Big Hero Six - Movie Review

May Contain Spoilers

A short summary of this movie is that Hiro (Supah Ninja's Ryan Potter) is a 13 year-old genius loses his genius brother Tadashi (Male Model Daniel Henney) who invented Baymax (30 Rock's Scott Adsit), a med robot and seeks to stop a mysterious man in a kabuki mask who seems to have stolen his own invention. Tadashi went to a technology university with colorful friends who become Hiro's teammates like tough chick GoGo (Jamie Chung), Follow-the-rules Always-in-order Wasabi (New Girl's Damon Wayans Jr.), goofy dreamer Fred (Silicon Valley's T.J. Miller), and Manic Pixie Dream Girl Honey Lemon (Miami's Genesis Rodriguez). The sidekicks come off one-dimensional without a lot of depth. We first see Fred only in a comical manner so when we first see him serious, it looks ingenue. 

Baymax is a well-meaning A.I. fish-out-of-water huggable and lovable character, an innocent. When we first meet Hiro, he is doing illegal gambling in robot battles and Tadashi is his protective older brother that only wants the best for him. The whole movie is an ode to Japanese culture (Hiro has a Mazinger Z clock in his bedroom), set in the fictional San Franstokyo. It is the usual coming-of-age story with the Disney tropes of loosing a love one. It is a bit over-kill that Hiro has lost his parents and then his brother. The story is a bit predictable. The villain is hinted upon to be the millionare Alistair Krei (Suburgatory's Alan Tudyk), I had a feeling the characters would think it would be him and they did and then I knew it wouldn't be him. And there you go.

 

Hiro convince/tricks Baymax and his friends in a different manners to become the team. For Baymax, he tells him to capture the kabuki mask guy would make him happy. He tells the gang all they are doing is taking off the mask of the villain-which controls the robots that Hiro made and were stolen. But what Hiro later becomes obsessed with is revenge and almost kills. Well, he wants Baymax to kill and it gets deliciously dark. Of course being a Disney film, he learns his lesson quickly and changes his mind. But there is that duality there with him and the villain, here are the spoilers:

FOR SURE SPOILERS

The villain of course ends up being Hidashi's mentor and he wants revenge on Alistair for losing his daughter in  failed experiment. But when Hiro asks Callaghan about Hidashi, he says it was his own fault, not seeing the irony in that Hiro lost his brother and wants revenge and he wants the same thing--he wants his daughter back. If you seen the movie, you know that Hiro and Baymax end up saving his daughter and bringing her back. The movie could had done in two directions: Callaghan could have gotten Hiro on his side by convincing him Callaghan started the fire and get revenge for Hidashi on Callaghan as well. The second direction could had been that Callghan could had egged on Hiro more so about the loss of his brother in order to drive him to the edge of committing a double suicide-kind of thing but of course, that's way too dark for Disney but has happened in Pixar's Incredibles.

Conclusion

Anyway, the movie is funny and great but has noticeable flaws. As for cameos and in-jokes, there are references to Kajuu (Godzilla-like monsters like Fred's costume), giant robos (like the aforementioned Mazinger Z), Sentai (masks in Fred's room) and other Anime (Samurai Pizza Cats in the end credits). I don't want to be a total negative person, it is a pretty movie but is it better than Frozen? It's like comparing apples and oranges. But is it better than Meet the Robinsons, Bolt and Chicken Little? Lightyears.

Pop culture Uncles and Nephews

I have been an uncle since I was 5 and became a Great Uncle four years ago (I'm 31, my sister is 48 and a grandma). I am fascinated by uncles and nephews in the media, as many don't mention the mother or father of the nephew.

 Kermit and Robin

 Robin first appeared in Frog Prince in 1971 television special. Although Robin made a few appearances on The Muppet Show's first season, his relationship to Kermit was not established until Season 2. He was voiced by Jerry Nelson. He is now voiced by Matt Vogel. They were then translated into Muppet Babies, Robin was a tadpole.

 Scooby-Doo and Scrappy

Scooby-Doo was part of a ghost detective group of teenagers and he loved eating. Later on in the first series, his nephew was introduced. Scrappy was not a popular character but he was Scooby's nephew. Scrappy turned up in the live-action film as a villain.

Donald Duck and his nephews

Huey, Dewey and Louie were created by Ted Osborne and Al Taliaferro, and first appeared in a newspaper comic strip on October 17, 1937. They are identical triplets, they have also been given to Uncle Scrooge on DuckTales.

 Mickey Mouse and his nephews

His nephews aren't very well known but appear in a lot of merchandise and a few cartoons. Morty and Fredie Fieldmouse are their names. They started in Mickey's Nephews (published in 1932).

 Popeye and his nephews

Popeye's nephews Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye and Poopeye first starred in "Me Musical Nephews.” They are not as better known as other nephews in popular media.

 _______________________
Here are some Uncle and Nieces or Aunts and Nieces

 Inspector Gadget and Penny

Penny was the brains of the operation.

 

Minnie Mouse and her nieces

In the short Bowtoons, Minnie has twin nieces Millie and Melody.

  

Tenderheart and Wonderheart

In the current CGI series "Welcome to Care-A-Lot," the main bear Tenderheart now has a little niece known as Wonderheart.

Miss Piggy, Andy and Randy

Her nephews became more known in Muppets Tonight.

Pixar's Pairing of Sitcom stars and Movie stars

Most Pixar movies follow this pattern. Most Pixar movies in the beginning were buddy pictures, some that were not follow this pattern I am about to talk about. This pattern is having at least the lead characters were one star that usually did sitcoms before the film and one star usually known for movies, even if they did a sitcom in the past (like Tom Hanks in Bosom Buddies). The film star could have also be a comedian and the sitcom star could had previously be a stand-up comedian as well.

1. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen

Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3

Tim Allen has a sitcom now ("Last Man Standing") but before Toy Story, he was famous for the sitcom ("Home Improvement" now reruns on Hallmark channel). After Toy Story, he did films (The Santa Clause, Zoom, etc.). Tom Hank was best known for Philadelphia and Big. Tim Allen started out as a stand-up comedian.

 

2. Dave Foley and Kevin Spacey

A Bug's Life

Dave Foley was known for the sitcom "News Radio" on NBC that also starred Phil Hartman and Andy Dick. Kevin Spacey was known for the movies The Usual Suspects and A Time to Kill, he also did TV shows like L.A. Law. Even though they were not buddies in the picture, they serve this example. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was also in the film and best known for the sitcom "Seinfeld."

 3. John Goodman and Billy Crystal

Monsters Inc, Monsters University

Billy Crystal, a stand-up comedian was best known for City Slickers and Princess Bride at the time. John Goodman was mostly known for the sitcom "Roseanne" at the time, even though he did The Big Lebowski before Monster Inc but it was a cult hit. He has done more films since then.

4. Ellen DeGeneres and Al Brooks

Finding Nemo, Finding Dory

Ellen DeGerneres, a stand-up comedian best known for the sitcom "Ellen" at the time and Al Brooks, best known for comedy films such as Modern Romance (1981), Lost in America (1985) and Defending Your Life (1991). Ellen now has her talk show.

5. Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter

The Incredibles

Craig T. Nelson was best known at the time for the ABC sitcom "Coach." He did do The Poltergiest before that. Holly Hunter, soley known for her movies such as The Piano, Broadcast News and The Firm. After the film, she later did the TNT drama "Saving Grace." They played a married couple, it wasn't a buddy comedy but a family action film.

6. Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy

Cars and Cars 2

Owen Wilson is best known for Starsky and Hutch, Wedding Crashers, Meet the Parents and The Royal Tenenbaums. Larry the Cable Guy, a stand-up comedian did the comedy show "Blue Collar TV" on the WB.

7. Patton Oswalt and Ian Holm

Ratatouille 

Even though Ian Holm wasn't part of the buddy pair of Remy and Liguini (who was played by production artist Lou Romano), they kind of serve this purpose. Ian Holm (Lord of the Rings, King Lear and The Fifth Element) played Skinner. Peter O'Toole (Lawrence of Arabia) played Anton Ego and is a film star.  Janeane Garofalo is also a stand-up comedian but not a sitcom star. Brad Garrett is best known for the sitcom "Everybody loves Raymond." Patoon Oswalt, the star as Remy is a stand-up comedian and was in the sitcom "King of Queens."

8. Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer

Up

Ed Asner is best known for the sitcom "The Marry Tyler Moore Show" and Christopher Plummer for films The Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther, The Man Who Would Be King and the 1969 classic Lock Up Your Daughters.

Wall-E and Brave did not follow this pattern. Wall-E did have film stars and some comedians but the main characters barely spoke. Brave had relatively unknowns in the United States.

Muppet Generation 2 Performers

I covered what performers there were there for muppets back in the day but here are those who took over for the old performers for various reasons. Where one performer cover 5 Muppets or more, there are performers who split them up.

 Kermit the Frog

Famously Kermit was performed by Jim Henson,  when he passed away, the family had to make the decision if Kermit would continue and ultimately Steve Whitmire. Jane Henson reflected on the recasting, in a 1990 interview: "Steve Whitmire as Kermit: "When Jim was alive, he said if anything happened to him, Kermit must go on right away. Because of Kermit's significant place, Jim had essentially chosen who he thought could do it. But we don't want to say who it is before the show. The performer needs time. Kermit won't come back so strong at first. Then little by little, he will get his whole personality back."

  Miss Piggy

 Eric Jacobson took over in 2001 from Frank Oz. Frank Oz only did voice over for Muppet Treasure Island and Muppets in Space. Eric Jacobson started working with the Muppets in 1994 as a puppeteer on Sesame Street, and rose through the ranks of Sesame puppeteers. In order to keep the characters of Frank Oz - who was focusing more on directing and other pursuits - alive and visible, Jacobson was selected due to his strong puppeteer talent and extremely similar vocal range. Jacobson is currently the principal performer of Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Animal and Sam the Eagle – as Frank Oz had retired as their performer in 2000.

 

 Fozzie the Bear

Frank Oz originated the role, Eric Jacobson took over in 2001.

Gonzo

David Goelz still performs Gonzo. He also performs Beauregard, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, Stinky the Skunk, and Rugby Tiger, as well as succeeding the role of Waldorf from Jim Henson.

Scooter

He was originated by Richard Hunt in 1976 until he passed away in 1991. David Rudman took over in 2008. Though Scooter never made any appearances between 1992 and 1999, a framed photo of him appears on-screen in Muppets Tonight episode 106. Following the death of Richard Hunt, Scooter would not have a consistent performer for 16 years until David Rudman took over.

 

Janice

Janice was originally performed by Fran Brill in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence pilot in 1975, and in the first set of Muppet Meeting Films. Eren Ozker performed Janice in the first season of The Muppet Show. Richard Hunt took over the character in season two, and gave Janice her familiar Valley girl voice and attitude. David Rudman has since taken over.

Statler and Waldorf

Richard Hunt did Statler from 1976 - 1991, Jerry Nelson originated it in 1975 and took over 1992 - 2003. He died and Steve Whitmire took over 2002 - present. Jim Henson did Waldorf from 1975 - 1990 and Dave Goelz took over 1992 - present.

Rowlf the dog

Jim Henson started it in 1962 to 1990. Bill Baretta took over in 1996. Jim Henson would usually perform the head (and voice) and left hand, while another Muppeteer (including, at various times, Frank Oz, Jerry Juhl, Jerry Nelson, Louise Gold, and Steve Whitmire) performed his right hand.

Beaker

Richard Hunt started the role, Steve Whitmire took over in 1992.

Floyd Pepper

Jerry Nelson started it and stopped performing in 2003. He died recently. Matt Vogel took over in 2006. Since joining Sesame Street in 1996, Matt Vogel has become most familiar for his work as Caroll Spinney's understudy for Big Bird on Sesame Street, including the "Journey to Ernie" segments, several street scenes and other appearances whenever Spinney is unavailable. He has also taken over some of Jerry Nelson's characters (Robin the frog and Count von count), by the recommendation of Nelson himself, multiple years before Nelson's death.

Grover and Bert

 Frank Oz performed Bert and Grover. In 1997, Eric Jacobson started performing Bert on a semi-regular basis, and the next year he added Grover to his list as well; he began to perform both characters full-time with Play with Me Sesame. Today, Jacobson is the principal performer of these two Sesame stars – however Frank Oz occasionally comes in to record new material with them.

 Cookie Monster

Frank Oz originated it, David Rudman took over in 2001. Rudman first started working with the Muppets in a summer internship with the Muppet Workshop in 1981, when he was 18 years old. His friend Richard Hunt helped him get a job as a Muppet performer.

Ernie

Steve Whitmire took over in 1993 from Jim Henson.

Top 5 Superheronies who need Films

I always love superheronies and always think there should be women-lead superhero or action movies. There have been quite a few but of course none where hits or concerned 'successes' like Elektra, Catwoman, Ultraviolet, Tank Girl, Resident Evil and Aeon Flux. Resident Evil is a moderate success, spawning various sequels. But inspired by the article below here are 5 I believe deserve movies, not only comic books but TV shows and manga.

 

HitFix.com's "10 Superheronies who need a Movie."

Source: http://www.hitfix.com/news/marvel-studios-has-scripts-for-ms-marvel-and-a-new-blade-movie 

 

5. Sailor Moon

This can be a thorny issue with fans. For those who don't know, she is an Anime superstar. Having started in Manga back in 1992, her Anime was dubbed in various countries like the United States in 1995. She had a live-action series in Japan in 2003. An English North American Live-Action film was rumored back in 1995, I still think it would work and be cool to have one. But there are so many issues. How can you take seriously an American movie with teenage girls in skirts and leotards spinning around?

 

 4. Spider-Woman

Many women have been Spider-Woman in the comics but the first--Jessica Draw, is the most interesting. She is part of Hydra and victim of genetic experiments and her loyalty questioned. Unlike Spider-Man, she is an adult and has her own fighting techniques. I think concentrating on her differences from Spider-Man and separating her from Peter would be better. She can also be launched from Avengers.

 

3. Batwoman

Batwoman has been recreated recently as Lesbian heroine who fights more magic-influenced villains than Batman and doesn't rely on him to fight evil in Gotham. I think it would be interesting to concentrate on this version of her. Now where a Lesbian lead character in an action franchise would be a hard sell, but stranger things have happened. Now why Batwoman should have a movie other than Batgirl because like Robin and Nightwing, Batgirl sort of relies on Batman. And what with two and possible three film franchises of Batman, it is better to step away from him.

 

 

 2. Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel

Linda Darvens a.k.a Ms. Marvel and now Captain Marvel. She is the source of Rogue's powers in X-Men comics. She has had different origin stories through time. I was hoping she'd appear on Avengers 2 but it looks like she might not but who knows. I think simplifying her origin story and powers should be done. There was confusion over Green Lantern's powers in his film because they aren't so concrete. I think they should concentrate on her humanity.

 

1. Wonder Woman

The most wanted and the one in development hell. Joss Whedon was once attached by Warner Bros and then let go. It is a tough cookie to bake but there was a TV series in the 70's by Linda Carter. Basic story is that she is an Amazon from an island of women and comes to our world, not knowing much of it and having superstrength, a lasso of truth, bracelets and an invisible plane. I think an experienced actress but not big name actress should lead it, probably someone in her 30's, not someone too young.

Wierdest Movie Pairings

Lately they have been pairing actors that I would have not thought to be together. 

Selena Gomez and Ethan Hawke in Getaway

A rising star like Selena Gomez and Ethan Hawke, who has just come back from obscurity. Brent Magna must get behind the wheel and follow the orders of a mysterious man to save his kidnapped wife. Ethan's latest hits are The Purge and Before Midnight, but his biggest hit before was Training Day in 2001.

Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake in Runner Runner

Ben Affleck as the bad guy and JT as the Princeton Grad who lost gambling, doesn't sound right. JT always plays these good guys who do impossible things. And Ben has been doing dramas lately. Both are good at comedies, I would like them in a comedy better. But who knows, it might be a hit.

Disney projects of movies that didn't become hits

With movies and theme park attractions, it can be hit and miss. Especially with Disney. When a movie is a hit, Disney makes attractions but sometimes they put their eggs in a basket and include them in theme parks or projects and the movie fails. Now maybe the movie was good but it wasn't a hit. 

 Return of Oz

Return of Oz was made by Disney in the 80's. I love the film but it was not a hit.

 The Disneyland Paris version of the Storyland Canal Ride is the only one to have a model of the Emerald city  from Return to Oz.

 Atlantis: The Lost Empire 

It came out in 2001 and Disney was planning big on this. Due to the film's poorer-than-expected box-office performance, Disney quietly canceled both a spin-off television series and an underwater attraction at its Disneyland theme park.

 

Dinosaur

Disney's Dinosaur came out in 2000. The Countdown to Extinction attraction at the Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, was renamed and re-themed to the movie. It is now known as Dinosaur. It was a hit but I rarely remember it and not much people talk about it. Adam Fendelman of HollywoodChicago says: " Films like “Dinosaur,” “Treasure Planet,” and “Brother Bear” won’t be getting theme park ride revivals any day soon." http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/22464/blu-ray-review-disney-pulls-atlantis-lilo-stitch-from-vaults

 Disney's Lone Ranger

 The recent Lone Ranger film with Johnny Depp failed but they are still included in the new Disney Infinity game in which you put the toys into the video game.