A likable, funny and sweet film that introduces characters people will be happy to revisit.

Rating: 6/10 (16 November 2014)

Big Hero 6 is a film for children but adults will easily enjoy watching this animated superhero action-comedy too. In fact, it's so entertaining that it's easy to overlook that the story is practically incoherent. The typical lessons about sacrifice and the importance of forgiveness seem forced as well. But the characters are a distinct and likable group. There's been much talk about how cute and lovable Baymax (Scott Adsit) is. And Baymax is certainly a clever creation. Considering the robotic voice of this warmhearted machine it's a big success that Adsit never makes this simple character seem repetitive or boring. Baymax is such a likable character that one genuinely begins to care about the robot long before the film is over. The other characters, however, are just as interesting. It's a formula of appealing to just about everyone in the audience. I mean, of course, the Big Hero 6 team. The genius boy Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) suffers a big loss and goes on a compelling mission to find out what happened. With him are Fred (T. J. Miller), GoGo Tomago (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans, Jr.) and Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez). They're cool characters. In the hands of the voice cast and directors Don Hall and Chris Williams they're often funny too. In addition, the comedy is surprisingly clever, going above what's usually shown in animated fare these days. Since the film is an origins story it's actually very similar to other superhero movies if you take a closer look at what's happening. But because of the setting, comedy and action (let's also not forget the fitting music by Henry Jackman) it's easy to overlook this. The city of San Fransokyo is a futuristic metropolis that just has to be seen. Like everything else in the film it's beautifully designed. The colors are bright and the designs are fresh. I guess it's no secret that the filmmakers drew inspiration from Japanese anime and Japanese culture. John Lasseter, who's been overseeing the projects of Walt Disney Pictures for years now, is known for being a fan of Japanese animation. He's honestly managed to improve the quality of Disney films. Bolt (2008), Tangled (2010), Wreck-It-Ralph (2012) and Frozen (2013) were all terrific, memorable releases. Big Hero 6 is no different, and it may be the craftiest, most appealing release yet. I recommend it.