Big Hero 6 & Feast – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Overview

Despite Pixar not being a primary contributor to the film, Big Hero 6 does seem like the love child of Pixar and Marvel.

Review (with Spoilers)

First, let me note, between the Annie trailer, the trailer for Inside Out, and then the short film Feast, your emotions will be wired and ready to be fully taken advantage of. For, like any Marvel or Pixar film, there is as much laughter as there are moments you are bought to tears. Something which certainly makes me feel the Marvel/ Disney partnership is going to do so much for the entertainment industry. But for more on how Big Hero 6, as well as Feast, look below.

Characters & Story

For Feast, we focus on a dog named Winston who is found as a puppy and lives with his master. Someone who, very often, shares whatever he eats with his dog. This includes spaghetti and meatballs, bacon, eggs, and a slew of other meals. However, this smorgasbord ends once his master meets a woman. Leading to Winston dealing with a drastic change in his life.

In Big Hero 6, we are introduced to the Hamada family which consist of Hiro (Ryan Potter), Tadashi (Daniel Henney), and their aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph). A family which has dealt with the tragedy of Hiro and Tadashi’s parents dying, but is as tight knit as Cass can manage. However, the rise of a madman threatens not only this tight-knit family, which has already suffered a great loss but perhaps the world. Enter Baymax (Scott Adsit). A robot Tadashi made mostly to be a healthcare companion but ends up being one of the few who might be able to save San FranTokyo.

Praise

With Feast, I felt setup for what was to come in Big Hero 6. For it showed the importance of family, making others happy, and Winston very much is like a dog form of Baymax, minus the food aspect. So, in each and every moment, like when we see Baymax, a smile comes across your face for it is almost one cute, sort of funny, moment after another.

Focusing on the main feature, though, first, let’s talk about the diversity. For with Go Go (Jamie Chung) representing not only Asian women, but saying things like “Woman Up,” you can see someone who may have tomboy-ish tendencies, but still is very much in tune with being a girl; with Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.) you have a Black guy into science, who has natural hair and isn’t some ultra-cool dude, but sort of a nerd. Not on Blankman’s level, but a nerd nonetheless. Then there is Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez), who I badly want to claim as Hispanic, due to the voice actress, but either way you look at it, between showing women with an interest in technology and having them all have different personalities, I think they make good inspirations for kids, and can be the type of characters adults will feel comfortable with.

Now, in terms of story, like any Marvel film there are multiple moments of laughs, mostly due to Baymax, and many times where you will be crying your eyes out. This I partly contribute to both the trailers before the movie and Feast. For, if you are like me, you can get a little emotional sometimes. So seeing Hiro deal with the various tragedies in his life, sometimes with anger, rage, or depression, it affects you. For even if you may not have lost a love one, seeing someone who is 13 lose family members is heartbreaking. Especially because Big Hero 6 doesn’t just throw tragedies out there and not explore the effects of loss. It dives right in for not just Hiro, but other characters as well.

And focusing on Hiro’s adventure specifically, I loved the villain and his motive; I really enjoyed the dynamic Hiro developed with Tadashi’s friends; and with the film being only 108 minutes, I feel like the film hit the sweet spot of covering all it needed to and left you more so satisfied than wanting more.

Criticism

Because Feast is so short, there isn’t really anything I can critique. As for Big Hero 6, I must admit I found it odd how the deaths in the film we only really see effect Hiro more than anyone else. For while other people feel sympathy for Hiro, and are sad themselves, you don’t get the same amount of depth. Though, with this being a movie perhaps more directed at kids than anything, I don’t feel it should be considered that serious of an issue.

Overall: Worth Seeing

To me, Feast and Big Hero 6 meet the expectations of a Marvel or Disney film. There is an envious family dynamic, plagued by tragedy; there are jokes placed throughout, to compensate for all the times you feel like crying; and even if the character doesn’t get much of a background, you still feel like you get to know them enough to feel empathy for them.

However, as said, the film just meets expectations. It doesn’t necessarily go to the point where this film deserves to be put on a pedestal. It just uses the familiar formula of Marvel films, has everything animated, and delivers the type of film you expect without much surprises. Despite that, though, this is definitely worth seeing and, so you know, like any Marvel film there is an after credits scene [1].

Things To Note

It’s us seeing Stan Lee, in animated form, talk to Fred (T.J. Miller).