Big Hero 6
Composite Score: 83.74
Starring: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung, T.J. Miller, Daniel Henney, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, and Maya Rudolph
Directors: Don Hall and Chris Williams
Writers: Jordan Roberts, Robert L. Baird, and Daniel Gerson
Genres: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi, Superhero
MPAA Rating: PG for action and peril, some rude humor, and thematic elements
Box Office: $657.87 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Big Hero 6 is the 2014 Disney animated film adaptation of the Marvel superhero comics of the same name. Twisting the lore and story to keep it independent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this animated adaptation takes place in the fictional city of San Fransokyo and follows Hiro Hamada as he unintentionally forms a team of superheroes with his friends while mourning the loss of his brother, Tadashi. The film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature thanks to its creative approach to the subject’s setting and its emotionally engaging story about grief, friendship, revenge, and healing. It’s one of the best Animated films of the last decade.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Big Hero 6 is a film whose story feels like it wants to be in two places at the same time, not always resulting in the clearest messaging. On the one hand, the film is a classic superhero origin story about a group of friends dealing with a lost loved one coming together to take down the criminal responsible for that friend’s death. At the same time, the film goes out of its way to make you aware of its more traditional origin story elements in a way that feels almost satirical at times. In a similar vein, the villain’s motivations shift as the audience finds out more about who the film’s villain truly is, making either of their motivational themes bear less weight than if only one had been the focal point. Revenge and corporate greed both make poignant story beats on their own, but since the protagonist’s story focuses so heavily on revenge, it almost feels redundant to include it as a villain motivation as well, even if it makes for a fun plot twist.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
If you’re looking for a great film about grief processing that isn’t too heavy or depressing, Big Hero 6 just might be the best one out there. By the start of the film, Hiro and Tadashi’s parents are already dead, resulting in their living with their Aunt Cass over her coffee shop while Hiro runs scams in illegal bot-fighting rings and Tadashi attends college – already a solid glimpse into how both boys processed the loss of their parents at a young age. When Tadashi dies tragically in a fire, we see Hiro go through the stages of grief with the help of his brother’s healthcare robot Baymax and their friends from the university – Honey Lemon, Go Go, Wasabi, and Fred. It is only with their help that Hiro can finally come to terms with the loss of his brother and step into the next stage of his life, a reminder that none of us are forced to go at this thing alone and that there are always going to be people who care enough to be with you where you are at. At the same time, the friends’ reactions to Hiro’s actions are great examples of how to help someone through that process – never denying his feelings or blaming him for his outbursts – it’s an added level of narrative that really elevates the film.
Also, Big Hero 6 hits most of its notes really well, even on rewatch. The comedy remains funny and self-aware enough to keep you laughing. The superhero sequences are great – delivering unique characters to the screen in undeniably cool ways. Each beat of the story, from the initial attempts to make Baymax into a fighting machine to the superhero training montage to their failed first fight to the teamwork of their final combat checks the boxes and then goes beyond what you could want in a typical superhero flick. Finally, the emotional beats fit well within the narrative and deliver some truly hard-hitting moments of grief and celebration. The establishing of the relationship between Hiro and Tadashi only serves to make Tadashi’s death that much more tragic and gut-wrenching, but the truly difficult part comes at the end when Hiro finally has to choose between accepting and moving on from his brother’s death or staying in that place and literally being cut off from the world forever. It’s a beautiful moment, particularly because it, not the fight before, serves as the film’s true climax, making it an excellent addition to the pantheon of 2010s animated greats.
Big Hero 6 shines in its fresh take on the superhero genre and its source material, crafting a truly moving piece of cinema about grief and our need for friendship, marking it as one of the Greatest Films of All Time. Its nature as a semi-meta comedy and wishy-washy villainous motivations might frustrate some fans, but the overall film and its message and entertainment value do not suffer much for either of those gripes. It is currently available to stream on Disney+ if you want to watch it, whether for the first time or on rewatch.
