Big Hero 6: Inventive & Invigorating

I had heard many good things about Big Hero 6 when it was first released in November, but I never got around to watching it. Then it received an Oscar nomination, so I figured the hype must amount to something. Boy does it. Big Hero 6 is a further indication that animation is where it's at if you're looking for creative storytelling, witty dialogue, engrossing action, and jaw-dropping beauty.

The main character is 14-year old Hiro Hamada, a boy who lives in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo (a Tokyo-esque San Francisco if the name didn't give that away for you). He is a child prodigy, incredibly intelligent and particularly talented in the field of robotics, but he's also wasting his potential. He likes to build robots and gamble in illegal underground robot battles. His parents are both dead, so he and his older brother, Tadashi, live with their Aunt Cass, who fusses over Hiro and isn't quite sure what to do with him. One day, Tadashi cleverly takes Hiro into his university robotics lab, where he meets a group of Tadashi's friends and sees the incredibly cool technology they're developing. He also meets Baymax, a healthcare robot that Tadashi has developed, which is a big, white, cuddly, balloon-like robot that can scan you to determine where you are hurt and then provide the adequate treatment. 

There is a huge tragedy in the first half hour of the film, which then drives the rest of the plot forward. Hiro needs to identify and fight a scary villain, and to do so, he must enlist Baymax and Tadashi's friends for their unique technological skills. Outfitted in a series of elaborate costumes, they become the Big Hero 6, and set off on a wild adventure to track down a mysterious masked man who has gotten hold of one of Hiro's inventions and is clearly hell-bent on using this technology for nefarious purposes. It's a very classic Disney plot, but told so inventively and outrageously that it is a sheer joy to watch from start to finish. 

Big Hero 6 is a beautiful, intricate movie with a big, beating heart. Every frame has been composed with careful attention to detail and mindbending artistry, and the plot is a wild rollercoaster that ensures you are never bored. The voice acting is superb, the script is wildly funny, sweet, and dramatic in equal measure, and there's nothing you won't love. This is what children's movies should be: clever, entertaining, and heartening, an equal joy for both adults and children. So regardless of your age, watch this movie. It reflects everything that's wonderful about animation and its ability to portray weird scenarios and incredibly creative stories that you wouldn't get to see anywhere else.