Big Hero 6

[Ben]

Well a big round of applause to Eric for getting the Leonard connection. I *was* going to hammer it home by saying "the last time I skipped the first five films in a series was with Leonard Part 6...and look how THAT turned out", but then I thought it would be obvious and redundant.

But we can always count on Eric - thanks for pointing out the obvious and redundant anyway!

[Randall]

Yeah, like we all remember Leonard Part 6.

[Dacey]

"I like pudding, and Ghost Dad was the best movie I've seen since Leonard Part 6."

Someone out there must remember it.

[droosan]

I caught the first public screening of Big Hero 6 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood tonight.

It. is. spectacular!!

There's just amazing artistry on display in every frame .. and story-telling that seems effortless -- even though it's obviously been very carefully-crafted. The action scenes are intense, there are several poignant moments sprinkled throughout .. and it gets kinda 'dark' in one particular sequence. There are several big laughs in the film, too .. a running gag featuring Baymax got a huge audience reaction, every single time it came up.

Can't wait to see it again..!

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The Feast short is great, too. It's like someone said, "Hey, let's strive to capture the feel of the opening sequence of Up (from a slightly different point-of-vew) .. only, this time, we'll end it on the happiest note possible."

[Randall]

Well, that sounds encouraging!!!

[Ben]

Cool, Droo!

My interest was high after reading some reviews, but always good to get a pal's perspective!

[Whippet Angel]

Yeah... What droo said! I was really surprised at how much I liked it. There were quite a few predictable things that happened plot-wise, but I really didn't care about that in the end.

Hey droo? About that really dark sequence:

Are you talking about the part when Hiro removes the green chip from Baymax, and he starts to go into "destroy mode"? I LOVED that scene. I thought it was very well done. Definitely one of the more memorable scenes from the film.

[droosan]

Saw this again earlier today .. and I'll be going back tomorrow to see it a third time with my younger brother. So, I've definitely done my part for BH6's opening weekend..!

And I may have to see it another time or two just to gawk at the backdrop of San Fransokyo. The city is alive with detail -- both in the architecture, and the thronging crowds of people in its streets (who don't look like 'digital extras', either; there's a real sense of a few dozen other stories going on just off-screen, in some scenes).

But the heart and soul of the movie is Baymax, and his role as a surrogate for Hiro's older brother. Kinda cool that Frozen and BH6 each deal with sibling relationships .. between sisters, and now brothers.

And yes, Whippet Angel,

that was the 'dark' scene to which I was referring .. though almost as much (or moreso) for where Hiro was, mentally, at that point. We see that he was dangerously close to ending-up like Callaghan; a super-villain, rather than a hero.

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There's a small moment in the opening sequence -- in which Tadashi jumps his motorcycle over the bot-fighters, and Hiro gets a glimpse of himself and his brother in a nearby mirrored window -- which is echoed during the flight-testing scene, when Hiro glances at his and Baymax's reflection as they pass the mirrored windows of a skyscraper .. and he seems to be remembering that earlier 'flight' with his brother. Loved that.

[EricJ]

Although given the loose adaptation of the Marvel, a few comic fans picked up on the joke where uber-geek Fred asks for "Something that can turn me into a giant lizard!"
Er, ahem, yes, THAT would be an interesting idea...

[Vernadyn]

2014 has actually been shaping up to be a decent year for animated films despite Pixar's absence. Big Hero 6, The Lego Movie, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 are all strong contenders for my top films of the year (though I'd put HTTYD 2 a mite behind the other two).

As droosan said, Big Hero 6 had a near-perfect blend of action, humor, and emotion. The action scenes were some of the most thrilling I've seen in an animated film since The Incredibles, a high bar indeed. I actually didn't find the trailers that funny, but it turns out they were hiding the most uproarious bits. And during one poignant moment near the climax, I could clearly hear some kids in the theater audience sniffling. Your mileage may vary, but I felt like the emotion in this film was fully earned by the characters, not tacked on.

Some random observations: Alan Tudyk seems to be a go-to guy for Disney now; his voice is more natural here than it was in Wreck-It Ralph or Frozen, but I still think it's funny that Wash from Firefly voices King Candy and the Duke of Wesselton. Henry Jackman's score fits the film well, with a rousing theme and energetic action music. While it's not quite up to his score for Wreck-It Ralph, I still enjoyed it a lot more than I did Christophe Beck's score for Frozen. While I would like to hear James Newton Howard score some Disney animated films again as well, I would also gladly welcome more Disney scores from Jackman.

Overall, I think I liked Wreck-It Ralph a bit more, but Big Hero 6 is not far behind. Disney Animation went through some lean years after Lilo and Stitch, but they've steadily built themselves back up into a force to be reckoned with.

The post-end credits scene was great too.

[Ben]

Argh! We can't we get Disney movies the same time as you guys!!!??!

[Vernadyn]

Well, as consolation, you do get Marvel Studios movies before the US does. Which is a little strange, considering who owns Marvel….

[Dan]

Very much enjoyed Big Hero 6. A great blend of all the right tools and how Don Hall and Chris Williams managed to make it flow just right.

The film is one of the visually stunning from Disney to date, really bringing a whole new city to life in such a way that it really is a character of its own. Having attended the Comic Con panel, they talked about how Lasseter encouraged research and the detail that went into making such a beautiful setting that combined San Francisco and Tokyo is stunning.

I thing I took notice of in the end credits (which I stayed through given that they were obviously going to take a stab at Marvel's post-credit scenes, which by the way was awesome) was the list of Disney's Creative Leadership group. The names I was able the pick up that are in the group include Don Hall, Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, and John Musker. I believe there were roughly eleven, maybe twelve names. I imagine this group is similar to the Creative Committee at Marvel.

[droosan]

Argh! <Why> can't we get Disney movies the same time as you guys!!!??!

I dunno.

But what I do know is, when Big Hero 6 opens in Japan on December 20th .. it's gonna make Frozen's japanese box office numbers look like a 'rounding-error'.

[TitusTodd]

LOVED it! Took most of my gang to it. My oldest daughter (11) was more enthusiastic about it then she was with Wreck It Ralph (comparing non-princess movies). I expected the enthusiastic likes from my sons but not my daughters (though I was sure they would like it). My oldest son (18) missed the Stan Lee appearance that we always look for in Marvel associated movies and we all missed the post-credits scene (I HATE those and didn't think Disney would do it to us - I should have looked it up before going).

What Disney developed to make this movie worked. San Fransokyo really seemed like a place you could jump into and be a part of. Thus, I agree with -

And I may have to see it another time or two just to gawk at the backdrop of San Fransokyo. The city is alive with detail -- both in the architecture, and the thronging crowds of people in its streets (who don't look like 'digital extras', either; there's a real sense of a few dozen other stories going on just off-screen, in some scenes).