Grandes héroes

Big Hero 6 is not among the best that Disney has ever done and it isn't flawless. But it is still very good and one of their best easily since the Renaissance. It did feel a little rushed at times and felt like it tried to do a little too much in the storytelling, as a result some ideas that were introduced like the science-is-good message gets lost. If it slowed down and explored a little less areas it would have improved things. The villain felt underdeveloped and his reveal came over as very obvious and forced as well.

However, the animation is outstanding with lots of rich colours and textures, backgrounds that are incredibly detailed and sweet(but not in a cloying way) character designs. One of the best-looking recent Disney films definitely. The catchy and upbeat yet atmospheric and emotion-filled soundtrack and smart script are other things to like, as are the brisk(when not rushed) pacing and rousing if not exactly inventive action. While the story is not flawless, on the most part it's still a winner. Whatever originality it may lack, it more than compensates for that with fun and heart. There are plenty of funny moments(i.e. Stan Lee), and of the laugh-out-loud witty kind and even better is the emotional impact Big Hero 6 has. The brother-brother relationship is handled very affectingly, like between Anna and Elsa in Frozen it was Disney trying to explore a different kind of relationship than they did before and it succeeds in that respect.

Sure Big Hero 6 sometimes takes a dark tone but not in a heavy or inappropriate way, there's no reason why anybody should be disturbed by that. The characters are not the most developed ones there ever were and as said more should have been done with the villain, but they're still engaging. Hiro is a very flawed but still likable main protagonist and his relationship between brother Tadashi is beautifully done. The most memorable character for me though was Baymax, he has to be one of Disney's most adorable characters, along with Maximus(Tangled) and Sven(Frozen) he has one of their cutest since the Renaissance. As well as being beautifully designed he displays a lot of laughs and a wide range of emotions, literally the film's heart and soul. The voice work from all(I just wish that James Cromwell had more to do) is very good, with particular mention going to Scott Adsit and his voice is a good match with Ryan Potter's deeply felt Hiro. All in all, not one of Disney's best but one of their better ones of the past 15 years. Haven't seen all the Best Animated Feature nominees but while this viewer did prefer How to Train Your Dragon 2 and the un-nominated Lego Movie they still felt that Big Hero 6 was still a good enough film to merit an Oscar nomination. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Honestly, I didn't have very high expectations for 'Big Hero 6', considering that I'm usually not a fan of Marvel's works, but I was gladly proved wrong.

Story wise, 'Big Hero 6' is rather formulaic and not too outstanding, but it's still very entertaining due to the way it balances all aspects. You have everything: drama that's not over the top but still touching, thrilling action, great comedy, and some okay twists. And more importantly, they all mix together perfectly, so you'll never get bored or frustrated, and at the same time, you will feel connected with the characters as they deal with some mature conflicts rarely seen in recent Disney products. A huge part of this accomplishment is thanks to the character Baymax. The guy is amazingly likable, steals every scene he's in, and has great contributions to every part of the movie. When the movie needs drama, he provides the sensitivity and cuteness, when it needs action, he's the coolest, and when it needs comedy, he's the funniest. His voice acting by Scott Adsit is also great as he sounds both emotional and cute, despite the robotic voice effects.

The rest of the characters, however, are hit and miss. Hiro is cool, and I like the way he deals with grief: quite mature and not excessive, though his voice doesn't sound like a 14-year-old. The other two boys in the group are okay because they tend to break away from stereotypes. But the others, including the main villains, are just cliché and forgettable.

Visually, 'Big Hero 6' is very stunning, mainly due to the lively San Fransokyo and the impressive effects. Personally, I find some of the action scenes in this to be the most cinematic and thrilling I've ever seen in animation. All of the camera movements, slow-motions, and lighting and explosion effects easily rival the best live-action blockbusters out there. Moreover, the characters' visual designs are also more imaginative than other recent Disney products'. This is especially true for Baymax, who is surprisingly expressive despite the minimalistic looks.

'Big Hero 6' is no masterpiece, and it may not be up to the standards of Pixar's classics or Dreamworks' 'How to Train Your Dragon', but nonetheless, it's still a greatly entertaining and well-made movie. I also love that it still leaves a lot open for the sequels as I now really look forward to them.

It didn't really hit me why I eagerly anticipate animated films each and every year, whether they be from high stakes studios like Pixar and Disney or low-key efforts from Blue Sky Animation or Rainmaker Entertainment. To me, every animated film is an opportunity to showcase different writing and directing talents, as animated studios rarely keep the same director for every single project. Sure you have directors like John Lasseter or Pete Docter that frequently direct films for certain studios, but often, you get a solid variety of films made by people you've never heard of and that provides for a film experience akin to watching a filmmaker's directorial debut.

I only noticed this when I reflected on the bulk of Disney's films at the turn of the decade, from the enjoyable "Tangled," to the joyous "Winnie the Pooh," the incredibly fun and, my personal favorite in years, "Wreck-It Ralph," and the beloved and cherished "Frozen," the studio has consistently churned out a wide variety of films from a barrage of talented people. Disney's latest, "Big Hero 6," as expected, is no exception; this is a briskly-paced and different film for the animation studio, as it adopts a structure more akin to the one we've seen Marvel take on in recent years, and creates a film from the ground up that keeps its morals in check and its checklist of adventures in mind every step of the way.

The film follows Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter), a fourteen-year-old technology prodigy from San Fransokyo, a city built and thriving on technological innovation. Hiro, despite having the intelligence and time to spend on debatably more significant projects, enjoys the concept and strategy of "bot fighting," or the act of two small robots dueling until ones destruction. Hiro is kept in line and motivated by the work of his older brother Tadashi Hamada (Daniel Henney), a skilled engineer, who has created a tubby white robot named "Baymax" (Scott Adsit), who is designed to monetize the healthcare system in America by providing non-threatening and responsive care upon hearing the expression "ow" from a person.

In the midst of all this, Hiro gets in contact with Professor Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell), a renowned technology guru who becomes attracted to the fourteen-year-old upon viewing a tutorial of his invention of "mircobots." Microbots" are tiny, metallic links that swarm and fit together to create whatever the human mind can imagine, proposing immense innovations and efficiency in architecture and transportation. However, after tragedy strikes, Hiro's motivation flatlines, and it's only him, Baymax, and a group of Tadashi's loyal workers that can stop a potential threat to technological and scientific evil.

When Hiro and his band of inventors band together to form a group of superheroes, "Big Hero 6″ easily could've opted for a sound and lights show, disregarding all the potential morals and ideas it laid so neatly on the table. However, despite a narrative structure that reminds us of the many Marvel superhero films we've seen this year, "Big Hero 6″ keeps key morals in place, some of which are understanding the differences between external and internal pain, as brought on by the presence of Baymax and how unprecedented scientific innovations can be used simultaneously for good and bad. We see all of these ideas pan out and develop over the course of the film's runtime and never does the film become too rushed or too simplified to the point where lofty morals are sacrificed for rock-em sock-em action; the balance is delicate and well worth commending.

On top of great, sound morals, "Big Hero 6″ instantly wins thanks to a cuddly and lovable hero, Baymax, who finds ways to charm with his straight-forward nature and his strive to make everyone around him comfortable. Baymax steals almost every scene he is in, and meshes quite well with the other characters, working germane to their characteristics and never undermining the true force of Hiro as a character. The film, in addition, is predictably gorgeous, with eye-popping colors and wonderfully animated surroundings, effectively delivering the aesthetics as well as the morals in a neatly-wrapped package. "Big Hero 6″ may not rank as highly as "Wreck-It Ralph," but seeing as it operates on a minefield of pitfalls and destructive forces, the fact it succeeds this well is a small miracle in itself.

Honestly, I put off watching this because I didn't feel like I would enjoy it so much. I was proved wrong. Right from the start, the fresh animation of this film along with the brilliant editing and voice acting had me engaged. Though the plot is pretty flat and for kids, the concept is pretty new (in that it hasn't been totally overdone), dealing in robotics which allowed them to show some cool stuff. But the story being from Disney, did have moments of it being 'too easy' as well as a few stock characters but it wasn't such a big deal. The story was told well, and wasn't cheesy or boring at all. The freshness of the voices and the animation really put this film together.

The connection between the voices and animation really showed on screen the chemistry between the characters, and this worked to gain the sympathy of the viewer's at certain scenes. I thought that was well done, the characters were developed well in relation to each other. And I know I keep saying this, but I just really like the animation, and the effects. Baymax is so cute, and the other character's have a kind of Asian feel to them. It's also quite cool how the animated characters almost always resemble the actors voicing them (I guess this is intentional).

However, watching the trailer again, I notice that they miss some of the scenes out. I mean if you put it in the trailer, you've got to put it in the film! I would've liked to have seen the scene with Baymax and the soccer ball.

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A little over a year after I took my granddaughter Catrin (then almost three) to her first ever movie "Frozen" (which she utterly adored), I took her (now just four) to see this very different film from the same stable (Walt Disney Animation Studios) and I'm delighted to record that she loved it. We saw it in IMAX in 3D and we were both blown away.

Although this time the central character is a young boy - Hiro Hamada of the city of San Fransokyo - rather than two princesses, my granddaughter had no trouble relating to it because Hiro is so cute, his inflatable robot Baymax is androgynous, and two of his four friends - making up the six heroes - are very capable girls.

I reckon that "Frozen" plus "Big Hero 6" - with a few films in between - will give her a lifelong love of the movies.