Disney really is, to use the sporting analogy, hitting out of the park with their shorts... first Paperman, then The Blue Umbrella, now Feast. A simple story of a man and his dog... and food. Once again it has essentially no words, it's all played through the dog and his reactions... and it's GORGEOUS! And because I'm a big softy, I did get all choked up during it, especially at the end.
But, now on to the main event.
I won't lie... Disney had me early with this movie... they had me at the production design of San Fransokyo, a hybrid alternative universe combination of San Francisco and Toyko. They had me as soon as the older brother, Tadashi Hamada (voiced by Daniel Henney) showed up (yes, cue a new Disney crush) and the first time Baymax inflated I just threw in the towel.
This is also one of those movies that is just crammed to bursting point with little hidden Easter eggs, especially superhero and those of the Japanese robot persuasion, but they're not obnoxious, they're just layered into the background.
It's also amazing how much personality they can imbue Baymax with given that he's a big puffy marshmallow with just eyes and the amazing voice of Scott Adsit to convey warmth and sweetness.
The plot is fairly standard origin story stuff, avenging a wrong takes a dark turn and using what you're good at and the tech at your disposal to become a hero. And there were a couple of minor, minor things that bugged me about the story (mild spoilers... if Hiro made the thought powered controller that the bad guy stole from him, why can't he make a new one or make something that will block the signal... it wouldn't bother me so much if they'd addressed it, but it seemed so damn obvious and yet, nothing).
Also the comic relief character of Fred kinda got on my nerves a bit (T.J. Miller plays a similarly "annoying" character in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise)... although the post credit scene with him almost makes up for it. But I liked that in at least some small way, they played the other four members of the Six somewhat against type, and although there isn't a lot of time for major character development, they still managed to make them all distinct, rounded characters who make sense within the world.
But the heart of this movie are the relationships between Hiro (voiced by Ryan Potter), Tadashi and Baymax. And it's where the movie shines brightest.
yani's rating: 4 personal healthcare companions out of 5
1 comment:
I loved this movie! Disney has been making some quality animated movies since they merged with Pixar. That fresh vision and blood really helped I think.
Feast blew me away. It started so simply, and just grew from there. The sprig of parsley on his dish was such a cute thing really, but a perfectly wonderful moment.
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