Since I do everything I can to distance myself from rabid fanboys, maybe you can answer this for me: Are fans of the Marvel comic series Big Hero 6 crying foul over the new animated Disney adaptation?
From what I saw, the Mouse House didn’t bother being faithful to the original text. They probably didn’t think anyone would be that upset, since the comic itself is so damn obscure. (When will Hollywood realize no matter how little-known the source material, there will always be a cult of naysayers ready to go HAM if you don’t do right by their prized possession?)
The comic's ragtag (aren’t they always?) superhero crew, which originally consisted of shape-shifters, secret agents and mutant ronin, certainly gets Disney-fied for family audiences, Now it’s a bunch of tech-school nerds — voiced by non-threatening funnymen (Damon Wayans Jr., T.J. Miller) and a diverse portfolio of dimes (Jamie Chung, Genesis Rodriguez) — who reluctantly help a grieving teen prodigy (Ryan Potter) track down the Big Bad who stole his invention and killed his equally smart big brother.
Also helping the kid with his mission is his late brother’s last invention: an inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow Man-looking robot (30 Rock’s Scott Adsit) that was initially built for healthcare support. (This is definitely a 180 from the Baymax of the comic, a synthetic science project-turned-bodyguard who could morph into a big-ass dragon.)
Hardcore geeks might complain about what Disney has done to their precious superheroes, but my only problem is how harried the movie ultimately feels. Like most non-Pixar Disney animated features, it’s in such a rush to prove it’s as smart-alecky, visually eye-popping and teeming with pathos as Pixar that it's more exhausting than exciting.
The expedient, clustery narrative raises suspicions the movie exists mostly to set the stage for sequels, which you know will be coming one after the other. As cute and fun as Big Hero 6 is in bursts, don’t be surprised if it slowly slips from your memory.
