Marval Movie

Doesn't it seem obvious that in this golden age of Superhero movies that even Disney animation would cater to the demand of the ever growing phenomenon.

We open on the city of San Fransokyo, an obvious hybrid of San Francisco and Tokyo. The fusing of the two cultures is executed very well, with familiar landscapes like the Golden Gate Bridge and Flibert Street but are then Easternized (if thats a word) with points and Kanji in the world. It is a fitting location for this wild, colorful adventure.

Our jagoan is a boy name, what else, Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter), a fourteen year old genius with robotics. He also has an elderly brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney), also a genius. This representation and casting is very refreshing to see coming from Disney. There are now multiple representations of asian characters that are also portrayed by asian actors.

They are orphans because it really wouldn't be a Disney family movie without an incomplete family. Hiro gets into Robot battles, like Cock Fights but with robots. Tadashi wishes better for his little brother than these seedy fights  so he shows him where he works. A super lab filled with other like minded geniuses.

Tadashi's project is a big balloon robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit). He is for medical care that has a round very non-thretening appearance, he takes things very literally and has moments of dry comedy that eat-up a lot of the running time of the movie. Hiro is then convinced that this is where his future lies so he applies himself for the upcoming science fare. He gets in but there is a fire and Tadashi is lost (because Disney really hates families?).

Eventually Hiro begins a quest to discover the why and the how along with Baymax. They discover that someone is indeed behind it and so Hiro fits Baymax with armour so he can now give as good as he gets.

The villain is a figure that I don't think is ever named. But he is a man in black that looks like Death in The Seventh Seal with a kabuki mask. He also psychically controls a swarm on nano-machines that form into whatever he in-visions. He also hardly ever says a word so he speaks through actions and presence. He is a rather effective villain.

The animation is very impressive. The vast selection of vivid, appealing colors is nice but also the detail in San Fransokyo and the texturing of the fabrics and other materials are unbelievably convincing. And that characters are able to express such convincing acting.

This is a truly great looking movie with appealing colours and creativity. It is guilty of pandering but this is still for the kids. This is for the children but theres also plenty for adults.

Rating: 3 stars out of 4

Feast Review

This short that opens the movie is a warm hearted, sophisticated piece of animation that that uses the technology to tell its story. Like Lady & The Tramp it is told from a dogs perspective. It will also make you very hungry while watching it.

However you should take note not to feed your own dog like the owner does in this short.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 4