Big Hero 6 (2014)

Hiro (Ryan Potter) is a thirteen year old robotics genius, who lives with his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) and their Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph) in the city of San Fransokyo, since their parents died when Hiro was only three.

Encouraged by his older brother, Hiro applies to university to study robotics, having completed his secondary education the previous year. He meets Tadashi’s classmates, Fred (T. J. Miller), Go Go (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez).

He also meets Baymax (Scott Adsit), Tadashi’s robotics project: a healthcare robot who looks a little like a marshmallow with limbs.

While presenting his work to the faculty, including Professor Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell), Hiro is accepted into the course, to start immediately. Another tech giant, Alistair Krei (Alan Tudyk) wishes to purchase the nanotechnology Hiro has developed, but Hiro refuses.

Later that night, after the entire building is engulfed in flames, Tadashi runs back inside to save the professor, and both of them tragically perish.

Hiro becomes increasingly isolated and depressed, until Baymax is reawakened and helps Hiro on an adventure to come out of his shell. It seems someone has stolen Hiro’s mini-robots, and is using them to wreak havoc on the city.

Now it is up to Hiro, Baymax and Tadashi’s classmates to come together and save the day.

The screenplay, by Jordan Roberts, Robert L. Baird & Daniel Gerson is fantastic. I particularly love the character of Baymax, whose innocence and naivete provides much of the film’s humour, and certainly all of its heart. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the film, which provide plenty of enjoyment and a fair amount of surprises for the audience.

Henry Jackman’s score is also fantastic, serving the visuals of the animation perfectly, and balancing the high-intensity action sequences with the slower, more tender moments with just the right amount of subtlety.

I know I say this a lot when reviewing animated films, but the voice cast are so well matched to their respective roles here. Again, I want to make particular mention of Scott Adsit, who voices the loveable robot Baymax; his delivery of the lines is just right throughout.

There is also a great cameo from the great Stan Lee, though you will have to sit through the end credits to see it (as it is from a post-credits scene). But it is definitely worth the wait, particularly given all that has happened in the film before it.

Directors Don Hill and Chris Williams have made a beautiful and funny film here, that has plenty of heart, and an important message about what truly makes a family (and it isn’t just DNA or genetics). I would thoroughly recommend this film to anyone who hasn’t seen it. But even if you have seen it, would it really be so bad to watch it again?

8 out of 10.