Big Hero 6 and the Need for Good Storyboards

Considering the quality of talent involved, Big Hero 6 was a letdown. Co-Director Chris Williams was involved in large roles on two of the more charming Disney Feature Animation movies of the early 2000s - "The Emperor's New Groove" and "Bolt" - so I was rather hopeful that BH6 would at least have heart and charm. It did have both, but only in small doses, instead suffering from a syndrome of mid-2000s video games - great graphics (or animation) over solid, emotional narrative.

Before continuing to the problems, here's a quick list of the good:

1. Beautiful animation
2. Baymax was the best character, followed by Fred
3. Great to see ethnic diversity, even if one character bordered on stereotypical (Go Go)
4. Best of all, the pro education, science and experimentation message

However, none of the above was able to overshadow the generic story with mostly one-dimensional characters who lacked proper emotional arcs/development, particularly both lead character Hiro and the villain. Hiro's emotions lacked a good flow, causing his overall journey to feel shallow (not giving specifics so as to avoid spoilers). The villain had an absolutely unnecessary mystery element to them. There was no need to incorporate a mystery like that when doing an intro film for not just a single character, but a team. It was an extra layer that added nothing.

Like when Hiro and Baymax would take in a spectacular view, when zooming out to the see the big picture of the movie, the story becomes rather strange raising several questions. What is this story about? Is it about the brothers? Is it about a young genius discovering his potential? Is this a world with superheroes? Is this story about superheroes? Is it about relationships in general? Is it a team coming together to overcome the odds? It was scattered, to say the least, with the POV needing work.

As well, in a rather surprising move for a Disney movie, the world felt INCREDIBLY dangerous. The ragtag team of superheroes are actually a group of college students with no prior fighting skills utilizing super sharp and harmful weapons while the villain was overtly violent and murderous. It was shocking how often I felt the characters were in actual danger, particularly due to the previous world issue point (is this a world with superheroes who can take a beating or not?). Because these were real humans in larger-than-life situations, it lacked the proper weight when each superhero discovered their powers. Everyone just accepted their incredibly dangerous new reality as if there were no repercussions (and were suddenly mostly pros). That's a scary message for kids that more than balances out the positive message of point #4 above.

The reasons above could easily have been discovered and resolved during storyboarding had the film given that stage its proper due. To be fair, I have no idea what the pre-production and production phases of the film were like; it could have been plagued with problems. As it appears that there will be a sequel (which I am actually OK with), I hope Disney takes the time to learn from the mistakes of the first film. I'd love to see another example of a sequel that surpasses the original, even if the bar isn't that high.

An additional criticism that should have flagged the quality of the film - the poor use of pop music and rather mediocre soundtrack. The occasional pop song in a film can be great (such as the use of numerous Prince songs in Tim Burton's first Batman), but the ones in Big Hero 6 felt... childish. Granted, they weren't nearly as bad as other kids movies.

On a pet peeve final note, the character Honey-Lemon bugged me. Throughout the film she was the only character to properly pronounce Hiro's name as "Hee-Ro" rather than the more standard american "Hero." However, as even Hiro would pronounce his name as "Hero," I would have preferred if she had done the same. It's similar to Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Q: What do you call it when a mammoth stuck in time insults someone?

A: A tar diss

Birdman - A Groundbreaking Narrative of Required Viewing

To put it simply, it's a work of art that requires processing.

Upon leaving the theater, I thought it was more good than bad, but always interesting. After digesting it for some time, that still holds true. I'm not sure if I'd put it in my Top 5, Top 10 or even Top 50, but it's a very special movie. It's special because it manages to successfully walk the line between two worlds - it simultaneously celebrates and takes down both theater and cinema.

Director and writer (and team) Alejandro González Iñárritu made a completely unique piece of film that takes storytelling to a whole new level. There really is nothing quite like it and probably won't be for some time. Its legacy for the general public will more than likely end up as a cult independent movie primarily for film lovers, but its achievements will hopefully transcend its status.

Strangely, the only thing I may be able to compare it to is Scott Pilgrim as to how much the directors just own their story, narrative and experience; self-contained stories with their own language. It's incredibly meta and beautifully so.

The layered acting is also fantastic and one of the most noteworthy achievements of the film, due in part to its long takes. While Emma Stone and Edward Norton are the standouts (Norton's debut scene being one of the best of the experience), Michael Keaton obviously is the one to carry the movie. He's equal parts over-the-top and honest/vulnerable. I'd love to see him do a third Batman movie after this.

Not only do I highly recommend Birdman, I'll go so far as to say it's required viewing for fans of cinema, theater and/or narrative in general. Even if you don't fall in love with it, this is an important movie.