On Valentine’s Day I went to see Big Hero 6 (because Fifty Shades of Grey is too mainstream) and despite us being the oldest non-parents in the screening I left the cinema feeling absolutely elated! Big Hero 6 is based on an obscure Marvel comic about a group of young, Japanese crime-fighters. The film lacks originality at times and includes every single superhero trope that has ever been used in cinema but it also manages to be visually exciting and tremendously poignant!
The film revolves around the protagonist, Hiro Tamada and his robot side-kick Baymax. Baymax manages to steal every scene he is in and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes it onto every child’s Christmas list this year. He’s so adorable and funny that I’d even go as far as to say he’s the 2015 equivalent of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. One of my highlights of the film was when Baymax went through a low battery phase and ended up acting like a drunk student; he has to be shoulder lifted across the city by Hiro and then tries (and fails) not to wake anyone up when he gets home. We’ve all been there Baymax! It is the bond between Hiro and Baymax that drives the film and it can be incredibly moving at times. I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed a few tears at the end.
As expected, the animation and voice acting are top notch. The numerous action scenes are quite spectacular for an animated film and the flying scenes with Baymax are truly thrilling. The film also has a great villain who, despite being virtually silent throughout the whole film, manages to be surprisingly scary resulting in some tense showdowns with the heroes. Some of Hiro’s comrades; Honey Lemon, GoGo, Wasabi and Fred felt slightly undeveloped at times and some plot points are resolved too quickly but hey, it’s a Disney film and I haven’t had so much fun in a cinema for a long time!
Big Hero 6 is another fantastic addition to the Disney canon and I wouldn’t be surprised if it tops the success of Frozen last year. It combines the awe and spectacle of Marvel with the humour and soul of Disney to create an immensely enjoyable experience. It’s definitely up there with my favourite animated films of all time!
