with laughter. And during the second half of the movie it becomes a full blown action flick, making it look like a combination of "Wreck-it-Ralph" and "The Avengers." And like Disney's last few films, it will be fun for the entire family. Both kids, as well as adults will love this movie. One thing that surprised me was how emotional it was. There are some tragic moments in this movie that may bring a tear to your eye. In a movie like this, they didn't have to bring it to such a deep and emotional level; but I respect the fact that the people behind it did. I also have to give props to the characters, all of which are great. With each character having a distinct personality and voiced perfectly, each one feels unique. One thing I have to note would be the robot character Baymax, he might be the most lovable movie character ever made. He makes Olaf from "Frozen" look like the Jew Hunter from "Inglourious Basterds." He's so likable it's nauseating at times; he's funny, sweet, and just looks adorable. Any parents who take their kid to see this movie better expect to buy a Baymax plushie some time soon. The movie does unfortunately suffers from one major flaw, pacing. During the first half of the movie, a lot of stuff happens very quickly; during the second half, there is a singular goal in mind for the characters meaning not as much stuff happens making the movie feel slower. I'll also say that the second half loses some of the emotional impact the first half did. In a year filled with great animated movies, this one manages to stand out. Beautiful, funny, action packed, and emotional, it has something for just about everyone. While "Big Hero 6" might not be a home run like the last few Disney movies, it is sure to get cheers and applause from anyone who goes to see it. 

Pros: Beautiful animation, action packed, very funny, surprisingly emotional, good voice acting, likable characters, Baymax is the most lovable character ever, fun for the entire family.

Cons: Pacing issues, loses emotional impact second half.

4.5/5 Stars