Big Hero 6 is the first Disney animated film to feature Marvel Comics characters, whose parent company was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2009.[8] Walt Disney Animation Studios created new software technology to produce the film's animated visuals.[1][9]
Protagonist Hiro Hamada is a 14-year-old robotics genius who lives in the futuristic (fictional) city of San Fransokyo and spends his time participating in illegal robot fights. To redirect Hiro, his older brother Tadashi takes him to the robotics center at his university, where Hiro meets Tadashi's friends: GoGo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred, as well the healthcare robot Baymax that Tadashi created. To enroll in the school, Hiro presents microbots: swarms of tiny robots that can link together in any arrangement imaginable — to Professor Callaghan, the head of the school's robotics program. When a fire breaks out at the university, Tadashi rushes in to rescue Callaghan, but both are killed, and Hiro secludes himself. One day, Hiro accidentally activates Baymax, who follows one of his microbots to an abandoned warehouse. There, the two discover that someone has been mass-producing Hiro's microbots, and they are attacked by a masked man in control of them. To catch the man, Hiro equips Baymax with armor and a battle chip containing various Karate moves. After the masked man attacks Hiro, Baymax, GoGo, Wasabi, Honey, and Fred, the six form a superhero team, who discover a former laboratory of Krei Tech, a prestigious robotics company experimenting with teleportation technology until the disappearance of a test pilot, and identify the masked man as Professor Callaghan, who stole Hiro's bots to escape the fire. Realizing that Tadashi died in vain, Hiro removes Baymax's healthcare chip (leaving only the battle chip) and orders him to kill Callaghan. Baymax almost does so, but Honey re-installs the healthcare chip to stop him. To console Hiro, Baymax plays several humorous videos of Tadashi running tests during Baymax's development.
The group discovers that the vanished test pilot was Callaghan's daughter Abigail, and that Callaghan is seeking revenge on Krei, the president of Krei Tech, for his daughter's death. The team saves Krei and destroys the microbots; but the teleportation's portal remains active. Baymax detects Abigail inside, alive, and he and Hiro leap into the portal to rescue her. To ensure both Hiro and Abigail's safety, Baymax uses his armor's rocket fist to propel them back through the portal opening, and stays behind. Hiro and Abigail make it back, and Callaghan is arrested. Sometime later, Hiro discovers Baymax's healthcare chip (which contains his entire personality) clenched in his rocket fist, and rebuilds him, whereafter the six friends continue their exploits through the city, fulfilling Tadashi's hope of helping those in need.
During the end credits, it is shown through newspaper headlines that Hiro has been awarded a grant from the university and a building is dedicated to Tadashi. In a post-credits scene, Fred accidentally opens a secret door in his family mansion and finds superhero gear inside. His father, a retired superhero, arrives stating that they have a lot to talk about as they embrace.
Voice cast
Ryan Potter as Hiro Hamada, a 14-year-old robotics prodigy. Speaking of the character, co-director Don Hall said "Hiro is transitioning from boy to man, it's a tough time for a kid and some teenagers develop that inevitable snarkiness and jaded attitude. Luckily Ryan is a very likeable kid. So no matter what he did, he was able to take the edge off the character in a way that made him authentic, but appealing".[10][11][12]
Scott Adsit as Baymax, an inflatable robot built by Tadashi as a medical assistant. Hall said "Baymax views the world from one perspective — he just wants to help people, he sees Hiro as his patient". Producer Roy Conli said "The fact that his character is a robot limits how you can emote, but Scott was hilarious. He took those boundaries and was able to shape the language in a way that makes you feel Baymax's emotion and sense of humor. Scott was able to relay just how much Baymax cares".[10][11][13]
T.J. Miller as Fred, a comic-book fan who also plays the mascot at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. Speaking of Miller, Williams said "He's a real student of comedy. There are a lot of layers to his performance, so Fred ended up becoming a richer character than anyone expected", both literally and metaphorically.[10][11][14][15]
Jamie Chung as GoGo, a tough, athletic student. Hall said "She's definitely a woman of few words. We looked at bicycle messengers as inspiration for her character".[10][11][16][17][18]
Damon Wayans, Jr. as Wasabi, a smart, slightly neurotic youth. On the character, co-director Chris Williams said "He's actually the most conservative, cautious—he [sic] the most normal among a group of brazen characters. So he really grounds the movie in the second act and becomes, in a way, the voice of the audience and points out that what they're doing is crazy".[10][11][19]
Génesis Rodríguez as Honey Lemon, a chemistry enthusiast at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. Williams said "She's a glass-is-half-full kind of person. But she has this mad-scientist quality with a twinkle in her eye — there's more to Honey than it seems".[10][11][20]
James Cromwell as Professor Robert Callaghan, the head of a robotics program at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.[11][21] His supervillain alter ego is named Yokai, according to film merchandising.[22]
Daniel Henney as Tadashi Hamada, Hiro's older brother and Baymax's creator. On Hiro and Tadashi's relationship, Conli said "We really wanted them to be brothers first. Tadashi is a smart mentor. He very subtly introduces Hiro to his friends and what they do at San Fransokyo Tech. Once Hiro sees Wasabi, Honey, GoGo, and even Fred in action, he realizes that there's a much bigger world out there than [sic] really interests him".[11][12][21]
After Disney's acquisition of Marvel Entertainment in 2009, CEO Bob Iger encouraged the company's divisions to explore Marvel's properties for adaptation concepts.[26] By deliberately picking an obscure title, it would give them the freedom to come up with their own version.[27] While co-directing Winnie the Pooh, director Don Hall was scrolling through a Marvel database when he stumbled upon Big Hero 6, a comic he had never heard of before. "I just liked the title," he said. He pitched the concept to John Lasseter in 2011, as one of five ideas[28] for possible productions for Walt Disney Animation Studios, and this particular idea "struck a chord" with Lasseter, Hall, and Chris Williams.[29][30][31] In June 2012, Disney confirmed that Walt Disney Animation Studios was adapting Marvel Comics' series and that the film had been commissioned into early stages of development.[32][33] Because they wanted the concept to feel new and fresh, head of story Paul Briggs (who also voiced Yama in the film[34]) only read a few issues of the comic, while screenwriter Robert Baird admitted he had not read the comic at all.[35]
Big Hero 6 was produced solely by Walt Disney Animation Studios,[36] although several members of Marvel's creative team were involved in the film's production including Joe Quesada, Marvel's chief creative officer, and Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel Television.[37][38] According to an interview with Axel Alonso by CBR,[39] Marvel did not have any plans to publish a tie-in comic.[40] Disney planned to reprint the Marvel version of Big Hero 6 themselves, but reportedly Marvel disagreed. They eventually came to agreement that Yen Press would publish the Japanese manga version of Big Hero 6 for Disney.[41] Conversely, Lasseter dismissed the idea of a rift between the two companies, and producer Roy Conli stated that Marvel allowed Disney "complete freedom in structuring the story."[42][43] Disney Animation Studio President Andrew Millstein stated "Hero is one example of what we’ve learned over the years and our embracing some of the Pixar DNA." [44] Regarding the film's story, Quesada stated, "The relationship between Hiro and his robot has a very Disney flavor to it...but it's combined with these Marvel heroic arcs."[29] The production team decided early on not to connect the film to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and set it in a stand-alone universe instead.[45]
With respect to the design of Baymax, Hall mentioned in an interview, "I wanted a robot that we had never seen before and something to be wholly original. That's a tough thing to do, we've got a lot of robots in pop culture, everything from The Terminator to WALL-E to C-3PO on down the line and not to mention Japanese robots, I won't go into that. So I wanted to do something original." Even if they did not yet know what the robot should look like, artist Lisa Keene came up with the idea that it should be a huggable robot.[46] Early on in the development process, Hall and the design team took a research trip to Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, where they met a team of DARPA-funded[47] researchers who were pioneering the new field of 'soft robotics' using inflatable vinyl,[48][49] which ultimately inspired Baymax's inflatable, vinyl, truly huggable design.[50][51][52] Hall stated that "I met a researcher who was working on soft robots. ... It was an inflatable vinyl arm and the practical app would be in the health care industry as a nurse or doctor's assistant. He had me at vinyl. This particular researcher went into this long pitch but the minute he showed me that inflatable arm, I knew we had our huggable robot."[53] Hall stated that the technology "will have potential probably in the medical industry in the future, making robots that are very pliable and gentle and not going to hurt people when they pick them up." Hall mentioned that achieving a unique look for the mechanical armor took some time and "just trying to get something that felt like the personality of the character." Co-director Williams stated, "A big part of the design challenge is when he puts on the armor you want to feel that he's a very powerful intimidating presence...at the same time, design-wise he has to relate to the really adorable simple vinyl robot underneath."[54] Baymax's face design was inspired by a copper suzu bell that Hall noticed while at a Shinto shrine.[55] According to Conli, Lasseter initially disliked Baymax's description (while low on battery power) of Hiro's cat as a "hairy baby," but Williams kept that line anyway, and at the film's first test screening, Lasseter admitted that Williams was correct.[56]
About ninety animators worked on the film at one point or another; some worked on the project for as long as two years.[57] In terms of the film's animation style and settings, the film combines Eastern world culture (predominantly Japanese) with Western world culture (predominantly California).[58] In May 2013, Disney released concept art and rendered footage of San Fransokyo from the film.[59] San Fransokyo, the futuristic mashup of San Francisco and Tokyo, was described by Hall as "an alternate version of San Francisco. Most of the technology is advanced, but much of it feels retro ... Where Hiro lives, it feels like the Haight. I love the Painted ladies. We gave them a Japanese makeover; we put a cafe on the bottom of one. They live above a coffee shop." According to production designer Paul Felix, "The topography is exaggerated because what we do is caricature, I think the hills are 1½ times exaggerated. I don't think you could really walk up them ... When you get to the downtown area, that's when you get the most Tokyo-fied, that pure, layered, dense kind of feeling of the commercial district there. When you get out of there, it becomes more San Francisco with the Japanese aesthetic. ... (It's a bit like) Blade Runner, but contained to a few square blocks. You see the skyscrapers contrasted with the hills."[60] The reason why Disney wanted to merge Tokyo (which is where the comic book version takes place) with San Francisco was partly because San Francisco had not been used by Marvel before, partly because of all the city's iconic aspects, and partly because they felt its aesthetics would blend well with Tokyo.[35] The filmmakers' idea was that San Fransokyo is based in a parallel universe in which San Francisco was largely rebuilt by Japanese immigrants in the aftermath of the devastating 1906 earthquake, although this premise is never actually stated in the film.[61] To create San Fransokyo as a detailed digital simulation of an entire city, Disney purchased the actual assessor data for the entire city and county of San Francisco.[57] The final city contains over 83,000 buildings and 100,000 vehicles.[57]
A software program called Denizen was used to create over 700 distinctive characters[57] that populate the city,[62] another one named Bonzai was responsible for the creation of the city's 250,000 trees,[63] while a new rendering system called Hyperion offered new illumination possibilities, like light shining through a translucent object (i.e., Baymax's vinyl covering).[64] Development on Hyperion started in 2011 and was based upon research into multi-bounce complex global illumination originally conducted at Disney Research in Zürich.[57] Disney in turn had to assemble a new supercomputing cluster just to handle Hyperion's immense processing demands, which consists of over 2,300 Linux workstations distributed across four data centers (three in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco).[57] Each workstation, as of 2014, included a pair of 2.4 GHz Intel Xeon processors, 256 GB of memory, and a pair of 300 GB solid-state drives configured as a RAID Level 0 array (i.e., to operate as a single 600 GB drive).[57] This was all backed by a central storage system with a capacity of five petabytes, which holds all digital assets as well as archival copies of all 54 Disney Animation films.[57]Pixar's RenderMan was considered as a "Plan B" for the film's rendering, if Hyperion was not able to meet production deadlines.[9]
Release
Big Hero 6premiered on October 23, 2014 as the opening film at the Tokyo International Film Festival.[65] The world premiere of Big Hero 6 in 3D took place at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on October 31, 2014.[66] It was theatrically released in the United States on November 7, 2014[67] with limited IMAX international showings.[68] Theatrically, the film was accompanied by the Walt Disney Animation Studios short, Feast.[69]
For the South Korean release of the film, it was retitled "Big Hero" to avoid the impression of being a sequel, and edited to remove indications of the characters' Japanese origin, owing to the tense relations between Korea and Japan. For instance, the protagonist's name, Hiro Hamada, was changed to "Hero Armada," and Japanese-language signage onscreen was changed to English. Nonetheless, the film caused some online controversy in South Korea because of small images resembling the Rising Sun Flag in the protagonist's room.[70]
The film was released in China on February 28, 2015.[71]
Home media
Big Hero 6 was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-ray and DVD on February 24, 2015. Blu-ray bonus features include the theatrical short Feast, the featurettes "The Origin Story of Big Hero 6: Hiro's Journey", "Big Hero Secrets" and "Big Animator 6: The Characters Behind the Characters", deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer.[72][73]
In the U.S. and Canada, the film is the second highest-grossing science fiction animated film (behind WALL-E),[77] the second highest-grossing animated superhero comedy film (behind The Incredibles),[78] and the second highest-grossing Disney animated film (behind Frozen).[79] The film earned $1.4 million from Thursday late night showings which is higher than the previews earned by Frozen ($1.2 million) and The Lego Movie ($400,000).[80][81] In its opening day on November 7, the film earned $15.8 million, debuting at number two behind Interstellar ($16.9 million).[82][83]Big Hero 6 topped the box office in its opening weekend, earning $56.2 million from 3,761 theatres at an average of $14,947 per theatre ahead of Interstellar ($47.5 million);[84][85] it is Walt Disney Animation Studios' second best opening behind Frozen ($67.4 million), both adjusted and unadjusted.[86][87][88][89]
On February 15, 2015, Big Hero 6 became the third-highest grossing Disney animated film in the U.S. and Canada, behind The Lion King and Frozen.[90][91]
Other territories
Two weeks ahead of its North American release, Big Hero 6 was released in Russia (earned $4.8 million) and Ukraine (earned $0.2 million) in two days (October 25–26).[92] The main reason behind the early release was in order to take advantage of the two weeks of school holidays in Russia. Jeff Bock, box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations, said: "For a two-day gross, that's huge. It's a giant number in Russia."[93] In its second weekend, the film added $4.8 million (up 1%) bringing its total nine days cumulative audience to $10.3 million in Russia and $10.9 including its revenue from Ukraine.[94]
In its opening weekend, the film earned $7.6 million from seventeen markets for a first weekend worldwide total of $79.2 million, which was behind Interstellar ($132.2 million).[95] It went to number one in the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.[96] Mexico opened with $4.8 million.[97][98] In Japan, where the film is locally known as Baymax, it opened at second place behind Yo-Kai Watch: Tanjō no Himitsu da Nyan!, with $5.3 million, which is the second biggest Disney opening in Japan behind Frozen.[99][100] and topped the box office for six consecutive weekends.[101] In the U.K., the film opened in second place with $6 million ($6.8 million including previews), which is 15 percent lower than Frozen.[102] In China, it opened at No. 1 with $14.8 million which is the biggest opening for a Disney and Pixar animated film (breaking Frozen's record)[103] and topped the box office for two consecutive weekends.[104]
The film became the highest grossing Disney animated film in Vietnam,[97] the second highest-grossing Disney animated film of all time in Russia[96] and in the Philippines (behind Toy Story 3).[97]
Critical response
Big Hero 6 has received widespread critical acclaim. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 89% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 184 reviews, with an average score of 7.3/10. The site's consensus states: "Agreeably entertaining and brilliantly animated, Big Hero 6 is briskly-paced, action-packed, and often touching."[105]Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 74 based on 38 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[106]
Michael O'Sullivan of Washington Post gave the film 3.5/4 stars, writing that "The real appeal of Big Hero 6 isn't its action. It's the central character's heart."[107] Maricar Estrella of Fort Worth Star-Telegram gave the film 5 stars, saying it "offers something for everyone: action, camaraderie, superheroes and villains. But mostly, Baymax offers a compassionate and healing voice for those suffering, and a hug that can be felt through the screen."[108]Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, stating, "The breakthrough star of the season is here. His name is Baymax and he's impossible not to love. The 3-D animated Big Hero 6 would be a ton less fun without this irresistible blob of roly-poly, robot charisma."[109] Kofi Outlaw of Screen Rant gave the film 4/5 stars or "excellent," explaining that "Big Hero 6 combines Disney wonder and charm with Marvel awe and action to deliver a film that exhibits the best of both studios."[110]Alonso Duralde of The Wrap gave the film a positive review, calling it "sweet and sharp and exciting and hilarious" and says that the film "comes to the rescue of what's become a dreaded movie trope — the origin story — and launches the superhero tale to pleasurable new heights."[111] Calvin Wilson of St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the film 3.5 of 4 stars, writing that "the storytelling is solid, propelled by characters that you come to care about. And that should make Big Hero 6 a big hit."[112]
Bill Goodykoontz of Arizona Republic gave the film a positive review, writing, "Directors Don Hall and Chris Williams have made a terrific movie about a boy (Ryan Potter) and his robot friend, who seek answers to a deadly tragedy," calling it an "unexpectedly good treat."[113] Soren Anderson of The Seattle Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, saying that "Clever, colorful, fast on its feet, frequently very funny and sweet (but not excessively so), Big Hero 6 mixes its myriad influences into a final product that, while in no way original, is immensely entertaining."[114] Michael Rechtshaffen of Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, saying that "the funny and heartwarming story about the bond between a teen tech geek and a gentle robot represents another can’t-miss proposition by Walt Disney Animation Studios."[115] Jon Niccum of Kansas City Star gave the film 3.5 out of four stars, writing that while it "may hit a few familiar beats inherent to any superhero “origin story,”" it is still "the best animated film of the year, supplying The Incredibles-size adventure with a level of emotional bonding not seen since The Iron Giant," and that it "never runs low on battery power."[116] Elizabeth Weitzman of The Daily News gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a "charming animated adventure," saying that with "appealing 3D animation" and a smart and "sharp story and script," it is "one of the rare family films that can fairly boast of having it all: humor, heart and huggability."[117] Rafer Guzmán from Newsday gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying that "Marvel plus Disney plus John Lasseter equals an enjoyable jumble of kid-approved action," with "rich, vivid colors and filled with clever details."[118]
Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Don Hall, Chris Williams, Roy Conli, Zach Parrish
Won
Outstanding Models in any Motion Media Project
Brett Achorn, Minh Duong, Scott Watanabe, Larry Wu
Won
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Ralf Habel, David Hutchins, Michael Kaschalk, Olun Riley
Won
Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Henrik Falt, David Hutchins, Michael Kaschalk, John Kosnik
Won
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Colin Eckart, John Kahwaty, Zach Parrish, Zack Petroc
Won
Soundtrack
Henry Jackman composed the score for the film.[126] The soundtrack features an original song titled "Immortals" written and recorded by American rock band Fall Out Boy, which was released by Walt Disney Records on October 14, 2014.[127][128] The soundtrack album was digitally released by Walt Disney Records on November 4, 2014, and had a CD release on November 24.[129] While not part of the soundtrack, a brief instrumental section of "Eye of the Tiger" plays in the film.[130]
Untitled
All music is composed by Henry Jackman (except "Immortals")
Vinyl toy company Funko released the first images of the toy figures via their Big Hero 6Funko.[131] The POP Vinyl series collection features Hiro Hamada, GoGo Tomago, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Fred, and a 6-inch Baymax.
On September 26, 2014, Bandai America Incorporated released their Big Hero 6 toy line including action figures, role play, and plush figures based on the animated film.
A Japanese manga adaptation of Big Hero 6 (which is titled Baymax (ベイマックス, Beimakkusu) in Japan), illustrated by Haruki Ueno, began serialization in Kodansha's Magazine Special from August 20, 2014. A prologue chapter was published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine on August 6, 2014.[132] According to the film's official Japanese website, the manga revealed plot details in Japan before anywhere else in the world.[133] The website also quoted the film's co-director Don Hall, to whom it referred as a manga fan, as saying that the film was Japanese-inspired.[133]Yen Press will publish the series in English.[134]
A video game based on the film titled Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay was released on October 28, 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS and DS.[135] Hiro and Baymax from the film are also available in Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes as playable Disney Originals characters in the Toy Box. There is also an app based on the film titled Big Hero 6: Bot Fight.[136][137]
Possible sequel
On February 18, 2015, the film's directors, Don Hall and Chris Williams, said a sequel could be possible.[138]
However, they stated:
"[Laughs] We’ll see. We just finished this one, and the truth is, we’re exhausted from the ordeal of making it. It was really fun, but it was long hours, and it was pretty intense. It’s a pretty emotional time for us. These are characters that we’ve grown to know very well, now it’s time to let go of them, and they’re going into the world without us. We’re in the middle of that phase. So we haven’t talked about or thought about any sequels or anything like that. Having said that, of course, we love these characters, and the thought of working with them again some day definitely has its appeal."
— Chris Williams
"John Lasseter is very supportive of the directors, and he won’t force them to put out a sequel unless they have a story that [sic] really excited about. It has to feel like a story that really has to be told, or deserves to be told. It can’t just be cashing in on the success of a previous film."
^"Big Hero 6 - Synopsis". Disney Studio Awards. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014. ((cite web)): Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^Aitoro, Jill R. (November 19, 2014). "DARPA goes Disney thanks to 'Big Hero 6'". Washington Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
^"Easy Does It". Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Retrieved October 23, 2014.
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