Big Hero Six, Worth the Tix
by ParentCo.
February 23, 2015
This article was originally posted on Todaybox.co. We reposted it after Big Hero Six won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The screen explodes with futuristic architecture in a world where Japan meets America in Disney’s Big Hero Six. Teen robotics genius Hiro Hamata joins forces with an inflatable healthcare robot and other promising science savants to save San Fransokyo (a blend of Tokyo and San Francisco) in this new flick.
Big Hero Six was an instant hit with our sci-fi loving, tech-oriented family. It incorporates a boatload of lessons I want my kid and students to understand and is worth seeing on the big screen.
Here are six reasons Big Hero Six is worth the tix:
1. Strong female characters pervade throughout the film. Aunt Cass takes in Hiro and his brother Tadashi after their parents die. She owns and runs her own business while single parenting the two boys. Hiro teams up with a college chemist named Honey Lemon and a mechanics and engineering major named Go Go Tomago, who has a passion for inventing fast transportation. Weak females infest most of Disney’s films, so it is refreshing to see three strong women in this flick. At one point Tomago even says to Hiro, “woman up” instead of “man up.”
2. It promotes a growth mindset. Recent brain research teaches us that intelligence is not fixed, but that is a difficult concept to teach children and even some adults. Big Hero Six shows characters failing and persevering with a growth mindset in mind. Hiro’s brother Tadashi creates over 89 prototypes before his healthcare robot Betamax functions properly. The six heroes prototype their costumes and weapons over and over again until they get them right. When the characters hit a road block or get stuck, they think outside of the box and test different theories until they problem solve their way out of a sticky situation.
3. It will make you want to do more science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities with your kids. This movie will have your kids wanting to attend Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, or MIT. The whole family will want to build and tinker with technology more after watching this film. Our six year old says she wants to be a “Lego robot designer” when she grows up, so this was the perfect flick for her.
4. Collaboration is key in Big Hero Six. No single hero dominates the screen. Six characters must work together to save San Fransokyo. Together they problem solve and learn that if one acts alone, it endangers and affects the others in the group. This is another key concept that is difficult to teach kids and students. Big Hero Six models the art and value of collaboration well.
5. It showcases a more culturally diverse America. Big Hero Six includes racially diverse families, businesses, and academic settings. It is not the typical ethnocentric western film Disney creates. Heroes come from different racial backgrounds, a refreshing change. We loved seeing how the film blends Asian and Western architecture, language, and cultural elements together in San Fransokyo.
6. The humor and timing is impeccable. Big Hero Six masters the art of timing a joke. We rolled in our seats with laughter from start to finish. The jokes are fun and appropriate for all ages.
Spoiler alert:
This film is rated PG. True to tradition Disney kills off the parents and a brother. I would not recommend this film for children under five years of age, as there is a death scene and some of the scenes with the villain may be frightening for young children. But Big Hero Six is definitely worth the tix for kids and adults ages five and up!
ParentCo.
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