All Six of "Hiro's Heroes" Have Brains, Power, and Most Importantly, Soul

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 2014)

Basically a fusion of "Teen Titans", "The Incredibles", and one of those '60s Japanese cartoons featuring a boy and his giant robot ("Gigantor" comes to mind), Disney's Big Hero 6 (hereafter "BH6") is a large-scale, comic-book action extravaganza that is on a par with any other "superhero" movie. However, BH6 delivers far more than the usual slam-bang hero/villain battles. The movie illustrates and celebrates "geeky" creative, scientific, and technological intelligence and its valuable contributions to society. It cherishes familial, fraternal, and even mechanical relationships and friendships. BH6 also examines the unthinking, dangerous pursuit of violent vengeance. Most unexpectedly but reassuringly, the movie is spiritual and convinces us that even robots and machines have souls (in their case, chips).
First of all, BH6 shows that without purpose and guidance, even the greatest, genius intellect is wasted and useless. Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) is just that person. Gifted in robotics but aimless and unfocused, Hiro is content merely in pitting his creations against other miniature robots in illegal, underground fights. He usually wins, but is nearly apprehended in a police sting operation before his older brother Tadashi Hamada (voice of Daniel Henney) zips by on his motorbike to save him. Equally technologically adept, Tadashi has constantly berated the 14-year old Hiro for wasting his life and has constantly urged him to apply to the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology (SFIT), a scientific academy he attends. Tadashi's proudest achievement is a medical, health-care robot named Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit), a 7-foot tall white walking balloon figure that looks a little like Bib the Michelin Man or a man-sized Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, and sounds like HAL from "2001: A Space Odyssey". At the beginning, Baymax's sole function is healing and taking care of people, namely Hiro, who initially isn't too crazy about Baymax's protectiveness toward him.
After a little hesitation, Hiro, who's already graduated high school, agrees to put on a demonstration before the SFIT scientific faculty to show his credentials. His invention is microbots (nanobots) that work like computerized LEGO blocks that can instantly combine to form almost any object, animated or stationary, from buildings to huge moving hands. A mechanical headband controls the microbots' movements. The demanding SFIT Robotics Department Head Professor Robert Callaghan (voice of James Cromwell) is impressed and urges Hiro to apply. Tadashi had already introduced Hiro to his off-beat, nerdy, but accomplished robotics classmates: GoGo Tomago (voice of Jamie Chung), a brusque, stern, electromagnetics expert and extreme bicyclist, Wasabi (voice of Damon Wayans, Jr) a muscular but somewhat fastidious and cautious laser expert, Honey Lemon (voice of Genesis Rodriguez), an extroverted but sweet-natured chemist, and Fred, a happy-go-lucky (and surprisingly well-off) Valley Dude type who is a comic-book and dinosaur fanatic (and SFITs reptile mascot).
Tadashi's friends and the SFIT curriculum finally persuade Hiro to apply. However, the SFIT robotics lab is set afire with Professor Callaghan inside. Tadashi rushes in to save him. The lab explodes. Hiro is overcome with grief at the loss of his brother and he again goes off- course. Tadashi's friends, and the suspicion that Alistair Krei (voice of Alan Tudyk), the Krei industry magnate who unsuccessfully attempted to purchase Hiro's microbots, killed Callaghan AND stole Hiro's microbots, rouse Hiro to action.
However, in order to capture the Kabuki-masked villain, who is using the microbots to spread havoc in San Fransokyo, Hiro needs a super-powered team. Tomago, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred have their respective agility/electromagnetic disk, laser, chemical potion, and fire- breathing abilities. But someone extra is needed: Baymax. Baymax has neither the body (though he can lift over 1,000 pounds) nor the programming for super crime fighting. Hiro overcomes these formidable obstacles with carbon-steel armor and a "fighter" computer chip. The "Big Hero 6" team is ready to kick some evil butt. But the team has some serious hurdles. First, they are still uncoordinated and unfamiliar with fighting. Second, despite his upgrade, Baymax is still a pacifist healer at "heart". Third, and most shockingly, Hiro's desire to avenge his brother threatens to unbalance and consume him. Can the team overcome these obstacles to not only stop the villain, but uncover his true identity?
BH6 eventually answers these questions with both vibrant, eye-stunning action and quiet, contemplative scenes that demonstrate that blunt, thoughtless force and vengeance is not only not enough to solve problems, it may exacerbate these problems and cause still others. Planning, logic, and creative thinking must also be used. Even power and brains combined may not be enough. Compassion and caring, as embodied by Baymax, must also enter the mix to solve problems without losing your soul. Speaking of souls, despite Hiro's lament that his brother is gone, Baymax continually reassures him that "Tadashi is here" and points to his torso video, showing Tadashi's trial-and-error process in creating Baymax. This comforts Hiro (and us) Also, when Baymax is called upon to sacrifice himself to save someone, we realize that all may not be lost, because, as mentioned before, robots and computers have chips for souls. I think BH6's ultimate comforting message is that since souls and chips live forever, people and robots can never truly die. Thanks for that inspiring reminder, Baymax, Hiro, and BH6.