Operação Big Hero

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.

I did read before I went to see this movie that Disney would be testing some adult subjects, like the loss of somebody. Without putting out some spoilers, I might say that the movie really touched my boys. I have two boys in the age 6-9, and both of them had both laughter and tears during the movie.

It is a great action, comedy, drama package. Both my sons fell in love with Baymax, and if he where standing outside the cinema when we left he would have been given a big hug for sure.

The storyline is good, and as a father I had quite a few laughs myself and managed to stay awake for the whole movie. Many times going to the movie with your kids can be a snooze-fest, but this one actually entertained me as well.

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 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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I have always loved animated films, whether they be by Walt Disney, DreamWorks, Marvel, Miyazaki or any other storytellers out there, but of late I haven't enjoyed the anime style and artwork that has been delivered. Personally I thought Frozen was so over rated, sure there was a couple of good tunes, cool, characters, interesting storyline, but it lacked that special something Mr. Disney and his crew always managed in years gone by to bring out in me. Don't get me wrong I do really like frozen but nowhere near as much as I am supposed to according to everyone else on the planet. I'm not sure what it is that I love about animated films or where the love developed from but I find myself far more attracted to them in my later years than I ever did in my earlier life. So when I heard about Big Hero 6 and the fact that both Disney and Marvel were collaborating together I pretty much had instant tingles, my expectations without seeing a single thing went higher than any film I have anticipated before. What the hell was Big Hero 6 and why hadn't I heard of it up until now?!? Why did I ever stop reading the comics!?!?

Hiro Hamada is a young 14 year old boy genius who knows how to make things work, he loves his gadgets and robots. Hiro lives in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo with his brother Tadashi and his aunt who has taken the boys in after the loss of their parents when Hiro was three years old. Hiro spends most of his days creating and then destroying robots in underground robot battles for cash, the robots he creates devastate the competition without any mercy. After being arrested for attending one of these illegal battles Tadashi on the promise of taking Hiro to another back alley for another fight detours to his university where Hiro discovers that the genius gene doesn't fall far from the tree at all. Tadeshi introduces Hiro to his five Uni friends who each are working on their own scientific breakthroughs. Wasabi, Go Go, Honey Lemon, and Fred. Tadeshi then shows Hiro his latest work, a personal walking talking health specialist named Baymax who can cure all with his sweet soft tones and loving temperament. Hiro instantly loves what he sees within the university and decides he must attend. To get into the university the heads of the campus hold a special talent show where potential applicants can show their work and hopefully the university board are convinced enough to sign up the entrants giving them a scholarship to attend. Hiro creates a way to revolutionise life as we know it and wins his way into the university to the joy of everyone. While celebrating and getting ready to leave a tragedy strikes the university and Hiro loses far more than his exciting new project. With the help of his new five friends from the Uni Hiro reinvents Baymax and together the team of 6 become heroes ready to find the truth to what really happened…

I thought this film had it all, I loved it from its beginning to its after credits surprise. I laughed pretty much all the way though, Baymax really grabs hold of you by your heart strings, you can't help but fall in absolute love with him. The way the animators make him move and react is adorable and will definitely keep you smiling throughout. The animation is outstanding and deserves so much applause, everything from the 3D art work to the colour to the rendering is perfect, there is nothing to pick at here in the way the film is made. The voice acting isn't any different either, the directors Don Hall and Chris Williams have chosen an amazing cast and all do a fantastic job for their individual characters as well as their group dynamics, with a couple of recognizable voices amongst the fray as well you will totally love everyone. Staring the voice talents of Scott Adsit as Baymax, Ryan Potter as Hiro, Daniel Henney as Tadashi, T.J. Miller as Fred, Jamie Chung as Go, Damon Wayans Jr. as Wasabi, Genesis Rodriguez as Honey Lemon, James Cromwell as Robert Callaghan and Alan Tudyk as Alistair Krei. It's a film that really surpassed all my expectations and hopefully will do the same for you. If I had to pick on one thing the story was a little weak and predictable but not enough to concern anyone, you will still thoroughly enjoy every second of Big Hero 6.

Big Hero 6 is a compassionate feel good loving caring and fun time adventure you're entire family will love. Get your popcorn ready and fall in love with Baymax.