Big Hero 6

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2015)

This Disney computer animated film was advertised a good few months before the actual release, including cinemas with a large inflatable rubber versions of the recognisable leading robot character, I was very much looking forward to this feature. Basically fourteen year old robotics genius Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) lives in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo and spends his time participating in back-alley robot fights, his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) worries he's wasting his potential, so he takes him to the robotics lab at his university, there Hiro meets Tadashi's friends GoGo Tomago (Sucker Punch's Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and Fred (T.J. Miller). Hiro is also introduced to Baymax (Scott Adsit), a personal healthcare robot Tadashi created, amazed, Hiro decides to apply for the school, presenting his project - microbots, swarms of tiny robots that can link together in any arrangement imaginable - to gain admission, school robotics program head Professor Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell) is impressed and Hiro is accepted, but a fire breaks out at the university, Tadashi rushes to rescue Callaghan, but the building explodes and both are killed, Hiro secludes himself from others having lost his brother. One day, Hiro accidentally activates Baymax who responds to his cry of pain, i.e. "ouch", the robot notices one of Hiro's microbots moving in its jar and thinks it wants to go somewhere, Hiro and Baymax are led to an abandoned warehouse, there they discover that someone has been mass-producing Hiro's bots, before a masked man controlling them attacks and chases them out. Realising this masked man has stolen his project, Hiro decides to catch him, upgrading Baymax with high-tech armour and a battle chip, and he reunites with GoGo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred, the six form a superhero team, they are all attacked by the masked man but manage to get away. The group discovers a former lab of prestigious robotics company Krei Tech, it was experimenting teleportation technology, the test went wrong when the test pilot vanished into the unstable vortex, the masked man reveals himself as Profressor Callaghan, he stole Hiro's bots and used them to escape the fire. So Tadashi died in vain, Hiro angrily removes Baymax's healthcare chip, leaving him only the battle chip, and orders him to kill Callaghan, Baymax almost does so, until the healthchip is reinserted by Honey, and he is restored, angry for their interference Hiro leaves his friends and goes home where he breaks down. Baymax asks Hiron if killing Callaghan would improve his "emotional state", he is not sure, but to soften Hiro's loss Baymax plays several humorous video clips of Tadashi creating and running tests on him during Baymax's development, Hiro realises killing Callaghan is not what Tadashi would have wanted, so he makes amends with his friends. The group discovers that Callaghan wants revenge on Alistair Krei (Alan Tudyk), president of Krei Tech, because he blames him for the death of his daughter Abigail (Katie Lowes), she was the test pilot, so with newly formed armour and technological advances they team together to save Krei and stop Callaghan. The microbots are destroyed and Krei is saved, but the teleportation portal remains active and is imploding, Baymax detects that Abigail is still alive, trapped in hypersleep, in the abyss, he and Hiro race to save her, but with most of his armour lost Baymax realises the only way to save Hiro and Abigail is to propel them back out the portal with his remaining rocket fist, Hiro refuses to leave him, but Baymax insists and Hiro tearfully gives in, Hiro and Abigail make it back, and Callaghan is arrested. Sometime later Hiro is trying to move on, but he discovers Baymax's clenched rocket fist contains his healthcare chip (this contains his entire personality), delighted he rebuilds Baymax and they happily reunite, and with their four friends they continue helping those in need in the city, as Big Hero 6. Also starring Maya Rudolph as Cass, Abraham Benrubi as General, Billy Bush as Newscaster and Daniel Gerson as Desk Sergeant. The young leading character is a likable and sometimes vulnerable technological genius, his supporting friends all offer their good traits as well, but it is the hero's robot companion that steals the show with his kind and caring personality, and when he gets added extras he becomes much more the fantastic pal to have. This is supposed to be based on a comic book series, it apparently does not have much relation to the original, but that doesn't matter, the whole family will be enthralled by the high-octane fight, flying and chase sequences, as well as the tender moments, the references to western technology and culture is great, and the animation is superb, it is a fabulous animated superhero action comedy film. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Animated Feature Film, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. Very good!