The Rise of a Hero by Alma Uriarte

Big Hero Six, a movie that appears to be a movie about robots and high-tech suits, is not what it appears to be. In all honesty, it is a heart moving story that had an impact on many that watched it. Big Hero Six was a much anticipated movie, which had many on the edge of their seats. This action packed animated comedy caused many laughs and a few tears, it set out to break records, with an interesting plot and characters with distinct personalities that reflect off one another. The characters were sometimes the exact opposite of one another making it much more enjoyable, they continuously encouraged one another adding to the overall effect of the movie. The story doesn’t fall flat but makes sure that the next part is unpredicted, keeping everyone waiting to see what happens next. Not only did this movie appeal to kids but also teenagers and adults alike.

            Big Hero Six premiered on November 7, 2014, with midnight premieres the previous nihgt. It’s the story about Hiro Hamada, a 14 year old genius, and how he deals with a series of shocking events. This story starts off in the underground bot fights of San Fransokyo, where Hiro spends his time fighting with his own creation of a bot. Tadashi, Hiro’s older brother, directs and inspires his younger brother to apply to San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, in hopes for his brother to use his brain in a way that might help others. When tragedy befalls Hiro, he finds comfort in Baymax, a big huggable robot and the only connection to his older brother. Baymax was created to help people in distress by Tadashi. After Baymax’s unexpected arrival, Hiro and Baymax form a true strong bond that cannot be broken, they face many adventures and they each learn from each other. Together, along with a few other friends, they form the big hero six, a group of superheros. As a team they face an unexpected danger. Hiro learns that being a real hero isn’t what he thought it to be, not only does he learn that heroes make brave decisions, putting others needs before their own, he also learns that his idea of finding happiness doesn’t have to involve the suffering of another. Throughout his discovery, slowly, all the missing pieces start falling into place leading to an unforeseen ending.

            This film had very high expectations following the extremely successful Disney’s Frozen. Created by the team that made the #1 ranking movies Wreck-it-Ralph and Frozen, Big Hero Six was anticipated to reach such rank upon its release on its opening weekend. Both these stories had moving plots creating the high expectations of many who watched Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph. Frozen had many parts that were unexpected, sad, and or incredibly interesting, Big Hero Six had to have that too in order to meet its expectations. To make sure this story remained original, several startling twists were involved in the story to keep the audience on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happened next. This movie did not disappoint, and also reached its expected goal opening weekend. As expected, this movie not only had a story to warm hearts while also created joyous atmosphere but also showed how the character developed into the hero he was intended to be from the beginning.

            The story had a message, which was somewhat easy to grasp and could apply to many. Its effectiveness is what needs to be evaluated. The message is that certain traits and characteristics are what make someone a hero, not high-tech super suits. What the movie is trying to get across to the audience is that anyone can be a hero, they just have to understand what it is that makes a hero. This message is clearly expressed through Hiro, who in the beginning, is misguided in his beliefs, allowing him to confuse what a hero does and what actions based on revenge accomplish. It takes his friends and more importantly Baymax to make him realize what he is doing wrong. His actions then change resembling the actions of his older brother, this is when he and the audience realize what the actions of a true hero are. The message is then made clear and is quite effective on developing the character into a hero that the movie needs. The rise of Hiro into a hero shows how much the character developed from the beginning and effectively states the message, anyone can be a hero.