Directors:
Don Hall( The Princess and the Frog) and Chris Williams( Bolt)
Cast:
Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T.J Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr.,Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph.
Synopsis:
Hiro Hamada( Ryan Potter) is unlike any other teenage boy. At the young age of 14, Hiro is a robics prodigy. He lives in a city called “Sanfransokyo” with his aunt Cass( Maya Rudolph) and his older brother Tadashi( Daniel Henney) who is also a science geek.
Although the brothers both share a love for science, the boys are polar opposites in how they use their intelligence in robotics. Tadashi uses his gift in attempt to save the world by building a healthcare robot named Baymax( Scott Adsit), while Hiro( Ryan Potter) assembles robots and uses them for illegal bot fighting. Tadashi( Daniel Henney) tries to get Hiro(Ryan Potter) out of the bot fighting ring by introducing his brother to the robotics lab at his local university.
Along the way, Hiro (Ryan Potter) befriends fellow university students Go Go Tomago( Jamie Chung); Wasabi( Damon Wayans Jr.); Honey Lemon(Genesis Rodriguez); and Fred( T.J Miller). Hiro also meets professor Robert Callaghan( James Cromwell), and becomes inspired to apply to the university by showcasing his robotics work. His work is a success, but under an unexpected turn of events, Hiro( Ryan Potter) loses someone very close to him.
After the tragic event Hiro( Ryan Potter) undergoes into a depression until Baymax(Scott Adsit) is activated. After a series of escapades, Hiro(Ryan Potter) and Baymax (Scott Adsit) discovered that someone has been stealing Hiro’s (Potter)robotics ideas, and could possibly had been the cause to the unexpected turn of events that lead Hiro( Potter) to lose a loved one. Seeking revenge, Hiro(Potter) asks for the help from his new friends from the university, and with the help of Baymax( Scott Adsit), they attempt to find the culprit by becoming a superhero team.
Review:
At first I was a bit hesitant to go see the movie Big Hero 6 in theatres for a few reasons. I had just come down from my “Frozen high” after watching and purchasing truck loads of merchandise from the Disney box office hit Frozen(2013). I honestly thought that Disney wouldn’t be able to compete with the cultural giant it created last year with a new animated film, but boy was I wrong. I thought that I wouldn’t fall in love with the characters and storyline as much as I did with Frozen(2013), but once again I stood corrected.
Big Hero 6 is an animated film that is loosely inspired by the marvel comic book series that has the same name. I cannot attest how different the movie is from the comic series, for I have never read the comics myself. I can only give insight on how it feels and looks from a movie goers perspective. Right from the get go Big Hero 6 has a lot to offer to become a cultural hit itself. The movie has both well developed characters that the audience will love, and it also has great interwoven themes that both children and adults can appreciate.
Big Hero 6 is the first animated movie to provide a mix of races as their supporting and main characters. By having a mix of characters, Disney is attempting to break racial stereotypes. Whether the company realized this or not is up for the moviegoers to decide, but I think it was a smart decision on their part. First, we as moviegoers can see the variety of race in characters
when we are introduced to Tadashi’s ( Daniel Henney’s) college fiends at the “nerd lab.”
At the science lab, we are first introduced to Go Go Tomago( Jamie Chung). A girl who loves her adrenaline and speed. She’s a unique character because physically she is portrayed as this goth-like white American girl. At the same time though she is also into physics.In the lab she does her research on making bicycle tires more thin and agile. This take on a traditional goth character in a different view because in most movies, goth people are usually associated with having a lot of angst and not being motivated to contribute to society. Go Go breaks this stereotype by being motivated to do research on physics.
Next we are introduced to Wasabi( Damon Wayans Jr.), an African American college student who is not only a science geek in laser beams, but also a neat freak. Wasabi is a character unlike any other because of the fact that he is black and interested in the sciences. In other forms of movies and media, African Americans are typically portrayed as lazy and uneducated beings. By making his character interested in science and being a neat freak he is discrediting stereotypes on black men.
After meeting Wasabi( Damon Wayans Jr.), we meet Honey Lemon( Genesis Rodriguez), a tall pretty blonde who is also an expert in chemical reactions. Although she is portrayed as this extremely bubbly personality, like we have seen countless times in film and television, she is also breaking stereotypes by being a smart blonde in the sciences.
Following Honey Lemon( Genesis Rodriguez) we meet Fred( T.J Miller) who is this random guy that isn’t considered a college student, but a “science enthusiast” . But what he really should call himself is a science fiction enthusiast, because he has this desire to become a monster when he grows up. He is the lesser developed character out of the group of friends, but he does provide a few laughs.
Finally we have the adorable healthcare robot named Baymax( Scott Adsit). He does not necessarily break any stereotypical barriers, but he does make up for it by becoming the greatest friend that Hiro( Potter) could have. He is both squishy and awkwardly shaped, but it is both of these characteristics that make him funny and lovable to the audience.
Aside from having a diverse set of main and supporting characters, Big Hero 6, delivers two very unlikely but interwoven theme’s that somehow work well together in its story line. The first theme we can recognise within the characters is that science is power, a theme that hasn’t been used since Disney released the animated film Meet the Robinsons (2007). Not only does it convey the theme, but it also portrays how if not used in the right way, science can become evil. Hiro using his gifts in robotics for his own personal gain is a good example of this in the film.
Another supporting and intricate theme that has been woven with the first theme(science is power) is that the only way for a person to cope with losing a loved one, is to surround yourself with the friends and family you have. This can be seen in the film where Baymax(Scott Adsit) takes it upon himself to call all of Hiro’s( Potter) friends to help him cope with the loss of his loved one.
In all seriousness, I cannot find one fault with this movie. It has something for everyone, whether its a child or an adult. The messages and the diverse group of characters provide an enjoyable movie experience for all that go see it.
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