Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Genius teen Hiro Hamada has already lost his parents, but when tragedy strikes again, he uses his scientific know-how to turn mild-mannered, inflatable nurse-bot Baymax into a karate-kicking, armor-plated crime-fighter. But is Hiro out for justice...or vengeance? Either way, the duo can’t win this fight without help, and so they join forces with a group of friends to form their own high-tech super-squad, finding plenty of excitement along the way, as well as some important lessons about what it means to be a hero. Inspired by a relatively obscure Marvel Comic, the Oscar-winning Big Hero 6 is an epic origin saga full of heart and humor.

This animated movie is also beautiful to look at, generous with its sprawling, richly realized vistas of San Fransokyo, a future world unlike any we’ve seen before. The bustling city comes alive in 1080p, with distinct color palettes for day and night scenes, particularly breathtaking at sunset. The 2.39:1 image boasts outstanding, lifelike shadow detail, notably inside the not-so-abandoned warehouse. The quality is photorealistic down to the inspired subtleties of focus and minute shading on objects like an embossed college seal, and yet the character design and art direction remind us that this is still very much a cartoon, and I use that term in the most respectful sense. 

Considering the scope and content of this action-adventure, the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1-channel soundtrack is remarkably restrained, and the resulting experience might be the better for it. The low end packs ample power when it needs to, without shaking the rafters during explosions and such. Dialogue is dependably clean and legible. The protagonists (and their antagonist) have some wild sci-fi hardware at their disposal, and the surrounds are engaged frequently but never in a distracting fashion. The wide dynamic range also accommodates the trebly squeak of Baymax’s vinyl body and his tiny, high-pressure air leaks.

The bonus features are quite good, although more would have been welcome. Four deleted/alternate scenes—none fully animated—come with on-camera director introductions. Co-star Jamie Chung takes us behind the scenes to glimpse the evolution of the story, preceded by a spoiler alert, thankfully. There’s a brief featurette on the animators and a guide to the movie’s Easter eggs, itself hidden as an Easter egg. Feast, the wonderful Academy Award–winning animated short that accompanied Big Hero 6 theatrically, is included here, as are a DVD and Digital HD copy.

Blu-Ray
Studio: Disney, 2014
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Length: 102 mins.
MPAA Rating: PG
Directors: Don Hall, Chris Williams
Starring: Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney