Six things you’ll love about Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6 is the funniest movie I’ve seen all year. I love throwing down statements like that; they can be challenged, to be sure, but it’s all subjective opinion, right? The semantics really don’t matter. Big Hero 6 is the kind of film that sneaks up on you; like Toy Story and Finding Nemo before it, children will drag their parents to theatres only to watch their parents laugh at humor that exists appropriately above their head. There’s nothing like sitting in a theatre full of kids and hearing the parents laughing harder than the young ones (though I always love it when the row of film critics sitting in a row are the only ones laughing).

If you have smiled or laughed in your lifetime, you’re going to find something to love in Big Hero 6. It might just be one of these six things that I found particularly awesome.

1. It’s a superhero story you’ve never seen before. Disney Animation Studios wanted to do a big comic book movie, and had the entirety of the Marvel catalog to choose from. That they didn’t choose a super-familiar property was a brilliant decision. The comic version of Big Hero 6 has been in publication since 1998, but it is an obscure enough title that audiences – at least domestically – aren’t going to be familiar with it. Plus, while many of the characters have direct counterparts from the source material, more looks to be changed than the same.
2. Baymax is going to steal your heart. Disney has a long history of creating characters you instantly love: Mickey Mouse, Mary Poppins, Simba, Ariel, Elsa. Now you’re kids (and you, lets be honest) are going to fall in love with an inflatable healthcare companion robot. He’s the best thing in a film surrounded by best things.
3. It’s a vision of the future we don’t have to be afraid of. Sure, there’s an antagonist that is terrorizing San Fransokyo, but the city itself and the world it exists in doesn’t seem so bad. Future worlds in science fiction seem to drift in one of two directions: dystopian or utopian. It was refreshing to see a future that felt normal. The city’s name and its culture are all representative of melting pot ideals. At the same time, though, things aren’t perfect; this is a future we can actually believe.
4. Honey Lemon has the coolest tech ever. Or put it another way: Hooray science! While I think making the device a purse was a bit much (though that is lifted directly from the source material), the idea of mixing different elements to make cool (fake) sciencey weapons is just plain fun. It’s the kind of thing that you hope exists some day, just so you can throw at your little brother … even though he’s in his 30s and owns his own business.
5. This film is full of sci-fi pop-culture references. In a flick like this, animators are always going to fill in a bunch of visual references to other movies. At some point, what you think might be references/homages are completely accidental (I doubt they were going for Contact or Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but I definitely saw them in there).
6. I can’t tell you number six. There’s a running bit in the flick that I think will lose its humor if you know anything about it before you see it. In today’s internet-based society, it will probably be made into a meme before you get home from the theatre. It’s Big Hero 6’s “Just Keep Swimming” (Or Dory speaking whale if that’s your kind of thing, Mom!) from Finding Nemo. This is all I’m giving you: B********a.

And a bonus, just because I love you all:

7. Feast, the short before the film, was totes-adorbs. I really liked Paperman that played before Wreck-It Ralph last year, but it is nothing compared to the wonderfulness that was Feast. I’d be lying if the dog Winston didn’t remind me more than a little bit of my dog Gibbs when he was a wee pup. Regardless, there is more heart in the five or so minutes than there are in most flicks you’ve seen this year.

Editor’s note: Do yourself a big favor and stay for the post-credits scene!