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2014’s Big Hero 6 was a number of things. It was the first Disney animated film to feature Marvel Comics characters. It was an Oscar winner (netting Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards). It was also a total blast. Feature sequels had been floated around since 2015 to no avail, and the film was followed up by Big Hero 6: The Series (produced by Disney Television Animation). We finally get to reenter the world in the new animated series Baymax! on Disney+. It’s a cute, wonderfully animated outing, but one that stops short of really contributing to the Big Hero 6 world minus a wonderful middle two episodes.
Baymax! is more of a series of vignettes held together by a common theme than it is a singular narrative. Each of the relatively independent shorts that compose each episode sees Baymax visit one of the side characters in the Big Hero 6 world, responding to a ‘medical emergency’, taking an unexpected turn, and aiding said character in learning a life lesson or two—until the conclusion where all come to the aid of the friendly balloon-bot.
For the first TV outing of Walt Disney Animation Studios it’s an unsurprisingly gorgeous season that shares the feature-quality animation of its predecessor. Every single episode is a cute, endearing watch full of Baymax cuteness and under 10 minutes. They’re breezy, whimsical outings, and almost any viewer has the time. That said, the series doesn’t do altogether that much.
The series exists in the continuity of the feature and its sequel series, but it doesn’t make any real expansions of that world. As a consequence, nothing truly new or novel happens. The most touching episodes are Episode 3, Sofia, and Episode 4, Mbita. The former, focusing on young Sofia (Lilimar) as she encounters a very personal new challenge, and the latter focusing on fish stew-making Mbita as he’s forced to find a new recipe (and has a heartwarming budding romance), each take us through small but monumental choices in the lives of their young protagonists. They’re lovely, and quite moving.
As a whole, Baymax! is more a cute diversion than a groundbreaking series, but each episode is a fun exploration of a moment in a character’s life. They’re all pleasant outings with stunning animation and solid voice acting, and I can imagine returning to them from time to time. The middle two are great shorts, and it’s an engaging enough watch. Don’t watch them expecting the next big story in the Big Hero universe, but they have charm to spare.
Baymax! premieres June 29th on Disney+.
