Big Hero 6: Collector's Edition Blu-ray Review By Rachel Cericola

The Film

Last night, Disney snagged an Oscar for its latest family-friendly flick. And why not? Big Hero 6 has got friendship, heartbreak, science, robots, superheroes, action, a huggable sidekick, and pretty much everything else you'd want in a movie.

Based off the comic book franchise of the same name, Big Hero 6 is actually the first time that Marvel characters have crossed the threshold into theatrical Disney animation. The result is insanely successful. This is one impressive Disney flick.

That's because Big Hero 6 has more thrills, chills and emotions than The Avengers. The story focuses on Hiro (voiced by Ryan Potter), a 14-year-old robotics whiz who gets convinced that the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology may be the perfect outlet for his genius. However, when tragedy strikes, Hiro bands together his friends and a personal companion robot by the name of Baymax (30 Rock's Scott Adsit) to form a group of unlikely superheroes and seek out justice.

As mentioned, Big Hero 6 really has it all. There's action, comedy, plenty of touching moments, and killer animation. And despite the 102-minute runtime, the film manages to develop each of its many characters really well. It's a must-see for kids, families and superhero fans alike.

Baymax and Hiro share a huggable moment in "Big Hero 6." Photo: © Disney.

Want to get a supersized peek at this movie? Check our Lexi Feinberg's theatrical review of Big Hero 6.

The Picture

Disney opted not to release a 3D version of the Big Hero 6 Blu-ray, which may upset many viewers. They did it in 3D theatrically (and quite well, I should add); why no 3D Blu-ray? I can only assume that another version will be coming at some point.

Otherwise, you should be satified with the care Disney has put into Big Hero 6. This 2.39:1 image is great from beginning to end. Black levels are deep and exactly what they should be, and, hello? This is a Disney movie -- a new one, about superheroes. As you can imagine, it's bursting with every color from the rainbow, in its characters, costumes, and surrounding scenery. The animation style is insanely sharp and that detail is evident in every single frame of this 102-minute movie. The scuff around the brim of Tadashi's hat, the wear around Fred's comic book, the shine on Baymax's squeaky exterior, the awesome aerial shots of San Fransokyo, the bubbles, and the microbots; I could really go on. The image is demo-worthy, but the film has the story and characters to back up the eye candy. It really is a great accomplishment, even by Disney standards.

The Sound

Home theater fans will have just as much fun with Disney's lone DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. The music is in-your-face and supports the action really well, but never drowns out the dialogue. And those vocals sound great too, even with the film's many characters. Of course, like any other superhero movie, the action here is the most impressive, with rocket thrusters, explosions, zips and zaps filling the soundfield with awesome directionality. The flight through San Fransokyo and when the six take on the masked villain, with all of the voices, superpowers and chirping microbots, offer some of the film's most memorable moments.

Disney's crop of extras may keep this superhero release from achieving true super status. There is some really quality stuff here, but I can't help but feel like Disney is holding back on material for a future release. The most obvious omission is a 3D option. As mentioned, Disney released an awesome theatrical 3D experience and is no stranger to Blu-ray 3D releases, so I have to wonder what held them back this time.

Otherwise, this Blu-ray has 13 minutes of deleted scenes/storyboards and three additional featurettes. However, they are great featurettes. "Big Animator 6: The Characters Behind the Characters" gives the film's animators about seven minutes of screen time. Sure, they look like they are hanging out in a janitor's closet. However, it's very cool to hear them talk about the production, even though it's mixed with clips and a peek at the voices. The slightly larger "The Origin Story of Big Hero 6: Hiro's Journey" looks like a fluffy little promo piece, hosted by actress Jamie Chung (who voices GoGo Tomago in the film). However, the 15-minute featurette does a great job mixing up interviews with the directors, writers and other behind-the-scenes folks, as they talk up how the film came to be, the original concept, the characters, the production process, and more. It does have a couple of clips from the film, but also offers unique perspectives and a few interesting tidbits.

Naturally, the highlight of the collection is the short film Feast -- um, that's Oscar-winning short film to you. This adorable short played ahead of Big Hero 6 in theaters and is absolutely worth owning, for its sweet story and excellent animation.

Final Thoughts

Big Hero 6 is a big deal for Disney. Not only is it the first time that the House of Mouse has animated Marvel characters, but the studio promoted the movie as from "the team behind" mega-blockbusters like Wreck It Ralph and Frozen. Those films deliver certain expectations, but thankfully, Big Hero 6 delivers on every level. Besides the whole Oscar thing (which should be proof enough), it has awesome AV, a great collection of male and female characters, and tons of funny, touching and action-packed moments. If you can get past the puny collection of extras (and you will, since what's here is really quality stuff), you will want to pick this one up so you can watch Big Hero 6 repeatedly.

Product Details

Voice Actors: Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T. J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans, Jr., Génesis Rodríguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph

Directors: Don Hall, Chris Williams

Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French, Spanish)

Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Number of Discs: 2

Rating: PG

Studio: Disney

Blu-ray Disc Release Date: February 24, 2015

Run Time: 102 minutes

List Price: $39.99

Extras: Theatrical Short: Feast The Origin Story of Big Hero 6 : Hiro's Journey Big Animator 6: The Characters Behind the Characters Deleted Scenes with Introductions by Directors Don Hall & Chris Williams Big Hero 6 Theatrical Teaser Sneak Peeks Standard-Def DVD Digital Copy



Overall Video Audio Movie Extras