# Baymax!

Baymax! is an American animated superhero science fiction comedy television series created by Don Hall that premiered on Disney+ on June 29, 2022, featuring the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The series is a spin-off of the animated feature film Big Hero 6 (2014), and the second television series set in the film's continuity following Big Hero 6: The Series (2017–2021). The series is the first television series produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios.

## Synopsis

The series follows healthcare companion robot Baymax as he helps people in the city of San Fransokyo.

## Voice cast

* Scott Adsit as Baymax, a robot created by Tadashi, Hiro's brother.
* Ryan Potter as Hiro Hamada, a student at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.
* Maya Rudolph as Aunt Cass, Hiro's aunt.
* Zeno Robinson as Ali, Sofia's friend.
* Emily Kuroda as Kiko, a patient.
* Lilimar as Sofia, a middle school patient.
* Jaboukie Young-White as Mbita
* Brian Tee as Yukio

## Episodes

All episodes are written by Cirocco Dunlap.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Animation supervised by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Cass" | Dean Wellins | David Stodolny and Malerie Walters | June 29, 2022 (2022-06-29) |
| Aunt Cass sprains her ankle while working at the Lucky Cat Café. Baymax puts her out of commission while he runs the business, but Cass refuses to sit down and tries to help her customers, only for Baymax to continuously stop her. Cass sprains her ankle even worse and admits that she is afraid of losing customers. Baymax comforts her and she learns that the customers made a get well video for her until she recovers. |||||
| 2 | "Kiko" | Dean Wellins | David Stodolny and Malerie Walters | June 29, 2022 (2022-06-29) |
| Retiree Kiko Tanaka is confronted by Baymax after she yelps in pain. He suggests going to the swimming center next door, but she refuses, claiming she has aquaphobia. Baymax tries to "help" her, and she proceeds to follow him to pop him. However, they end up in the swimming center and Kiko admits that she has sad memories of not joining her deceased husband in swimming. Baymax offers to swim with her and she agrees. |||||
| 3 | "Sofia" | Lissa Treiman | David Stodolny and Malerie Walters | June 29, 2022 (2022-06-29) |
| Pre-teen Sofia has her first period just before the talent show. Baymax arrives and offers his help by going out and buying her tampons. Her friend Ali tries to offer support, but to no avail. Sofia admits that she is afraid of growing up and changing, but Baymax tells her that just because her body is changing, does not mean she has to. With newfound confidence Sofia rejoins Ali for the talent show. |||||
| 4 | "Mbita" | Dan Abraham | Henry Sanchez and Boris Maras | June 29, 2022 (2022-06-29) |
| Mbita runs a food truck that only serves fish soup. On an ordinary day, Mbita is shocked to discover that he has an allergic reaction to fish. He attempts to outrun Baymax who is trying to help him, and he manages to calm down and voices his fear of embracing change. Baymax gives him the confidence he needs to change his menu options and even asks out fellow vendor Yukio on a date. |||||
| 5 | "Yachi" (Part 1) | Mark Kennedy | Henry Sanchez and Boris Maras | June 29, 2022 (2022-06-29) |
| A stray cat named Yachi accidentally swallows a bluetooth earphone. Baymax then proceeds to follow the cat throughout San Fransokyo, while Yachi visibly wishes for a home. Baymax chases her into a condemned warehouse and manages to catch and rub the earphone out of her. However, Baymax begins to suffer from low battery and fails to reach a charger. Yachi steals his lollipop and leaves him behind. |||||
| 6 | "Baymax" (Part 2) | Dean Wellins | Henry Sanchez and Boris Maras | June 29, 2022 (2022-06-29) |
| Hiro realizes that Baymax has not returned home. He recruits Cass, Kiko, Mbita and Sofia, based on where Baymax has been, and they go searching for him. Kiko finds Yachi and she leads them to the warehouse that is about to be demolished. Together, the group make a plan to rescue Baymax and successfully do so. They return him to his charger where he tells them that he is "satisfied with his care". |||||

## Production
### Development

On December 10, 2020, Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jennifer Lee announced during an Investor's Day livestream that a new show entitled Baymax!, based on the 2014 film Big Hero 6 is in development for Disney+. Big Hero 6 co-director Don Hall will serve as creator and co-executive producer, the latter alongside Lee, for the series. The idea for a Baymax series was pitched by Hall, who "thought it would be fun to do a Disney+ series with Baymax interacting with normal folks". He also wanted the series to center on Baymax due to feeling that its predecessor, Big Hero 6: The Series, "had explored so many great roads" and characters within the franchise's universe. Big Hero 6 producer Roy Conli returns to produce.
It is the first television series to ever be produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios; and is also the first spinoff series to actually be produced by the studio itself, as most television series based on films in the Disney animated features canon - including Big Hero 6: The Series - are mainly done by Disney Television Animation. As such, the production team had to adapt to working in an episodic storytelling format, which Conli described as "a great exercise in storytelling" that gave the studio "the opportunity to tell stories in different ways". The producers also used the episodic format as a way to allow employees within the studio to make their directorial debuts. Several story artists from the film pitched approximately 20 ideas for stories, of which they picked six that followed a "thematic arc". Some of the artists who did pitches were hired to direct episodes based on their ideas.

### Writing

The series centers on Baymax's main programming as a nurse robot, exploring the city of San Fransokyo and finding patients that "don't want to be helped", with series writer Cirocco Dunlap adding that their refusal comes from denial, stating that "[they're] scared, [they] don't want to face reality, [they] can't afford the consequences — the denial runs deep". Hall said that, through the series, Baymax attempts to help people with their physical ailments "and in the process, gets to a deeper, more emotional place" that allows his patients to grow as people. Associate producer Bradford Simonsen said they wanted Baymax to be good-intentioned but näive, and that the stories for every episode developed in unexpected yet heartfelt ways, and Hall described the series as centering on the relationship between Baymax and his patients. Hall's pitch for the series was more comedic in tone, with the more emotional aspects being added by Dunlap after he asked her to write the series. Both Hall and Conli felt Dunlap's contributions made the series closer in tone to the original film.
The producers wanted to depict the topics featured in each episode in a careful manner. For the third episode, they wanted to avoid depicting menstrual periods as shameful, with Dunlap describing its depiction as important to her. Similarly, for the fourth episode, they aimed to depict fish allergy as something alarming while audiences were still able to enjoy the episode. Unlike the film, the series does not feature superhero elements, with Hall instead wanting it to be more reminiscent of the medical procedurals he watched in his childhood.

### Casting

On May 20, 2022, it was confirmed that Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, and Maya Rudolph would reprise their roles as Baymax, Hiro, and Cass, respectively, while it was also announced that Zeno Robinson, Lilimar, Jaboukie Young-White, and Emily Kuroda joined the cast. Lilimar was cast after the producers heard her audition tape, after which they felt she was able to accurately portray the character's intelligence and age.

### Animation

According to visual effects supervisor Mohit Kallianpur, the animators reused assets from Big Hero 6, but the data had to be updated due to changes in technology since the film's release. After converting the data, the animators tested it and treated any errors found. Conli further explained that the animators reused models from the film when possible, and created new models when required.
For the designs of the new characters, the animators reused models featured in crowds from the original film. According to Simonsen, the process required coordination with the directors; while the directors were developing the story for each episode, the producers would give them a series of background characters they felt would fit the story, after which the directors would pick the model.

### Music

Dominic Lewis, who previously provided additional music for the original film, composed the score for the series by May 2022. The soundtrack for the series was released on June 29, 2022.

#### Track listing
## Release

Baymax! was released on June 29, 2022, on Disney+, and consists of six episodes. The first episode premiered on June 17, 2022, during the Annecy Film Festival.

### Marketing

The teaser trailer was released by Walt Disney Animation Studios' YouTube channel on November 12, 2021, which was Disney+ Day. An official trailer was released on May 20, 2022, during the National Streaming Day.

## Reception
### Audience viewership

According to Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, Baymax! was the fifth most anticipated new television series of June 2022.

### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a rating of 100% fresh based on six critics, with an average rating of 8.3/10.
Sam Stone of CBR.com felt creator and Big Hero 6 co-director Don Hall brought "the same attention to detail, effortless charm, and genuine heart" to the series as the original film, praising its emotional depth and short runtime, which Stone felt prevented the series from becoming formulaic. Jeff Ewing of Forbes described the series as "an unsurprisingly gorgeous season", calling the episodes "cute" and able to capture the titular character's charm, highlighting "Sofia" and "Mbita" as the series' "most touching episodes", and praising its animation and voice acting, though he felt the series was not able to properly expand the franchise's universe. Raven Brunner of Game Rant said that the series "embraces the naivety and wholeheartedness of adolescence while further developing the Big Hero 6 world" and that "is a delightful reintroduction" to the Big Hero 6 franchise. She also praised the final episode for allowing the stories from the previous episodes to "eventually [come] together in a way that is deeply reflective of the show's values", as well as the series' racial and LGBTQ+ diversity.
Polly Conway of Common Sense Media rated the series 4 out of 5 stars, praised the depiction of positive messages and role models, citing persistence and empathy, and complimented the diverse representations across the characters. Matt Fowler of IGN rated the first season of the series 8 out of 10, found agreeable the interactions between the characters, and praised the show for its humor and animation, writing, "Baymax! is light, fluffy short-form warmth that humorously fulfills our need to feel taken care of, watched after, and held accountable."
The third episode "Sofia" aroused controversy and criticism due to its depiction of a transgender man wearing a trans pride shirt and discussing his preferred type of tampon. Others praised the depiction.

### Accolades

| Award | Date of Ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| Annie Awards | February 5, 2023 | Best TV/Media - Limited Series | "Sofia" | Nominated |
| Annie Awards | February 5, 2023 | Best Direction - TV/Media | Lissa Treiman | Nominated |
| Annie Awards | February 5, 2023 | Best Writing - TV/Media | Cirocco Dunlap | Nominated |
| Children's and Family Emmy Awards | December 16–17, 2023 | Outstanding Children's or Young Teen Animated Series | Baymax | Nominated |
| Children's and Family Emmy Awards | December 16–17, 2023 | Outstanding Writing for an Animated Program | Cirocco Dunlap | Won |
| Children's and Family Emmy Awards | December 16–17, 2023 | Outstanding Directing for an Animated Program | Dean Wellins | Nominated |
| Children's and Family Emmy Awards | December 16–17, 2023 | Outstanding Editing for an Animated Program | Sarah Reimers and Shannon Stein | Won |
| Golden Trailer Awards | October 6, 2022 | Best Animation/Family for a TV/Streaming Series | Baymax | Nominated |