Monday 19 September 2016

Big Hero 6 (2014)



I thought about giving this film only a Qualified Recommendation, but then I realised that the only qualifications were "you don't have a thing against superheroes, animated films, or both".  And in a post Marvel Studios, post Pixar world, are there really that many curmudgeons left?  Particularly ones who will be reading some obscure, nerdy DVD reviews blog?

The film revolves around Hiro Hamada, an intellectually-brilliant 14 year old with a passion for robotics.  Because Disney hate parents, he is also an orphan.  Bored and a little alienated, Hiro's scornful of his elder brother Tadashi's hard-working, conscientious approach to life ... at least until he sees the awesome robotics laboratory in which Tadashi conducts his research, and meets Tadashi's current project: a 'personal healthcare' robot named Baymax.

Unfortunately, Hiro's efforts to be accepted into the laboratory program will set in motion a series of events that bring further tragedy into his life (it seems Disney hate parents so much that even surrogate father figures aren't safe), and ultimately come to threaten the entire city of San Fransokyo with devastation.

Big Hero 6 is based on an obscure Marvel Comics property, and features a whole passel of technology-based superhero shenanigans.  In that respect it reminds me quite a lot of the animated TV series Iron Man Armored Adventures, which features a teenage Tony Stark as its protagonist (and which will be reviewed here eventually).  Being a Disney-branded film though, it also delivers a lot of comedic sequences and emotional resonance.

This is a fine film with smooth animation, strong voice performances, and an engaging script.  Fun for the whole family, not just the young ones.

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