This Disney computer animated film was advertised a good few months before the actual release, including cinemas with a large inflatable rubber versions of the recognisable leading robot character, I was very much looking forward to this feature. Basically fourteen year old robotics genius Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) lives in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo and spends his time participating in back-alley robot fights, his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) worries he's wasting his potential, so he takes him to the robotics lab at his university, there Hiro meets Tadashi's friends GoGo Tomago (Sucker Punch's Jamie Chung),Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.),Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and Fred (T.J. Miller). Hiro is also introduced to Baymax (Scott Adsit),a personal healthcare robot Tadashi created, amazed, Hiro decides to apply for the school, presenting his project - microbots, swarms of tiny robots that can link together in any arrangement imaginable - to gain admission, school robotics program head Professor Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell) is impressed and Hiro is accepted, but a fire breaks out at the university, Tadashi rushes to rescue Callaghan, but the building explodes and both are killed, Hiro secludes himself from others having lost his brother. One day, Hiro accidentally activates Baymax who responds to his cry of pain, i.e. "ouch", the robot notices one of Hiro's microbots moving in its jar and thinks it wants to go somewhere, Hiro and Baymax are led to an abandoned warehouse, there they discover that someone has been mass-producing Hiro's bots, before a masked man controlling them attacks and chases them out. Realising this masked man has stolen his project, Hiro decides to catch him, upgrading Baymax with high-tech armour and a battle chip, and he reunites with GoGo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred, the six form a superhero team, they are all attacked by the masked man but manage to get away. The group discovers a former lab of prestigious robotics company Krei Tech, it was experimenting teleportation technology, the test went wrong when the test pilot vanished into the unstable vortex, the masked man reveals himself as Profressor Callaghan, he stole Hiro's bots and used them to escape the fire. So Tadashi died in vain, Hiro angrily removes Baymax's healthcare chip, leaving him only the battle chip, and orders him to kill Callaghan, Baymax almost does so, until the healthchip is reinserted by Honey, and he is restored, angry for their interference Hiro leaves his friends and goes home where he breaks down. Baymax asks Hiron if killing Callaghan would improve his "emotional state", he is not sure, but to soften Hiro's loss Baymax plays several humorous video clips of Tadashi creating and running tests on him during Baymax's development, Hiro realises killing Callaghan is not what Tadashi would have wanted, so he makes amends with his friends. The group discovers that Callaghan wants revenge on Alistair Krei (Alan Tudyk),president of Krei Tech, because he blames him for the death of his daughter Abigail (Katie Lowes),she was the test pilot, so with newly formed armour and technological advances they team together to save Krei and stop Callaghan. The microbots are destroyed and Krei is saved, but the teleportation portal remains active and is imploding, Baymax detects that Abigail is still alive, trapped in hypersleep, in the abyss, he and Hiro race to save her, but with most of his armour lost Baymax realises the only way to save Hiro and Abigail is to propel them back out the portal with his remaining rocket fist, Hiro refuses to leave him, but Baymax insists and Hiro tearfully gives in, Hiro and Abigail make it back, and Callaghan is arrested. Sometime later Hiro is trying to move on, but he discovers Baymax's clenched rocket fist contains his healthcare chip (this contains his entire personality),delighted he rebuilds Baymax and they happily reunite, and with their four friends they continue helping those in need in the city, as Big Hero 6. Also starring Maya Rudolph as Cass, Abraham Benrubi as General, Billy Bush as Newscaster and Daniel Gerson as Desk Sergeant. The young leading character is a likable and sometimes vulnerable technological genius, his supporting friends all offer their good traits as well, but it is the hero's robot companion that steals the show with his kind and caring personality, and when he gets added extras he becomes much more the fantastic pal to have. This is supposed to be based on a comic book series, it apparently does not have much relation to the original, but that doesn't matter, the whole family will be enthralled by the high-octane fight, flying and chase sequences, as well as the tender moments, the references to western technology and culture is great, and the animation is superb, it is a fabulous animated superhero action comedy film. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Animated Feature Film, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. Very good!

Big Hero 6 provides what you'd want in a movie as a kid, and maybe as an adult depending on how in touch you are with your inner-kid. Especially if you have a sibling (brother more specifically) the film's core relationship between Hiro and his older brother - it's not something that we see throughout, due to the first major turning point in the film, but the memory certainly remains strong - it will resonate. But the movie is only intermittently interested in pulling at your heartstrings; it's ultimately about suiting up, getting on the gadgets, and putting together a team. So the film is a lot of things in one - not to mention having an instantly adorable (i.e. lucrative) mascot at the center with Baymax.

By saying that it has "what you'd want" in a movie, I don't just mean super-heroes in the Marvel tradition (though it doesn't have the Marvel banner, this is based on a Marvel title, albeit an obscure-ish one),but anime as well. Many of the story turns, including the ones that are rather startling and the tonal shifts from lightness to tragedy and then swiftly back to lightness and action and thrills, it's like what I might expect to see from Japan directly. Which, of course, is part of the source itself, and the fact that the city is called 'San-FrancTokyo' (ho-ho) and the film has primarily Asian characters - whether they're all played by Asians is another story, but I digress.

I can't be too hard on a film that is just out to sheerlessly entertain the audience like this. It does have some points on the nature of grief and what happens when people are faced with losing someone who can't come back (... or can they?) I think it could've been even better, possibly great, if it had a bit of a better balance on the dark and the light sides of the film. Ultimately, I felt, the tragic parts came when they had to, and outside of that Big Hero 6 is essentially a Fun Ride Of A Movie (in caps),primarily led by a Doctor-cum-Fighting robot in Baymax, and some other supporting characters who are fine, no more no less. Just fine.

But maybe Baymax is enough, and certainly, more often than not, this is a very funny movie. He has the entertainment value of the Genie in Aladdin - like in that film, he's the friendly BIG companion who can help save the day for the protagonist - except instead of the thousands of impressions of Williams, it's the exact opposite that makes him appealing: one personality, pretty straightforward, and the dead-pan nature is closer to, oh I don't know, Jeff Bridges in Starman. He's the perfect innocuous character, but is hilarious for the reasons of reaction and straight silliness.

It should also be noted the last act, the climax, has its predictable points - like most (or almost all) superhero movies, i.e. from Marvel, it has to all build up to a gigantic Must-Save-the-City from impending gargantuan destruction, involving space as well. And a turn from a character kind of comes out of nowhere, which is fine except that the development is kind of off to suddenly be the "villain". However, again, akin to anime, so I can let it slide and still be sucked into the peril of the thing (I mean, hey, they can't all be The Incredibles).

For what it's worth though, there's so much to enjoy with this film that I'm sure if I was younger I'd eat it up with a spoon and want seconds-thirds-fourths-etc. It's an insatiably pleasant film to experience, faults and all. 7.5/10

Big Hero 6 is not among the best that Disney has ever done and it isn't flawless. But it is still very good and one of their best easily since the Renaissance. It did feel a little rushed at times and felt like it tried to do a little too much in the storytelling, as a result some ideas that were introduced like the science-is-good message gets lost. If it slowed down and explored a little less areas it would have improved things. The villain felt underdeveloped and his reveal came over as very obvious and forced as well.

However, the animation is outstanding with lots of rich colours and textures, backgrounds that are incredibly detailed and sweet(but not in a cloying way) character designs. One of the best-looking recent Disney films definitely. The catchy and upbeat yet atmospheric and emotion-filled soundtrack and smart script are other things to like, as are the brisk(when not rushed) pacing and rousing if not exactly inventive action. While the story is not flawless, on the most part it's still a winner. Whatever originality it may lack, it more than compensates for that with fun and heart. There are plenty of funny moments(i.e. Stan Lee),and of the laugh-out-loud witty kind and even better is the emotional impact Big Hero 6 has. The brother-brother relationship is handled very affectingly, like between Anna and Elsa in Frozen it was Disney trying to explore a different kind of relationship than they did before and it succeeds in that respect.

Sure Big Hero 6 sometimes takes a dark tone but not in a heavy or inappropriate way, there's no reason why anybody should be disturbed by that. The characters are not the most developed ones there ever were and as said more should have been done with the villain, but they're still engaging. Hiro is a very flawed but still likable main protagonist and his relationship between brother Tadashi is beautifully done. The most memorable character for me though was Baymax, he has to be one of Disney's most adorable characters, along with Maximus(Tangled) and Sven(Frozen) he has one of their cutest since the Renaissance. As well as being beautifully designed he displays a lot of laughs and a wide range of emotions, literally the film's heart and soul. The voice work from all(I just wish that James Cromwell had more to do) is very good, with particular mention going to Scott Adsit and his voice is a good match with Ryan Potter's deeply felt Hiro. All in all, not one of Disney's best but one of their better ones of the past 15 years. Haven't seen all the Best Animated Feature nominees but while this viewer did prefer How to Train Your Dragon 2 and the un-nominated Lego Movie they still felt that Big Hero 6 was still a good enough film to merit an Oscar nomination. 8/10 Bethany Cox