Big Hero 6 (2014) review

In the 90’s, Disney’s Animation Studio experienced their ‘Renaissance’ era, a decade which saw the release of some of their greatest films of all time like ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘The Little Mermaid’ (which was technically released in 1989), and my personal favorite, ‘The Lion King’. After that, the studio sort of went into a bit of a decline, even deciding to stop producing traditionally animated films at one point due to the rise in computer animation. Now while I will argue that there are some ‘diamonds in the rough’, like ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ and ‘Treasure Planet’, for the most part the Disney films of the early 2000’s are viewed as some of their lesser works. However, it seems like the studio is in the midst of what can be described as their second Renaissance as they’ve really been dishing out some truly excellent animated films recently, including 2012’s ‘Wreck-it Ralph’ and of course last year’s $1.2 billion grossing, two-time Oscar winning smash hit, ‘Frozen’, which I can easily say was the best film that Disney had made in quite some time. For their next film, ‘Big Hero 6’, Disney takes advantage of one of their recent acquirements; Marvel Comics, which they bought in 2009, now serving as the distributor for Marvel’s main film studio. Though strangely, the fact that this is based off of a Marvel comic has not really been focused on at all in the marketing. Regardless, Disney succeeds in giving us yet another excellent animated film that ultimately can best be described as being similar to what the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are like; loads of fun.

In the futuristic metropolis of San Fransokyo, 14-year old robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) dreams of being accepted into the prestigious university that his brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) currently goes to. With Tadashi’s help, Hiro develops a series of telepathically-controlled microbots in order to try and gain an invitation to the university, which he does manage to get. However, on the day he shows off his new invention, Tadashi ends up dying in a fire, and resulting explosion, at the university. Sometime after this, Hiro discovers that the microbots, which were thought to have been destroyed in the accident, are now being developed by a mysterious man in a kabuki mask. Looking to catch this mysterious person who ‘stole’ his idea, and who may also be responsible for the death of Tadashi, Hiro and his brother’s invention, a personal healthcare robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit), form a team of superheroes consisting of themselves and his brother’s friends; adrenaline junkie GoGo (Jamie Chung), chemistry whiz Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez), laser-cutting expert Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), and comic-book fan Fred (T.J. Miller) in order to find this mysterious man.

Whereas ‘Frozen’ was a return to the old-school Disney musical, ‘Big Hero 6’, as you might expect given that it’s a Marvel property, feels very much like one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, albeit in animated form of course. It’s more action-oriented than something like ‘Frozen’ and the action in this film is truly excellent thanks of course to the one thing you can always expect from Disney; great animation, with plenty of eye-popping visuals that both kids and adults will no doubt love. This film maintains the same ‘fun-loving’ tone that their ‘cousins’, the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, have and as I’ve said before, that’s one of the best things about those films in general is that while they do have their more serious moments, they’re not all serious. But like many of Disney’s greatest films, this will also no doubt appeal to adults because the visuals are backed up by solid writing and the film does hit the right emotional beats at just the right moments, with some legitimately emotional scenes, specifically when Hiro grieves over the loss of his brother and a key action near the end that of course I won’t dare spoil here. But once you see this film, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

But of course, this film’s writing wouldn’t been as good had it not had good characters, and this film does have great characters. The relationship between Hiro and Baymax is the heart of the movie and while the character of Tadashi isn’t in the movie for very long, you can definitely sense a real brotherly relationship between him and Hiro. Hiro is a likable lead and Baymax… let’s face it, is the biggest standout character of the film. It’s just impossible not to like this character who has what could kind of be described as almost like a childlike innocence at times along with his devotion to help his people. The other members of ‘Big Hero 6’ are also really great as well, with each of the other four main characters getting their own chance to shine in the film. As for the main villain, whose identity I will not spoil, it’s a neat little twist as to who it turns out to be and overall it does make sense from a story perspective. It is admittedly better than the villains from ‘Frozen’, who were actually rather weak. However, with that film, I didn’t really view it as that big of a problem just because the other characters were excellent and the story was well-written and had a lot of heart which I felt at least managed to hide the fact that it had some rather lackluster villains. Had the villain in this been weak, it would’ve been the same effect; everything else around it is so good that it wouldn’t have been that big of a problem.

It’s safe to say that Disney Animation is in its second Renaissance thanks to films like ‘Wreck-it-Ralph’, ‘Frozen’, and now ‘Big Hero 6’. Taking full advantage of their acquirement of Marvel Comics, Disney delivers a film that very much feels like an animated version of one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. It’s loads of fun, has plenty of eye-popping visuals, and features a great cast of lead characters. Not only that, but the film also has the right amount of heart that you would expect from the studio behind such classics as ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘The Lion King’. I’ve heard some people already starting to compare this film to ‘Frozen’, some saying that this isn’t really as good as ‘Frozen’ while others actually favor this over ‘Frozen’. However, I’m not going to do that here, not just because I’ve only seen ‘Big Hero 6’ once (I usually wait until I see a film twice before I start attempting to ‘compare’ films) but ultimately because both films are entirely different. ‘Frozen’ is a musical while ‘Big Hero 6’ is the animated equivalent of the MCU films and I feel that it’s actually rather unfair to compare two films that really aren’t that similar. Regardless, both films are fantastic, showcasing the fact that Disney Animation has once again proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with in animation.

Rating: 4.5/5

Wreck-it Ralph (2012) review

 

Disney's latest animated feature, Wreck-it Ralph, is a film that is tailor-made for a certain crowd, and I am of course referring to the gamer crowd. It's a good thing too because since the 90's, gamers have never really gotten a great film based off one of their favorite video games. So, Disney goes for a mix between Toy Story and Who Framed Roger Rabbit by going for an original story that pays homage to games new and old of every genre, from the first-person shooters like Halo and Call of Duty to the kid-friendly games like Mario Kart to the old-school arcade classics like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man. Needless to say, this movie surely delivers on creating a unique universe and it can appeal to all audiences, even those who are not part of the gamer crowd. The end result is one of the best animated films of the year, if not the best.

The film follows the titular Wreck-it Ralph (John C. Reilly), the villain of a 'Donkey Kong' like arcade game, Fix it Felix Jr. Having been in the same role for thirty years, Ralph yearns to be the good guy for once like the hero of his game, Fix it Felix (Jack McBrayer), who is respected by the characters of Fix it Felix Jr., while Ralph is always shunned for just being 'the bad guy who wrecks the building'. Hoping to change his reputation, Ralph leaves the comforts of his game behind and heads out to explore new games, including the first-person shooter 'Hero's Duty' and the candy-coated racer 'Sugar Rush'. While there, he befriends Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a glitchy character who, like Ralph, is shunned by her fellow characters and the two of them strive to turn their luck around. However, Ralph's antics spell trouble for not only the world of Fix it Felix Jr., but the entire arcade as well.

Sure, Wreck-it Ralph's plot is your basic tale of a main character trying to find his place in the world, but the way Disney handles it here is unlike anything we have ever seen before. This is not just some film where certain video game icons show up for brief cameos, though of course there are plenty in this film. You become immersed in this universe as you learn the ins and outs of what it's like for video game characters in an arcade. They travel to other games each night when the arcade closes by way of a 'Game Central Station', which takes them to their respected games through each game's power cord. All of the bad guys regularly meet up in the home of the ghosts from Pac-Man for a support group. Of course, we also have some great references to both old-school and modern games that I don't even want to talk about here because they are so good that I recommend that you see them for yourself.

So how does this movie appeal to any non-gamer, you ask? Well, this is a Disney film so of course it has a great message behind it of appreciating yourself for who you are. The animation is terrific as the filmmakers utilize the many genres of games, old and new, to their advantage. There are cool homages to old-school games and we see the contrast between old and new. Of course, the whole world of Sugar Rush features some great eye candy. The voice acting is also very solid, as John C. Reilly does a great job in the role of Ralph, making him very likable even if he's the villain. Sarah Silverman's character admittedly first comes off as rather annoying, but as the film went on, this wasn't as big of an issue. We also have great turns from Jack McBrayer as the truly 'good guy' Felix and Jane Lynch as the tough-as-nails commander of 'Hero's Duty'.

Probably my only real complaint of the movie is that it could have done just a little more when it came to exploring this gaming universe. For the majority of the film, we are mainly confined to three worlds; Fix-it Felix Jr., Hero's Duty, and Sugar Rush. Once Ralph enters the land of Sugar Rush, that's where he remains until the end of the film. Now I understand why they stay in this land, because the character of Vanellope is a glitch and she cannot leave her game because of it. For the record, I'm not saying that this is an entirely bad thing because it does give the animation an opportunity to shine. But considering the massive potential that this film presents through the universe it creates, it feels like the filmmakers could have done just a little bit more to take this film to the next level (no pun intended). Still, what they have done here is nothing short of incredible.

That is why I feel this film has vast amounts of material that could very much result in a franchise. I want to see them explore this universe even further. Maybe we can see what it is like for any of the characters from home console or handheld video games. Maybe we can actually see some more famous licensed characters like Mario and Luigi or Link. Still, for what we got here, Wreck-it Ralph is one of the most entertaining films of the year, as well as one of the year's best animated films. Like any great Disney film, it's one that anybody can enjoy, even if you aren't a gamer. Of course if you are one, this is a must-see that truly does the gaming community justice.

 

Rating: 4.5/5