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WAMG Takes A Glimpse Inside The World Of BIG HERO 6
BIG HERO 6, Disney’s all new animated film based off of the comic book series published by Marvel Comics, is set to release on November 7, 2014 but WAMG was lucky enough to get a sneak peek. A few weeks ago, I attended an early press day for the film where a small group of journalists were shown scenes from the film. While there, we also talked with Chris Williams (Director), Don Hall (Director), Jin Kim (Character Design Supervisor), Kyle Odermatt (Visual Effects Supervisor), Lorelay Bove (Visual Development Artist), Mark Henn (Lead 2D Animator), Michael Franceschi (Animation Supervisor), Michael Kaschalk (Head of Effects), Nathan Curtis (Effects Production Supervisor), Nathan Engelhardt (Animation Supervisor), Paul Briggs (Head of Story), Paul Felix (Production Designer), Robert L Baird (Screenplay By), Roy Conli (Producer), Shiyoon Kim (Lead Character Designer) and Zach Parrish (Head of Animation) about their role in bringing the story, characters and world of BIG HERO 6 to life.
From Walt Disney Animation Studios, the team behind “Frozen” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” comes “Big Hero 6,” an action-packed comedy-adventure about the special bond that develops between Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit), a plus-sized inflatable robot, and prodigy Hiro Hamada (voice of Ryan Potter). When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo and catapults Hiro into the midst of danger, he turns to Baymax and his close friends adrenaline junkie Go Go Tomago (voice of Jamie Chung), neatnik Wasabi (voice of Damon Wayans Jr.), chemistry whiz Honey Lemon (voice of Genesis Rodriguez) and fanboy Fred (voice of T.J. Miller). Determined to uncover the mystery, Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes called “Big Hero 6.
Producer Roy Conli says that family—the kind that you’re born with and the kind you find—is at the core of the movie. “It’s a powerful theme that audiences relate to,” says Conli. “The nuances of the relationships in deeply emotional films like ‘Bambi’ or ‘The Lion King’ are so interesting. There’s something about these stories that can really touch people.”
BIG HERO 6 is based off of the comic book series published by Marvel Comics. When I asked Directors Chris Williams and Don Hall about Marvel’s involvement in the film, Hall said “We call them friends of the court, you know. We got to be pretty good friend with Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb. Joe is sort of their Chief Creative Officer. And, you know, they came to screenings and they became part of our story trust and after the screenings they would give notes, just like any other story trust. They’d meet with the other directors, and they just kind of came into that group and again, as friends of the court. Nothing was ever directed. Every note, just like all of the notes given here, were given with the best intent.”
BIG HERO 6 focuses around Hiro, a brilliant young inventor with a bit of a slacking problem, and the friendship he develops with Baymax, a plus-sized inflatable robot initially designed as a Personal Healthcare Companion. Hiro stumbles upon Baymax by mistake, and when he discovers that he cannot shake the oversized caregiver, he decides to use him to his advantage. Somewhere along the way the two forge a friendship. (It wouldn’t be a Disney movie without friends!) One thing is for sure… Baymax is certain to steal the hearts of audiences.
To create this lovable, air filled sidekick the team looked at soft robotics. Fun fact: The simplistic design of Baymax’s face was inspired by the bottom of a bell the team saw on a trip to Japan. (You can’t stop staring at his head, can you?)
Disney has always been adamant on doing their homework. While talking to Kyle Odermatt, Michael Kaschalk, and Nathan Curtis about the film’s visual effects, they explained that the microbots in the film were grounded on research as well as the behavior of insects. Curtis explains “There were four components that the director had – that the microbots had to be, and one of those was that they are a robot. We always try to ground everything that we do in research so that it fits into the world that we are creating. So, we did a lot of microbot research – I mean robotic research. We talked to specialists. We also looked at cooperative behavior among insects, and here you see ants that are crawling over other ants that are making themselves into a bridge. We knew that that was a type of behavior that the microbots had to do, and so this was really inspirational footage.”
The movie is set in SanFransokyo, which is a combination of two very popular cities. “I thought about San Francisco,” says Hall, “which is cool, but I thought ‘What if it was San Francisco mashed up with Tokyo.’ It felt more interesting as a setting—more playful and exotic. It was something we could create. And the visual possibilities of those two cities—which are pretty different aesthetically—mashed together felt like a really cool place to set the story.”
Speaking of story, one thing that most people would never guess is that the first screenings of every Disney and/or Pixar movie are a bit painful for those involved. While speaking with Robert Baird and Paul Briggs, the two joked about watching some of our favorite films for the first time during production. Briggs began, “FROZEN was a terrible first screening. I was on it on the first screening, and I was like ‘I do not want to work on that movie. That is such a mess.’ Baird continued, “Trust me. Every movie in Pixar/Disney… disaster first screenings!” Of the 4-5 years spent making BIG HERO 6, 2-3 of those years were devoted entirely to story. “This is a dream come true, working on a comic book / action movie,” Briggs said “but this is so much more than that. This is about family, and this is about the people in your life. I’m proud of it. Honestly, I am.”
The footage screening left me excited for the final film. From the clips I saw, this film is going to be an emotional, funny, action-packed ride. I need more Baymax!
FOR MORE INFO:
Like BIG HERO 6 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyBigHero6
Visit the Website: http://www.disney.com/BigHero6
BIG HERO 6 opens in theaters everywhere on November 7
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