Big Hero 6 gives its audience everything you would expect from a Marvel/Disney crossover; the loveable and, at times, corny nature of Disney, fused with the action-packed PG violence of Marvel.
14-year-old technology obsessed Hiro (voiced by Ryan Potter), having already finished high school, is a bona fide child prodigy. However, all of his genius, and time, is spent on building and illegally fighting robots in the back-alley clubs of San Fransokyo, the mash-up city dreamt up by Marvel.
Concerned he is wasting his potential, his older brother, Tadashi (voiced by Daniel Henney), inspires him to enrol at his tech-college, The San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. Enter Baymax… the giant, loveable, squishy, medical-marshmallow of a robot, designed by Tadashi, whose sole purpose is to heal you until it hears, “I am satisfied with my care.”
Thanks to his incessant need to help, Baymax leads Hiro on a wild chase, discovering that someone has stolen the technology he invented. Aided by a whacky mismatch group of concerned peers from engineering school, Hiro embarks on a journey of vengeance, at times almost becoming the villain himself, only to discover that he must face his inner demons and learn to adopt Baymax’s philosophy of love and compassion.
This unconventional tale of love and betrayal conveys a wonderful message for both children and adults. Whilst remaining very much tech-orientated, the movie seems set out to not only inspire children to be excited about science and engineering, but to pursue becoming more enlightened people. Fusing action with an educational message is no easy task, but working in tandem, Disney and Marvel’s studios seem to have found the perfect balance.
Kids will leave the cinema hyped about science and eager to learn robotics, and may also have learned the value of doing what’s right for the greater good. There is also, as with most Disney movies, a strong message of anti-greed and anti-big-corporation as Hiro’s brilliant invention is sort after by the ill-intended corporate giant.
This film is the epitome of a safe PG. The violence is never bloody and the heroes’ intentions are only to capture the bad guy, and not to hurt him. There is even one hysterical scene in which Baymax is running low on battery and takes on the characteristics of a drunken dad, that will have adults roaring with laughter and kids thoroughly entertained.
Big Hero 6 is the perfect cinema experience to kick off 2015 – recommended for parents who are looking for a brilliantly constructed and visually striking movie for the whole family. This triumph from Disney and Marvel will no doubt enthral kids across the UK when it hits our shores on January 30th. “I am satisfied with my care…”
