An Interview with a Seven Year Old About the Animated Superhero Movie, 'Big Hero 6'

By Dustin Rowles | Film | November 11, 2014 |

By Dustin Rowles | Film | November 11, 2014 |

Big Hero 6 is a lively, action-packed superhero film that follows Hiro, a 13-year-old engineering prodigy who decides, on the advice of his brother, to audition to attend “nerd school.” During the audition, Hiro invents microbots, which are kind of like LEGOs that can be controlled with his mind. However, in an effort to steal his invention, the film’s Kabuki-masked villain blows up one of the buildings in the Nerd school, killing Hiro’s brother.

Hiro’s brother, however, left behind one of his own inventions, Baymax, an adorable, squishy, and health-care robot that Hiro retrofits into a superhero. Along with a group of his Nerd school friends who transform their own inventions into superhero powers, Hiro and Baymax fight to avenge the death of Hiro’s brother and keep the man in the Kabuki mask from destroying San Fransokyo.

Big Hero 6, while generic in some senses, is also an incredibly delightful, often funny, and occasionally poignant animated film about dealing with grief and the importance of seeking justice instead of revenge. It also features an outstanding voice cast, led by T.J. Miller, Damon Wayans, Jr., Maya Rudolph, and Ryan Potter, the voice of Hiro.

After the film, I had the opportunity to interview a seven-year-old boy (my son, Axl (not his real name)) about his thoughts on Big Hero Six:

Pajiba: Come over here. We need to have a conversation, OK?

Axl: OK.

Pajiba: What did you think of Big Hero 6, kiddo?

Axl: It was great! I’m glad that’s what you asked me, because when you asked me over, I thought I was going to be in trouble.

Pajiba: Why did you think that?

Mrs. Pajiba-hyphenate (to Axl): Is it because we just had a conversation about some of your misbehavior on the way home in the car?

Pajiba: What did you and your Mom talk about?

Axl: Umm, I thought we were going to talk about the movie now?

Pajiba: Right. We can talk about your conversation with your Mom later. What was your favorite part of the movie?

Axl: My favorite part of the movie was when Baymax ran out of battery, and he fell down and hit his head on the stairs.

Pajiba: Who was your favorite character?

Axl: Baymax, I think. Because he was really funny, and I like funny movies.

Pajiba: Was it the funniest movie you’ve ever seen?

Axl: No. Because I think The LEGO Movie is still the funniest movie I’ve ever seen.

Pajiba: Hiro’s brother dies in the beginning of the film. Did you cry?

Axl: No. Because it wasn’t real. And I’m not scared of things that aren’t real.

Pajiba: Did you think that was sad?

Axl: Yes. If my brother died, I would be sad, even though I don’t even have a brother. But if my sister died, I would be really, really, really sad.

Pajiba: What if your sister died and left you a Baymax?

Axl: That would be awesome! And sad.

Pajiba: Can you tell me what happens in the movie?

Axle: Hiro’s brother died from an explosion from a guy in a mask, and Hiro felt really bad. But we can’t say who the guy in the mask was because it’s a secret, but he was actually one of the guys we saw earlier in the movie. And Hiro and his friends tried to catch the bad guy in the mask.

Pajiba: Can you tell me anything about the other characters in the movie?

Axl: The character I liked best … can it be a robot? Because I liked the little happy robot that Hiro invented for the bot fight at the beginning of the movie.

Pajiba: Did you know that Big Hero 6 is based on a Marvel comic book?

Axl: No. Of course not. How would I know that, because I haven’t even read any comic books, except for a couple. But not any ones about superheroes.

Pajiba: Would you read a comic book about those characters?

Axl: Yes, because the movie is really good, so the book would be really good, too.

Pajiba: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Axl: An ornithologist.

Pajiba: Did Big Hero Six change your mind?

Axl: Yeah. Kind of. I want to be an inventor, because you can make really cool things, like a really cool robot. I would make a robot that watched birds, and then it would get the birds, and then I could look at the bird, and then I would let it go.

Pajiba: Why would you want to look at a bird?

Axl: Because I want to draw it because I really like birds and I really like art.

Pajiba: Is this the best movie you’ve ever seen?

Axl: No, because the funniest movie is the best movie, and The LEGO Movie is still the funniest movie I’ve ever seen. But Big Hero Six is still a pretty good movie.

Pajiba: Is it better than Frozen?

Axl: Yes. A little, because it was about superheroes. But it is from the creators of Frozen, but I like superheroes more than princesses.

Pajiba: Why?

Axl: I don’t know. I just do.

Pajiba: But didn’t Elsa have some superpowers?

Axl: Yes. Kind of. But she still wasn’t a superhero, and she didn’t do anything to save the world or anything.

Are we done yet? We’ve been doing this for a long time. I want to go outside.

Pajiba: Almost. How did the movie make you feel?

Axl: Happy! But sometimes scared. And sometimes sad.

Pajiba: Did you think the villain was scary?

Axl: Yes. I think he was scary because he could do anything with the microbots and he tried to kill Hiro and his friends, and that was scary, but not really scary, because it’s not real and I’m not scared of things that aren’t real.

Pajiba: Fair enough. Last question. Would you recommend Big Hero Six to your friends?

Axl: Oh definitely!