The first time I took my son to the movies was an amazing experience. We went and saw Despicable Me 2, on a Saturday afternoon. He sat, glued to his seat through the entire movie and laughed. It was the greatest kind of laugh too; the one that makes every parent laugh along even if the jokes are old. It was like an injection of pure childish joy. Well a couple of days ago I wrote about my two movie weekend, starting with my screening of interstellar. On Sunday afternoon (after the Cowboy’s game of course), I took my son and nephews to the latest Disney hit entitled “Big Hero Six” hoping for a similar experience. I think the boys enjoyed the feature but for myself, well, I was a touch let down.
“BH6” is set in a fictional city which combines the cultures of the American Pacific coast and a Japanese technology firm. The movie opens with robot prodigy Hiro Hamata participating in the seedy side of technological society by betting on robot gladiators in dark alleys, (not unlike cock fighting I guess). For whatever reason this activity is illegal, and when Hiro’s older brother attempts to drag him out of trouble they are both arrested. The incident becomes an opportunity for Hiro when his older brother hoping to offer Him some direction, brings Hiro to the technical college he attends and introduces him to his latest project Baymax, an inflatable robotic doctor. After being initially unimpressed, Hiro is persuaded to enter a tech convention in order to win admission to the college. The story takes a twist when disaster strikes the convention, and Hiro (along with Baymax of course), sets out to right all wrongs.
I won’t continue to describe the story line, so as not to ruin it for readers who’ve not seen the movie. I will say it was a bit long for a children’s movie. There was nothing inappropriate about BH6, which I really appreciated. Not that I expected it but you never can tell these days. On the other hand it wasn’t a great movie. It was just ok. With the exception of Baymax of course the characters just didn’t seem as memorable as other Disney or Pixar films. The story line seemed a bit ad-libbed, with new elements added late in the film. I could almost hear the writers trying to concoct a reason for the story’s central surprise plot point.
I don’t know exactly what I was expecting from Big Hero 6, but I guess I expected more humor and less drama. I was a bit disappointed in how serious the story line was. It was more of a superhero adventure than comedic fun; which is why I have always preferred Warner Bros. to Disney. To me a great cartoon is one in which someone is hit in the face with a frying pan to classical music, rather than singing to a maiden on a flying carpet. What I really wanted from Big Hero 6 was something closer to Despicable Me, humor and adventure together. What I got wasn’t terrible, it was just alright. And while I think the kids had fun, I wasn’t the same memorable moment this time around. That’s ok though, maybe next time.