I am an admitted Disneyphile, and I’ve been accused of being a little biased, but when it comes to Big Hero 6, all I can say is, “They’ve done it again.”
Disney’s 54th Animated Feature is not what you expect!
It is based on a Marvel story, but it is not your typical superhero movie. The main characters are a 14-year-old robotics genius and an inflatable “health companion” named Baymax. Nothing is what you expect (and of course I will not include any spoilers here) – I certainly didn’t expect Disney to make uber-nerds look so cool! As the parent of a developing uber-nerd (possibly 2), I think that was my favorite part of the movie. However, it wasn’t a “stay-in-school” preachy message, it seemed to me to be a very heartfelt homage to the super-smart folks who make the world go ’round.
While it won’t reach the fever frenzy of Frozen (nothing will for many years, I predict), Big Hero 6 is definitely a hit. And like Frozen, it is a cross-gender hit – boys loved Frozen (a little unexpectedly), and girls love BH6. I was recently in my favorite store when a group of 4- to 10-year-old girls came in, and the squealing when they saw Baymax rivaled a Taylor Swift concert. And also like Frozen, there are so many layers to the movie, appealing to every age, that it was fun for the adults in the audience, too, who outnumbered the kids at the showing we saw.
Hiro, the hero of the film, and his health companion Baymax, in “armor-up” mode.
Treat yourself this holiday weekend and check out Hiro and Baymax’s adventure. Then let me know that you think! Oh, and don’t bother seeing it in 3-D; you won’t lose any visuals (which are stunning!) in the 2-D version.
