Anyways, it's seriously awesome. Far better than Frozen, even just for not having any annoying songs. I'm putting my review from the Soda Shop in the spoiler below. PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS.
I found most(if not all) of the characters very real, and their emotions definitely kept me interested(if John Lasseter can pull off this much emotion in Big Hero 6, I can't wait for Inside Out). Hiro's reaction to his brother's death felt very real. I know most people expect a character to cry, but I find Hiro's lack of tears to be more realistic than anything I've yet seen in an animated picture. I can very much relate to Hiro in these scenes. I know that I personally have never shed a tear over someone close to me. I've never seen tears as a necessary part of mourning. Perhaps its just a guy thing, in which case Hiro was portrayed perfectly, but I'm not one to show my emotions, except in occasional outbreaks.
Callaghan was a huge surprise for me. From the very beginning, it was perfectly set up for Krei to be the villain. All the foreshadowing, right down to Callaghan accusing him of cutting corners to get what he wanted(it is my belief that the incident with Callaghan's daughter happened previously to the science exhibition). So when Callaghan was revealed to be the man in the mask, I was shocked(Especially considering he was supposed to be dead!). Callaghan's motives were understandable, and relatable. The parallels to Hiro's own emotions were evident, without a word being said about it. Callaghan, like Hiro, had lost someone he loved dearly, and he had someone to blame. Hiro found someone to blame in Callaghan, in that his brother died trying to save Callaghan, who managed to survive, making it that Tadashi had died for nothing. In many ways, Callaghan and Hiro were the same. Each had lost someone. Each were searching for revenge. Each had the power to destroy their enemy. Callaghan tried to kill Krei, and Hiro attempted to murder Callaghan in their island encounter. But that is where the beauty lies. In that the hero(or Hiro) had every reason to be the villain, and every reason to hate Callaghan. And in the end, he realized that that wasn't what Tadashi would have wanted. Tadashi wouldn't have wanted Hiro to avenge him. Tadashi created Baymax to help people, not to destroy those who didn't deserve to be helped. And that is one of the many places in this movie where you can see John Lasseter's genius.
Even in the more action-packed areas of the film, Lasseter's genius shines through. I think one of Lasseter's storytelling strategies is that things never work on the first try. Indeed, Hiro tried twice before he finally beat Callaghan. In the first encounter, the characters of GoGo, Wasabi, and Fred are explored, showing Wasabi's unwillingness to break the rules, GoGo's fast-paced thrill ride mentality, and Fred's rather interesting view that being chased by a supervillain is "awesome". In the second encounter, the team's desperate need for teamwork is shown, as well as Hiro's wish for revenge. And Baymax's unwillingness to harm a human being is shown, developing Tadashi's character, even after his death. In the third and final encounter, the team is defeated almost instantly. But then Hiro reminds them of Tadashi's words of wisdom from so early on in the film- to look at things from a different angle.
And, in the final character examination, BAYMAX. I love Baymax. He's so squishy and lovable. And his calm, cool, collected manner is reassuring and almost ironic throughout the entire film. It's so wonderful that he retains his initial purpose to help and to care for those who need him. "I fail to see how flying makes me a better healthcare companion." And his sacrifice for the lives of Hiro and Abigail was heartbreakingly beautiful. I think Tadashi's character lives on throughout the whole film in the form of Baymax.
Okay, maybe not the last. The other members of the team were fantastic, though I wish they had gotten a little more development. I hope that, like someone else said earlier in this thread, they will each get a half-hour short film to shine in.
And now I suppose it's time to give my(very short) list of complaints:
1. The Fire: I wish the fire had been explained. I know it could have been an accident. With so many robotics projects, any one of them could have burst into flames. But still, it felt as though Tadashi's death was somehow cheapened, in that he died for nothing, in a seemingly accidental fire, trying to save a man who saved himself. My own personal headcanon is that the fire was caused by a fight between Krei and Callaghan over the microbots. TigerintheShadows corrected me on this complaint, in saying that Tadashi's death was meant to be cheapened, and I couldn't agree more. However, I would still like to know the cause of the fire.
2. The Portal World: Why is there some kind of extra world on the other side of the portal? And when there were two of them, how did whatever went in one know to come out the other? Also, if Abigail went into hypersleep, why didn't Hiro? I understand Baymax(he's a robot), but Hiro is completely human, and if Abigail went into hypersleep, Hiro should have too.
3. Fred's Bow Tie: Fred needed to wear that bow tie from the family portrait for the entirety of the film.
Callaghan was a huge surprise for me. From the very beginning, it was perfectly set up for Krei to be the villain. All the foreshadowing, right down to Callaghan accusing him of cutting corners to get what he wanted(it is my belief that the incident with Callaghan's daughter happened previously to the science exhibition). So when Callaghan was revealed to be the man in the mask, I was shocked(Especially considering he was supposed to be dead!). Callaghan's motives were understandable, and relatable. The parallels to Hiro's own emotions were evident, without a word being said about it. Callaghan, like Hiro, had lost someone he loved dearly, and he had someone to blame. Hiro found someone to blame in Callaghan, in that his brother died trying to save Callaghan, who managed to survive, making it that Tadashi had died for nothing. In many ways, Callaghan and Hiro were the same. Each had lost someone. Each were searching for revenge. Each had the power to destroy their enemy. Callaghan tried to kill Krei, and Hiro attempted to murder Callaghan in their island encounter. But that is where the beauty lies. In that the hero(or Hiro) had every reason to be the villain, and every reason to hate Callaghan. And in the end, he realized that that wasn't what Tadashi would have wanted. Tadashi wouldn't have wanted Hiro to avenge him. Tadashi created Baymax to help people, not to destroy those who didn't deserve to be helped. And that is one of the many places in this movie where you can see John Lasseter's genius.
Even in the more action-packed areas of the film, Lasseter's genius shines through. I think one of Lasseter's storytelling strategies is that things never work on the first try. Indeed, Hiro tried twice before he finally beat Callaghan. In the first encounter, the characters of GoGo, Wasabi, and Fred are explored, showing Wasabi's unwillingness to break the rules, GoGo's fast-paced thrill ride mentality, and Fred's rather interesting view that being chased by a supervillain is "awesome". In the second encounter, the team's desperate need for teamwork is shown, as well as Hiro's wish for revenge. And Baymax's unwillingness to harm a human being is shown, developing Tadashi's character, even after his death. In the third and final encounter, the team is defeated almost instantly. But then Hiro reminds them of Tadashi's words of wisdom from so early on in the film- to look at things from a different angle.
And, in the final character examination, BAYMAX. I love Baymax. He's so squishy and lovable. And his calm, cool, collected manner is reassuring and almost ironic throughout the entire film. It's so wonderful that he retains his initial purpose to help and to care for those who need him. "I fail to see how flying makes me a better healthcare companion." And his sacrifice for the lives of Hiro and Abigail was heartbreakingly beautiful. I think Tadashi's character lives on throughout the whole film in the form of Baymax.
Okay, maybe not the last. The other members of the team were fantastic, though I wish they had gotten a little more development. I hope that, like someone else said earlier in this thread, they will each get a half-hour short film to shine in.
And now I suppose it's time to give my(very short) list of complaints:
1. The Fire: I wish the fire had been explained. I know it could have been an accident. With so many robotics projects, any one of them could have burst into flames. But still, it felt as though Tadashi's death was somehow cheapened, in that he died for nothing, in a seemingly accidental fire, trying to save a man who saved himself. My own personal headcanon is that the fire was caused by a fight between Krei and Callaghan over the microbots. TigerintheShadows corrected me on this complaint, in saying that Tadashi's death was meant to be cheapened, and I couldn't agree more. However, I would still like to know the cause of the fire.
2. The Portal World: Why is there some kind of extra world on the other side of the portal? And when there were two of them, how did whatever went in one know to come out the other? Also, if Abigail went into hypersleep, why didn't Hiro? I understand Baymax(he's a robot), but Hiro is completely human, and if Abigail went into hypersleep, Hiro should have too.
3. Fred's Bow Tie: Fred needed to wear that bow tie from the family portrait for the entirety of the film.