



Baymax establishes a new gold standard for animated features as one of the few comic relief characters that works as the heart of the movie rather than just the wacky sidekick. It doesn’t matter how many snippets of his performance you’ve already seen in trailers or TV spots, you’ll be left howling with laughter at the hapless healthcare companion tottering about on ridiculous inflated legs or deflating into a drunken stupor as his battery drains.









Jay and Silent Bob should sue for Miller’s character Fred). The remainder of the cast are all wonderfully enjoyable to be around, just swerving around the usual stereotypes. Particularly watchable (or listenable) is Ryan Potter as child prodigy Hiro who provides the straight character to Baymax’s bumbling, as is Daniel Henney as older brother Tadashi. The collated teen heroes manage not to blend into one with even Damon Wayans Jr. and T.J. Miller managing not to insight annoyance (though Jason Mewes ofshould sue for Miller’s character Fred).





San Fransokyo is the sumptuous backdrop against which the story is set, a glorious fusion of American and Japanese architecture that very cleverly skirts the ‘tourist spot’ factor by merging landmarks of both cultures into one. It’s a setting you feel you could get lost in for hours, not least because the visuals of the film are simply gorgeous. Skyscrapers, explosions and futuristic marvels are all beautifully realised using Disney’s brand spanking-new Hyperion rendering system (a visual accessory that threatens to dethrone How To Train Your Dragon 2 as the most stunning animation work of the past year).





Though it’s wonderful to see a superhero film that doesn’t take itself seriously or carry pretentions above its station, the knowing winks to such genre films can’t save the somewhat predictable plot. You’ll be having fun, but it’s very managed and occasionally procedural fun that does cause one to question whether the superhero origins story – no matter how uniquely told, charmingly acted and beautifully mounted – is past it’s prime. In the end, Big Hero 6 has the best of intentions and more than delivers, with echoes of The Iron Giant and Toy Story bouncing around within a fun, fast and family-friendly romp.

★★

★★

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Adapted loosely from the comic book of the same name,zooms into cinemas courtesy of Disney Animation Studios (creators of runaway hit). In the fantastical land of San-Fransokyo, Hiro Hamada is devastated when a masked supervillain steals his revolutionary robotic technology and kills his brother Tadashi. With the help of nurse robot Baymax (Scott Adsit) and a ragtag group of tech students, Hiro sets out on a mission to become a real hero and bring justice to the city.