A Solid Feelgood Movie

Rating: 7/10 (3 November 2016)

Welcome to San FranTokyo, where Marvelous action heroes are celebrated in a city with a distinctly Asian aesthetic, in an American fashion, with its unoriginal storytelling. This is not a criticism so much as it is to be expected with a Disney film, given its studio's long history of taking stories from other places and adapting them in artistic ways. In many cases this works astoundingly well for them, as with Sleeping Beauty and the gorgeous Tangled film. Efforts by the studio to do their own thing have had some mixed results, with such gems as Frozen, but even their best borrow heavily from outside lores. This is no more true than in Big Hero 6, which draws so much inspiration from Marvel characters that the cameo of Stan Lee is not so much as a comical glimpse as it is a required nod to the original artist.
Again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the ideas behind the story aren't taken shamelessly for their own, but are tastefully adapted into something that tells a story that addresses issues like depression and loss. As an example, It isn't very often that we see villains redeemed, even if they are still left with the consequences of their actions and in some cases, this happens in Big Hero 6.
Meet Hiro, a boy genius with a penchant for getting into trouble, who is so smart that he is bored with the legitimate world to the extent that he fails to notice his brother is attending the premiere school for his specific interest - robotics. When he learns this, his interest is sparked, leading to his inspiring entry into the admission process. Not everything can continue this peachy keen for a movie to be entertaining, so catastrophe strikes, leading to the formation of a team of self-proclaimed geeks bent on stopping an evil mastermind whose only crime at the time was stealing Hiro's idea. All of this is filled with intense action and emotional tension as Hiro deals with feelings of loss and betrayal, with the help of a robot designed to help him.
The movie is filled with positive themes, including sacrifice, companionship, acceptance and even forgiveness. When taken lightly, this film will leave you feeling good, just don't look too closely, or think too hard about the plot.
There is no arguing the production quality is excellent, something Disney studios has been setting the bar pretty high on. Colour is vibrant and sharp, making every character and location distinct. Unfortunately, the is held back by an overall feeling of a giant merchandising commercial. There is no veiling the blatant attempts at pandering to specific audiences, and that feeling interrupts the flow of the film, slapping you in the face with unnecessary and illogical events or styles that don't further the immersion, but instead break it. This won't bother everybody, but for some, this may be an issue.
Conclusion: A solid, light-hearted, film that, if taken lightly, will warm your heart.