Big Hero 6 Review

            Many of Marvel’s lesser-known comics have been turned into surprisingly good movies in recent years. Since Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment, it was only a matter of time before they tried to make a hit animated feature out of a lesser-known Marvel comic. Big Hero 6 definitely gives us that. The film has a hero named Hiro (Ryan Potter). He’s a 14-year-old genius orphan boy who lives in the fictional city of San Fransokyo with his Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph) and older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney). Tadashi tries to convince Hiro to give up the life of illegally betting on robot fights so that Hiro can put his intelligence to good use at the local technology institute.

            Tadashi’s fellow quirky college geeks, Fred (T.J. Miller), GoGo (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), and Honey Lemon (Génesis Rodríguez) inspire Hero to apply for admittance to the institute by presenting an invention. He invents microbots, thousands of tiny robots controlled by a transmitter he wears on his head; the microbots come together to form any shape he thinks in his mind. The microbots impress the institute’s representative, Professor Callahan (James Cromwell), who discourages Hero from selling them to a technological competitor, Krei (Alan Tudyk).  The building containing all but one microbot catches fire. Tadashi runs in to save Callahan, but ends up getting killed.

            Hiro is devastated, but is comforted by Baymax (Scott Adsit), an inflatable robot Tadashi invented as a healthcare provider. They notice that the one remaining microbot is acting like a magnet. They use it as a compass, which leads them to a building where microbots are being mass-produced. A man in a mask is controlling them and uses them to attack Hiro. This man obviously stole the microbots and set the fire to cover his tracks. Hiro and Baymax meet Fred, GoGo, Wasabi, and Honey Lemon while running away. They join forces to fight against the masked man. Hiro trains them in fighting techniques and develops inventions that help them. They victoriously become a team of superheroes.

Big Hero 6 gives us a very good blend of Disney and Marvel. The Disney touch should help this one stand out from other Marvel superhero movies. It has an equal amount of exciting action, great humor, and emotional depth. You can tell that the filmmakers took a lot of inspiration from The Incredibles. The animation quality has certainly come a long way since then. The film’s flaws are minor and easy to overlook. I can’t believe it’s taken me over two months to see this movie, but it was worth the wait. Whether you’re a Disney fan or a Marvel fan, you’ll find Big Hero 6 a lot of fun. Make sure you stick around for a scene after the credits. (Most Disney and Marvel movies have one.)

Rating: 8/10