If you're a fan of Pixar's The Incredibles (and who isn't?), then you'll find a lot to love in Disney's Big Hero 6. The first big-screen collaboration between Disney and Marvel is a loose adaptation of the niche Marvel Comics miniseries, and it tells the origin story for the titular superhero team (made up of whiz kid Hiro Hamada, his inflatable robot sidekick, Baymax, and their friends, Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred).
From my full theatrical review:
From my full theatrical review:
4 out of 5.Big Hero 6 comes to us courtesy of directors Don Hall (Winnie the Pooh) and Chris Williams (Bolt), as well as some of the producers and writers behind such recent hits as Monsters University, Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph. In short, it's got quite the pedigree of talent behind it. And while it may not be a Pixar production, it is bursting with many of the same sensibilities that Pixar have been known to bring to bear in their films, from the thoroughly emotive character designs (this time, with a tinge of anime influence), to the engaging environments (San Fransokyo is truly a sight to behold), to the storytelling (which doesn't shy away from dealing with subject matter you rarely find in kids' movies, such as dealing with grief).
At the same time, however, it isn't perfect. Aside from Hiro and Baymax, most of the other characters only barely qualify as such, with little provided in the way of their backstories and motivations. Instead, most of them — as impressively-animated as they are — exist primarily to fulfill the requirements of the plot or to fill out the ranks of the titular superhero team.
Still, the film is extremely entertaining from start to finish, with ample humor that both the young and the young-at-heart will find appealing, as well as its fair share of exhilarating action sequences. Most importantly, the core of the movie — the relationship between Hiro and Baymax — is solid, and it's handled as effectively as one could have hoped for. In terms of how much it tugs at viewers' heart strings, it ranks right up there alongside iconic big-screen pairings like Elliott and E.T. or Hogarth and the Iron Giant. This is, after all, a movie about the connection between a boy and his big, huggable robot. And in this regard — and in true Disney fashion — it doesn't disappoint.