The best thought an adult can have while watching a family-friendly program is, “I wish I had this when I was younger.” That’s where Disney+’s Baymax! steps up to the challenge. This animated series embraces the naivety and wholeheartedness of adolescence while further developing the Big Hero 6 world.
Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, Big Hero 6 premiered in 2014 to box office success and favorable reception from critics and viewers alike. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was praised for its incredible animation, world-building, and well-paced storyline. The superhero flick introduced a futuristic (and quite progressive) perspective on the accessibility of healthcare as the snarky, 14-year-old robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada is taken under the wing of older brother Tadashi and introduced to his latest creation Baymax—an adorable inflatable robot-slash-healthcare companion.
As the movie plays on, Tadashi is tragically killed during a building fire and Hiro inherits Baymax. Using his smarts, the boy wonder perfects the bot and keeps it running, even when the tasks prove to be a full-time job. Due to the movie’s success, a Disney XD spin-off, Big Hero 6: the Series, was created under the leadership of a new creative team. It saw the return of many original cast members but was eventually canceled after three seasons.
Now, marking the return of Hall (as the show’s creator), Baymax! is a delightful reintroduction to this feel-good story and its unforgettable characters. The series consists of six episodes, each under 10 minutes. Each episode follows Baymax while he travels around San Fransokyo (a combination of San Francisco and Tokyo) to aid in the care of a whirlwind of characters. The healthcare companion, reprised by Scott Adsit from the movie and Disney XD series, offers his assistance to people of all ages, races, and sexualities, continuing to build the inclusive empire that the movie launched nearly a decade ago.
Throughout the animated series, brand-new characters are introduced such as Kiko, an elderly woman whose ache in her hip unearths her emotional trauma; Mbita, a food truck owner who serves a mean fish soup (a family recipe) and tragically discovers that he has a seafood allergy; Sofia, a middle schooler who gets her first period right before her school’s talent show; and a hungry, stray cat Tachi who falls ill after accidentally swallowing an earbud.
There’s also the return of old characters with brief cameos from Hiro and an episode revolving around Aunt Cass, both voiced by their original actors Ryan Potter and Maya Rudolph. Unlike other anthology-like series, Baymax! eventually comes together in a way that is deeply reflective of the show’s values. Rather than remaining a discombobulated series of adventures, it delivers a two-part finale that has the perfect level of cheesiness despite the robot’s inherently algorithmic ways.
Baymax! is an inoffensive deal with its length making the series easily consumable; the return of Hall and the cast amplifying the authenticity; and its high-quality animation-style that while familiar, is still willing to test its limits (cue the epic yo-yo scene). The show is unafraid to keep up with the Big Hero 6 ethos and shines in the same way the movie did—refusing to bow down to cultural and gender stereotypes.
The show goes the extra mile to be inclusive by casually intertwining a queer romance that’s undeniably queer, and centers on the relationship rather than inserting it as a passing mention, and by including an episode dedicated to menstruation, which was a powerful move following the conservative outcry of Turning Red. In the latter episode, a male-coded character wearing a top that emulates a transgender flag chimes in to mention their personal hygiene product of choice after Baymax enlists the help of bystanders to select tampons and pads to deliver to poor Sofia, who has locked herself in the school bathroom.
It is a rare occasion to see an unforgettable movie spin off into something that holds equal value. The Big Hero 6 fictional world remains unwavering in its support of cultural diversity, inclusivity, and women empowerment. Baymax! is a fearless continuation of a story that people have already grown to adore, and it does its predecessors’ justice with its hight entertainment value and the never-misses-a-beat charm of its title character.
Baymax! begins streaming June 29 on Disney+.
Next: Turning Red Review
