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6 Big Heroes

Patrick Brown

ENC 1101: Written Communications I

Film Genre Essay

Professor Anastasia Bojanowski

November 8, 2020

6 Big Heroes
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Children’s animation holds a special place in all of our hearts and inspires the youth of

today to believe they can achieve anything. With all film genres, directors have key

characteristics they add to give the movie the perfect feel. However, in children’s animation

directors make sure that their film embodies how a child thinks of themselves. (Booker, 2010, p.

As audiences are constantly changing, creating a film to keep young audience members

entertained is no easy task. Children’s animation typically involves the main character

performing physical labor, “it must be shown to be pleasant, enjoyable, and highly rewarding as

an activity in its own right.” (Booker, 2010, p. 2). Additionally, the music choice is especially

important for enhancing the emotional appeal of a scene and captivating the audience through the

strategic placement of musical numbers. Implementing a sad song will bring out raw emotions

from a scene that was constructed completely digitally (Booker, 2010, p. 2). Another predictable

trait is the usage of talking animals and creatures. (Booker, 2010, p. 2). Oftentimes they can be

substituted for children or be companions throughout the film. Finally, another crucial

component of this genre is the utilization of magic and outlandish abilities to create this world

where anything is possible.

Chris Williams and Don Hall’s film, Big Hero 6 (2014) perfectly capture the essential

elements of a children’s film, the film revolves around an animated loyal companion and follows

an updated storyline with a surprise twist. Big Hero 6 updates the genre by having the film built

around the “emotional core” of the shown loss of the main character’s older brother early in the

movie. (Williams & Hall, 2015) The perfect usage of fantasy, hard work, thrilling music, and a

compelling story make Big Hero 6 a highly proclaimed children’s film.

First off, the music selection in this film complements the montage scenes perfectly. Also

in scenes where there is peril and legitimate danger the music only intensifies the viewing
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experience. Although the use of music in a children’s film is not rare, in Big Hero 6 the directors

insert intense music and cut out the sound effects. Hiro is seeking revenge for the death of his

brother. He puts the blame directly onto Professor Callaghan and sets Baymax to kill mode.

Baymax, being the obedient robot he is, starts attacking Callaghan. The rest of the group tries to

detain Baymax from terminating as Callaghan flees. Baymax is executing his orders and the

music overtakes the entire scene. All sound effects are muted as the horns and orchestra illustrate

an extremely stressful scene. The tension rises when Baymax aims his fist cannon at his enemy

and comes to a drastic halt when Honey Lemon reinserts the health care chip to override the

termination request. Hiro’s emotions are telling him to end another human-beings life because of

the loss of his brother. The lack of sound effects throughout the scene heightens how Hiro feels

about Professor Callaghan. The audience feels real distress when watching this frightful scene.

Watching Baymax trying to perform unspeakable acts against the enemy proves to be a nail-

biter.

Furthermore, the depiction of physical labor in this film proves to be an extremely

satisfying accomplishment. (Booker, 2010, p. 2). In Big Hero 6 there are several montage scenes

where Hiro is shown either coding, learning, or constructing new technology. Directors of

children’s films commonly use this recurring theme to show hard work is “an activity in its own

right,” (Booker, 2010, p. 2). In this specific scene, Hiro is giving Baymax his first set of custom

upgrades to help him apprehend the man in the mask. He starts by loading up a video with an

individual executing karate moves to implement into Baymax’s actions bank. Hiro proceeds to

reference old samurai armor styled for his custom three-dimensionally printed set for Baymax.

After Baymax gets suited up the only thing left to do is insert the custom chipset with karate

knowledge. Hiro shouts out different martial arts moves and Baymax destroys a plethora of
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wood structures to prove his skills. Overall, Hiro is excited about the results of his enhancements

and ready to carry out what needs to be done. Hiro being the child prodigy he is, implementing a

montage of him developing new tech was easy. Throughout the film, the audience begins to

realize that once Hiro has the motivation to innovate or design he works hard to accomplish his

goals. When a younger audience member is shown the direct results of hard work it can inspire

them.

Additionally, another thing Big Hero 6 does to update the genre is replacing a character

with a cute creature. Typically, you will catch directors implementing characters in the form of

animals to “appear friendly and unthreatening to humans,” (Booker, 2010, p. 2). The use of

Baymax in this movie perfectly uses a non-living entity as a human substitution. “Baymax

originally a bodyguard/servant designed by Hiro with a limited ability to change form is here a

medical care provider created by Hiro's older brother, Tadashi with an inflatable body designed

to be soft and comforting,” (Leskosky, 2017). Throughout the film, Baymax emotionally

comforts Hiro and actively assists him in his recovery. The scene where Hiro is in rage at his

group and Baymax for failing to terminate Callaghan humanizes Baymax perfectly. Baymax is

asking Hiro if Tadashi would want him to carry out this spiteful act. Hiro is pounding on the

robot’s chest in anger when Baymax says “Tadashi is here.” Baymax then projects clips of

Tadashi testing Baymax’s early development. The camera is pointed to Tadashi as he struggles

to perfect his project’s operations. Most of the clips shown are failures and illustrate Tadashi’s

perseverance. The last clip shown ends with Baymax working successfully and Tadaishi’s

radiant face projected on the plush white stomach of his creation. Hiro reaches out to put his

hand on his brother’s face and Baymax’s chest. There is some symbolism in the fact that Tadashi

lives on through his creation. Hiro is left with regret and wants to overcome his aggressive
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actions. This moment is when Hiro realizes he can satisfy his bloodthirst correctly. The directors

make the audience emotionally crumble at the whims of this chubby robot.

Finally, the last characteristic that makes Big Hero 6 an exceptional piece of children’s

animation is the use of fantasy. In this case, the technology and overall futuristic vibe of this

movie make it very appealing to kids of the 21st century. Early in the film, Hiro is tasked with

creating new technology to impress Professor Callaghan for his entry into the institute. Hiro ends

up creating containers full of microbots that pair with other bots to do virtually anything. In the

scene where he presents them is when the magic happens. Hiro first introduces a single microbot

to the audience, then the rest come flooding through the crowd’s feet. He shows off this

technology by showing microbots are controlled by the user’s mind. Hiro instructs the microbots

to form into a waving hand as his first demonstration. Next he shows the construction that can be

accomplished by a user of this technology. Hiro steps off the newly formed tower and is saved

by his invention that transports him around the facility. As he surfs using the microbots he

performs an upside down maneuver, high-fiving Tadashi. The crowd goes crazy as he explains

that the application of this technology is limitless. This scene leaves viewers with the thought of

them owning microbots. When seeing an individual in control of this powerful technology, one

can imagine the cool things they would perform with them. Capturing fantasy and magic through

the use of highly advanced technology works so well in the 21st century because audience

members can believe that someday, it might be real. This scene also displays the very thing that

represents the antagonist in the later scenes and as a recurring piece of magic.

Overall, Big Hero 6 proceeds to update the genre of children’s animation. The fusion of

Disney and Marvel made this film extremely different in this genre. The high-tech setting and

heartwarming ending make this film extremely enjoyable to watch. With added dark elements,
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and real peril the film shined way above the conventional kid’s movie. As the audience grows

old with this film, viewers will be impacted greatly by an adorable animated robot.
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Works Reference

Booker, M. K. (2010). Disney, Pixar, and the hidden messages of children’s films.

Praeger. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.db15.linccweb.org/ehost

Hall, D. & Williams, C. (2015, February 19). Directors Don Hall and Chris Williams talk

'Big Hero 6.' [Interview by Collider]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/xAvqIX_SXWI

Lasseter, J., Conli, R., & Reed, K., (Producers), Hall, D., Williams, C. (Directors). (2014)

Big Hero 6 [Motion picture] www.disneyplus.com

Leskosky, R. J. (2017). Big Hero 6 (Don Hall and Chris Williams US 2014). Science

Fiction Film and Television, 10(1), 137+.

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A487927935/AONE?

u=lincclin_mcc&sid=AONE&xid=f354dc64