SUMMARY
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Despite being based on a little-known series from Marvel Comics, Big Hero 6 feels more like a Saturday morning cartoon than a comic come to life. From its vibrant, playful character design to its out-of-this-world action scenes, Big Hero 6 takes its cartoon influences to heart.
It’s a fun, oftentimes funny, kid-friendly adventure. But while there’s a good amount of laughs and some genuinely moving moments to be had, Big Hero 6 is cut at the knees by a surprisingly unambitious story.
Ironically, ambition doesn’t seem to be a problem for14-year-old robot inventor Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter). But when circumstances push young Hiro out of the underground robot fighting scene, he uses his prodigious knack for invention to assemble a super team of fellow inventors.
Rounding out the Big Hero 6 roster is the speed-skating Go Go (Jamie Chung), the plasma wielding Wasabi (Damon Wayans), the color flinging Honey Lemon (Gensis Rodriguez) and the fire breathing Fred (T.J Miller).
But at the heart of this newly assembled super squad is Hiro and his robot Baymax (Scott Adsit). Most superhero teams try to give everyone a fair share of the spotlight, but Hiro and Baymax are the obvious centerpiece of Big Hero 6. Their relationship is reminiscent of a lot of “boy and his dog” relationships, but it is Baymax’s innocent, non-confrontational charm that sets the duo apart.
Big Hero 6 is obviously geared towards younger audiences, but it also has enough heart to cater to older viewers. The film acquaints us with new and colorful characters that aren’t the typical superheroes with capes. But because of an overly familiar storyline, Big Hero 6 just doesn’t live up to the high standards set by other recent animated features.
East meets west
Set in the cross-cultural city of San Fransokyo, Big Hero 6 merges eastern and western aesthetics through a mishmash of Japanese anime and American pop culture. The characters themselves feel like a crisscross between Archie and the Power Rangers, stocked with energetic banter and dazzling (and particularly distinct) superpowers.
It’s surprising, then, that the film’s most inspired character is also its simplest. The immaculately white Baymax is both sleek and fluffy by intention. But it’s his rotund but non-threatening demeanor that makes him such a great foil to Hiro’s rough-and-tumble attitude.
The relationship between Baymax and Hiro gives Big Hero 6 its real flavor, with Baymax acting as both the comedic anchor and the film’s empathic best friend. And though Hiro and Baymax start out as any typical odd couple, the camaraderie between the two develops in fine form towards the film’s emotional end.
Unfortunately, the road there isn’t as particularly inspired. Despite the many highs in Big Hero 6, it is punctuated with just as many lows. It settles for predictability instead of originality, and plays its story safe instead of sincere. That may seem like harsh criticism for a kid’s movie, but when films like the surprisingly poignant How to Train Your Dragon or the cleverly refreshing The Incredibles help raise the bar for animated features, it’s only expected that a film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios would aspire to achieve the same quality.
Stylish but safe
Big Hero 6 is practically bursting at the seams with interesting ideas. Unfortunately, it’s held back by a need to adhere to a tried and tested formula. Despite all the cartoonish charm provided by Hiro, Baymax and the rest of the Big Hero 6 team, the film just doesn’t go far enough to maximize any of it.
It’s no surprise that Disney has high hopes for Big Hero 6. By the end of the film, it becomes fairly obvious that the mouse house has plans to expand the franchise with the inevitable marching band of toys, shirts, sequels and televisions spinoffs. And though the film suffers from a lack of originality, Disney could do worse than have Baymax as the newest addition to their growing portfolio of cute characters.
For younger audiences, Big Hero 6 is a delightfully entertaining post-Halloween treat. It’s a well-salted bag of popcorn cinema, and provides a good number of laughs as well as the occasional tear.
But while the franchise has a lot of room to grow in the coming years, this first outing feels more safe than satisfying. Hopefully, Hiro and Baymax find themselves in more inspired adventures in the future. – Rappler.com
Zig Marasigan is a freelance screenwriter and director who believes that cinema is the cure for cancer. Follow him on Twitter at @zigmarasigan.
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