When the Oscar nominations were announced this year I remember there being a bit of controversy over the Best Animated Feature category.  The Lego Movie was somehow excluded from the list which made no sense because of how fun and well made it was and I also thought that How To Train Your Dragon 2 was then a shoe-in to win because of it’s smart and emotional script.  Big Hero 6 won on the night and I was really surprised, that was before I actually saw it and now I know why it won the prize.  I absolutely loved this movie, this is heady and emotional stuff that had me choked up and cheering at the same time.

Big Hero 6 is set in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo and right away I was floored by how vibrant the animation is.  The colors pop and the vision of the city is enthralling.  We’re introduced to boy genius Hiro, who right away is both endearing and tough.  We learn about his family, his friends, his ambition to invent and his smart, tech savvy nature.  Hiro has invented a revolutionary product but as the applications are starting to be realized everything for him changes.  in a beautifully done sequence we feel the weight of what happens and just how Hiro is affected.  It’s here that you realize exactly what you’re in for and that the filmmakers know how to tell a narrative.  It’s also here that we meet Hiro’s sidekick, Baymax, a medical robot who’s more concerned with Hiro’s well being than anything else and quickly becomes a memorable character in the Disney universe.  Quietly Big Hero 6 is a superhero origin story, it’s not till later that I realized this but the seeds are planted early and as the action starts we see the maturity of our heroes into the team they will become and all of it is written and plays out so well.  A villain is introduced, wonderful action scenes take place and before we know it we’re in the middle of a wonderfully put together, exciting action movie.

I’m intentionally being vague about most things because this movie is better to be experienced will little knowledge of how things go on.  I was surprised by a few scenes that almost brought me to tears and also by how engrossed in the story I was.  The characters are developed so well that investment happens organically and it’s all there in the script.  The movie is beautifully animated but without such a fantastic story it’s just pretty pictures.  Everything is done with such quality and I can’t wait to see this movie again, which I’ll be doing very soon.

Recommend? Absolutely, this one isn’t just for kids either, it’s a great movie.