EXCLUSIVE FILM REVIEW: BIG HERO 6 (PG)

Disney’s own animation studios are on roll – and now shows it can compete with the previously far-superior Pixar Studios they then acquired.

After the success with Wreck-it Ralph, and of course, Frozen, they’ve continued their purple patch with a Japanese-influenced superhero flick, that is an endearing action-adventure set in the colourfully-crafted technological hybrid city of San Fransokyo (no explanation needed) – that has lots of heart and oodles of ingenuity.

This is actually based on a recent Marvel property – even though Disney’s sister studios haven’t had an official input – as robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter), forms a tech-savvy superhero squad to tackle an evil nemesis who is using one of Hiro’s inventions for his own dastardly gains, and turns his lovable ‘Michelin Man’ looking relatable robot Baymax (Scott Adsit) into a kick-ass ninja for good measure.

In fact, this companion – who was initially made by Hiro’s older brother as a ‘health care’ aid to detect injuries in humans – is one of the best sidekicks seen in a Disney animation in ages.

The film does suffer from comparisons with The Incredibles, and the battle scenes do become a bit clichéd and messy during the finale, but for the most part this is fantastic stuff – particularly as it doesn’t have a big star name attached – complete with some lusciously-devised animation.

Throw in a fairly innovative story, some clever humour, a couple of really heartwarming moments – and a computer-generated Stan Lee – and you’ve got all the ingredients for Big Hero 6 to hopefully snag the Best Animation gong at the Oscars.

It didn’t win at the Globes – but IS better than How to Train Your Dragon 2 which won the award.

It also has a fantastic animated short called Feast attached to it before the actual movie starts – portraying a man’s romantic journey through the lens of the food he feeds his dog – which at only six minutes is nearly worth the ticket price alone.

But couple it with Big Hero 6 and it equals a great family outing – which is available in both 2 and 3D – as Disney Animation Studios continue to grow in strength.

Throw in Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar – then ‘The House of Mouse’ has all the ingredients for movie (and theme park) domination.

Visit www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for the latest up-to-date showtimes for movies at Peterborough Showcase. You can also join the chat on Twitter @showcasecinemas or on Facebook by searching for ‘Showcase Cinemas UK’.

Gavin Miller

Voice Cast: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Damon Wayans Jr, Genesis Rodriguez, Tj Miller, Jamie Chung, Daniel Henney, Maya Rudolph, Alan Tudyk & James Cromwell

Running Time: 1 Hr 42 Mins

Directors: Don Hall & Chris Williams [youtube id=”z3biFxZIJOQ” width=”600″ height=”350″]