The Tudyk Trilogy: Big Hero 6 (part 1)
Feb. 6th, 2016 08:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spiderbraidsAnd now, the final leg of the Tudyk Trilogy...
Comic book movies have enjoyed a resurgence of late thanks to stuff like Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Marvel's Cinematic Universe, so when Marvel came under Disney's umbrella in 2012, it almost seemed inevitable that the studio would take a crack at adapting one of their comics. Except for one thing... Marvel was already busy adapting some of their lesser known titles like Guardians of the Galaxy and Antman for the MCU. So just like Leo in Inception, they had to go deeper...
This comic's only real claims to fame are a) two of the comic's characters are actually part of the X-Men and b) its authors went on to help create Ben 10 (and now you know why that show's always had that comic book vibe to it :-))
It also didn't help matters that the title read more like a generic movie sequel than a legitimate superhero comic. I mean, how many "where's 1-5?" jokes did we have to endure? Not many, actually, but still ;-)
So yeah, it seemed a big gamble for Disney to adapt a super obscure comic book as their Frozen follow-up. Nonetheless, I imagine its obscurity was also one of its strengths, as it also afforded Disney more leeway in adapting it. You see, comic book nerds can be pretty obsessive in expecting a faithful adaptation of their favorite works, and will complain loudly about any major (and not-so-major) deviations. When even Marvel themselves were scratching their heads that WDAS were adapting the comic, one imagines Disney felt comfortable with taking the characters and (say) turning them into science students, without having to worry about getting much backlash :-)
And it certainly didn't hurt matters, as it beat Nolan's much-hyped Interstellar at the box office (wow, three references to Nolan films in the intro... huh), and went on to win itself an Oscar, though not without some controversy...
But enough with the introductions, let's get going! It's apparently the "in" thing now to not even have the title show up at the beginning... remember how the original How to Train Your Dragon just dropped us in on a siege on Berk? Well, here we see the "Golden Gate" Bridge emerge from the fog as we zoom in on a bustling metropolis. We see a waterfront building with signage saying "Port of San Fransokyo" as we're given a tour of this modern city that's a mix of, well, guess... but enough about that. We head into a back alley, where robot fighting is going on :-) with a robot being controlled by a really big guy named Yama beating up a small pink-haired punk chick's robot... Yama challenges others to beat his Little Yama (yeah...) prompting a random extra to pull his bot's head off in fear :-D
And now, enter our protagonist. He's got scruffy hair and a gap in his teeth... Thankfully, he doesn't have freakishly huge fists (...yet ;-)), because he's just a teen :-) This is Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter), and he's here to challenge Yama with his dinky looking robot and its yellow smiley face :-) He puts down his money, and mimics Yama as he's sitting down (even making a neck crack voice with his mouth :-D) The fight quickly ends in Yama's favor as Little Yama saws up Dinkybot into three... but Hiro's just getting started :-)
Hiro wants to go again... Yama: "No one likes a sore loser, little boy! Go home!" Hiro: "I've got more money :-)" And this time, it's all tied up neatly with a rubber band :-)
So they're getting down to business again, and Hiro's got some tricks up his sleeve, as he orders Dinkybot, or rather, Megabot, to destroy... The yellow smiley flips over Liam Neeson-style to reveal a red rage face :-) and it deliberately splits itself into three to gang up on Little Yama :-)
So basically, a more aggressive version of Olaf :-)
(Disney Screencaps)
Eventually, the Dinkybot pieces combine again to decapitate the opponent... "No more Little Yama :-)" Big Yama and his goons don't take to getting hustled very well, but thankfully, here comes Hiro's big brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) on a motorbike :-)
"You okay?" "Yes" "You hurt?" "No" "Then what were you thinking, knucklehead?" :-D While they're getting away from a bunch of Yama's goons, Tadashi chews out his younger brother for spending his time after graduating from high school at 13 (!) bot fighting. Tadashi drives up a conveniently placed plank of wood and makes a great jump over the thugs, and Hiro briefly sees a reflection of himself in the reflective windows of a building :-)
"Bot fighting is illegal. You're gonna get yourself arrested" "Bot fighting is not illegal... BETTING on bot fighting, that's illegal, but so lucrative :-)" Hiro shows off his winnings... "I'm on a roll big brother, and there is no stopping me!" The police, however, will have something else to say about this, and we soon see Hiro get one holding cell all to himself, and Tadashi having to share his with a bunch of other bot fighters :-D
Cut to outside the police station, where a young woman is pacing around frantically, when the brothers emerge from the station. This is their Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph), and it looks like Tadashi takes a lot after her... "Are you guys okay? Tell me you're okay" "We're fine" "Then what were you two knuckleheads thinking?!" :-D
While Cass is driving them back home, she goes off on a rant, in which we learn that she's been rearing them for a decade. "Have I been perfect? No! Do I know anything about children? No! Should I have picked up a book on parenting? Probably!" They arrive home, where the bottom floor also doubles as Cass' cafe, which she had to close early on beat poetry night (apparently lucrative by the way she's specific about it) on account of the arrest, so she grabs and eats a donut. Tadashi: "You better make this up to Aunt Cass before she eats everything in the cafe" :-) "And I hope you learned your lesson, bonehead" Hiro: "Absolutely."
And then Hiro looks up another bot fighting venue across town :-D "When are you going to start doing something with that big brain of yours?" "What, go to college like you, so people can tell me stuff I already know?" "...Unbelievable. What would mom and dad say?" "I dunno, they're gone. They died when I was three, remember?" And unlike a certain other film about a teenage superhero living with his aunt, this film won't dwell on that issue :-)
Tadashi's probably thinking that Hiro seriously needs an intervention, and he's going to have to be sneaky about it :-) Tadashi throws Hiro his bike helmet and offers to take him: "I can't stop you from going, but I'm not going to let you go on your own" "Sweet!"
Tadashi drives past the sign for his nerd school, or more specifically, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, confusing Hiro because his bot fight is elsewhere. Tadashi is ostensibly here to get some stuff from his robotics lab, but it's pretty clear he also wants to show little brother around, and give him some ideas :-)
Hiro pejoratively calls his brother's lab the nerd lab, as a yellow bike swishes by with a female voice saying "Heads up!" :-) The rider puts it up on a stand hanging from the ceiling, before taking off its back wheel (no tools needed!), looking at it for a bit, then tossing it back to the bike, where it automatically reattaches itself :-) We take a good look at the activity in the nerd lab (ping pong robots! cat with rocket boots! all-terrain roboskates!), as Hiro walks over to the bike, and we get a 3D friendly close-up as he's amazed at the gap between the support and the wheel, and puts his hand through it :-) It's an electromag suspension... and then he hears the female voice yell HEY! Tadashi introduces his brother to Gogo (Jamie "Mulan in Once Upon a Time" Chung), and she takes off her helmet to reveal a Wyldstyle-style purple streak in her black hair, before blowing and popping some bubble gum, and saying "Welcome to the nerd lab" :-)
Hiro brings up the suspension, and Gogo brags: "Zero resistance... faster bike. But..." She takes off the wheel and tosses it frisbee style into a recycling (heh!) bin: "Not fast enough... yet." Hmm, think those frisbee skills might come in handy later? ;-)
Hiro walks over to the left, where a burly black guy is setting up some equipment and has Hiro step behind the caution tapeline. Tadashi introduces Hiro to Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.... and you thought a Wayans could only ever be cast in mediocre movies ;-)) Yes, Wasabi as in the Japanese condiment... that was one of the more questionable aspects of the original comic, but the film will give an explanation shortly... Anyways, he tosses an apple at his equipment, and it turns it into instant apple slices, ready to be made into chips :-) It's laser induced plasma, with magnetic confinement for extra precision, which funnily enough also describes Wasabi to a T, as we see a table full of tools placed in their given outlines :-) (And not just tools, but also things like his keys and his coffee mug :-)) Hiro picks up one of his magnifying glasses: "Wow, how do you find anything in this mess? </maybe-sarcasm>" Wasabi puts it back: "I have a system: There's a place for everything, and everything in its place." So I suppose Gogo drives him up the wall a lot, since here she just cavalierly barges in and nudges the table as she grabs a tool from it :-D
As Wasabi runs after Gogo whinging that society has rules, a really tall bespectacled blonde girl is rolling a big black ball past Hiro to her part of the lab... She's delighted to see Hiro: "I've heard so much about you! :-D" She takes off her earbuds (yeah, she's THAT kind of girl) and kisses Hiro on the cheeks... and of course, he's right on time to see some science. Hiro on the ball: "That's a whole lot of tungsten carbide" Girl: "400 lbs. of it! :-)" Girl shows off her chemistry set (and it's a pretty good 3D shot, too :-)) as she describes her formulation of perchloric acid, hydrogen peroxide and cobalt, superheated to 500 K (with a blowtorch!) while your average viewer is just looking at the brightly colored stuff in the flasks :-) Green, cyan, blue, red, yellow, pink... just sayin' ;-)
So anyways, she sprays the pink stuff all over the ball, and flips a switch to electrically attract the stuff to the ball. Hiro doesn't look impressed that she essentially spraypainted a ball pink, but she adds: "Here's the best part..." She taps it and it explodes :-0 She reveals it to be chemical metal embrittlement, and we finally find out she's named Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez, who before acting, dabbled in robotics [!])
An aside... It's nice to see Disney giving us not one, but TWO scientifically-minded girls in the film (granted, the girls were in the original comic, but not as scientists :-)) I mean, how many other scientifically-minded female characters can you think of in film? I know girls aren't a major part of scientific fields in real life, but still...
Other than these two? About 4 for me...
(Google Images/The Agony Booth)
So anyways, Hiro questions the bizarro names his brother's labmates have, and we find out that Wasabi spilled the condiment on himself once (literally, one time!) Turns out they were given by some guy named Fred (TJ "Ruffnut" Miller)... who shows up in a kaiju costume, freaking Hiro out :-D He wields around a big plank with the SFIT logo on it (those skills will be important) as he explains that he's a "School mascot by day... and by night... I'm also a school mascot :-)" Not a student here, but he's "a major science enthusiast" :-) His corner of the lab is full of comics, so he's a different kind of nerd, and essentially a mix of Guy Fleegman and Fred Kwan... He reveals that he's been asking Honey to come up with a formula that can turn him into a fire-breathing lizard at will (a nod to the original comic!) "But she says that's 'not science' :-/" Honey: "It's really not." Same deal with the shrink ray he asked Wasabi for as well :-) While he's rambling about making an invisible sandwich and other kooky ideas, Tadashi calls his little brother over, because it's time to meet the film's real MVP...
In Tadashi's room, Hiro is surprised that Tadashi is holding up a roll of duct tape: "I hate to break it to ya, bro, but already been invented :-/" Tadashi puts the tape on Hiro's arm and rips it off, making him go OW! This prompts a red container... thing... to flash a light, before inflating a big white robot. Robot takes his time moving over to Hiro, even moving a stool out of the way :-D before introducing himself as "Baymax, your personal healthcare companion" (Scott Adsit) :-)
Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but considering that Baymax a) is mostly white, b) likes hugging, c) was created by the older sibling, and d) later comes to symbolize the relationship between the two sibs, would it surprise you to know that one of the animators once animated his introduction with his head made to look like Olaf? ;-)
Josh Gad even had to clarify that they weren't related ;-)
(YouTube)
Bay puts up 10 emoji on his screen and asks: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?” Hiro: "Physical or emotional?" :-) Bay decides to scan Hiro, and detects the "slight epidermal abrasion" on his forearm. Bay recommends an anti bacterial spray, and Hiro asks what's in it. Bay explains: "The primary ingredient is... bacitracin", and puts up a diagram of a bacitracin molecule on his screen. "That's a bummer. I'm actually allergic to that..." Bay: "You are not allergic to bacitracin. You do have a mild allergy to... peanuts" :-)
As Tadashi explains that Bay's been programmed with over 10,000 medical procedures, he opens the card port (a circular slot about where the heart would be in a human... symbolism! :-)) to reveal a green data card with his name on it, and an illustration of a doctor, explaining "This chip is what makes Baymax... Baymax." This will be important :-)
Hiro checks Bay out in detail... Skin's made out of vinyl for a "non threatening, huggable design", which Hiro likens to a walking marshmallow :-) "No offense" "I am a robot. I cannot be offended" :-)
Sentient snowmen, OTOH...
(Disney Screencaps)
Bay also comes with hyperspectral cameras (placed in the head to give it its look), a carbon fibre skeleton, and internally made actuators, and Tadashi brags he can lift 1000 lbs. :-) Bay gives Hiro a lollipop :-) before explaining how to deactivate him: "I cannot deactivate until you say you are satisfied with your care." Hiro obliges him and Bay skulks back to the charger unit to deflate, as Tadashi explains that "He's gonna help a lot of people", and also reveals it runs on lithium ion batteries (which the kiddies in the audience might not know a) are actually a thing, and b) powers their phones :-) ), prompting Hiro to respond that super capacitors would recharge faster...
A professor enters the room: "Burning the midnight oil, Mr. Hamada?" The guy notes Hiro's love of bot fights, and mentions that's all his daughter wanted to do when she was younger, before taking a look at Dinkybot... and taking particular notice in the magnetic bearing servos...
Hiro: "Pretty sick, huh? Wanna see how I put them together? :-)" Tadashi: "Hey genius, he invented them." This is Robert Callaghan (voiced by James Cromwell), and Hiro is in awe and provides some quick exposition on the guy: other notable works of his involve Catmull splines and laws of robotics :-) So basically, Bob's a mix between Zephram Cochrane, that hologram dude from I Robot, and Pete Waternoose (See what I did there? :-))
Bob would like to have Hiro study at SFIT, adding that his age wouldn't be an issue :-) He pitches his program before wishing Hiro luck on bot fighting, just in case :-) "If you like things easy, then my program isn't for you. We push the boundaries of robotics here. My students go on to shape the future."
Outside the lab, Tadashi's ready to take little brother to his bot fight... Hiro: "If I don't get into this nerd school, I'm gonna lose my mind. How do I get in?"
Cut to a banner for the SFIT Showcase being stapled over one of Hiro's posters :-) Tadashi explains that he has to come up with an idea to really impress Bob to get in... So time to cue up some Eye of the Tiger and sharpen some pencils, time for this little genius to get to work! :-)
The very next visual is of Hiro's table being strewn with crumpled papers, and Hiro repeatedly banging his head against it :-D
Hiro laments his sudden creativity block, but Tadashi (after getting in a jab about being washed up at 14 :-)) says: "I'm not giving up on you" and slings him over his back like a backpack (!) Hiro: "What are you doing?" "Shake things up :-) Use that big brain of yours to think your way out!" "What?" "Look for a new angle :-)"
Hiro spots Dinkybot and what do you know? He's got an idea... So he heads to the garage, and we get a Wreck-It Ralph style pull-out time-lapse/montage, where he works on his new idea, and we get brief glimpses of Tadashi's labmates watching him at work. Eventually, he fills a bunch of rubbish bins with his idea, and fistbumps his brother :-) That gesture will be important :-)
Coming up: Things are about to heat up... What, too dark?
Comic book movies have enjoyed a resurgence of late thanks to stuff like Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Marvel's Cinematic Universe, so when Marvel came under Disney's umbrella in 2012, it almost seemed inevitable that the studio would take a crack at adapting one of their comics. Except for one thing... Marvel was already busy adapting some of their lesser known titles like Guardians of the Galaxy and Antman for the MCU. So just like Leo in Inception, they had to go deeper...
This comic's only real claims to fame are a) two of the comic's characters are actually part of the X-Men and b) its authors went on to help create Ben 10 (and now you know why that show's always had that comic book vibe to it :-))
It also didn't help matters that the title read more like a generic movie sequel than a legitimate superhero comic. I mean, how many "where's 1-5?" jokes did we have to endure? Not many, actually, but still ;-)
So yeah, it seemed a big gamble for Disney to adapt a super obscure comic book as their Frozen follow-up. Nonetheless, I imagine its obscurity was also one of its strengths, as it also afforded Disney more leeway in adapting it. You see, comic book nerds can be pretty obsessive in expecting a faithful adaptation of their favorite works, and will complain loudly about any major (and not-so-major) deviations. When even Marvel themselves were scratching their heads that WDAS were adapting the comic, one imagines Disney felt comfortable with taking the characters and (say) turning them into science students, without having to worry about getting much backlash :-)
And it certainly didn't hurt matters, as it beat Nolan's much-hyped Interstellar at the box office (wow, three references to Nolan films in the intro... huh), and went on to win itself an Oscar, though not without some controversy...
But enough with the introductions, let's get going! It's apparently the "in" thing now to not even have the title show up at the beginning... remember how the original How to Train Your Dragon just dropped us in on a siege on Berk? Well, here we see the "Golden Gate" Bridge emerge from the fog as we zoom in on a bustling metropolis. We see a waterfront building with signage saying "Port of San Fransokyo" as we're given a tour of this modern city that's a mix of, well, guess... but enough about that. We head into a back alley, where robot fighting is going on :-) with a robot being controlled by a really big guy named Yama beating up a small pink-haired punk chick's robot... Yama challenges others to beat his Little Yama (yeah...) prompting a random extra to pull his bot's head off in fear :-D
And now, enter our protagonist. He's got scruffy hair and a gap in his teeth... Thankfully, he doesn't have freakishly huge fists (...yet ;-)), because he's just a teen :-) This is Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter), and he's here to challenge Yama with his dinky looking robot and its yellow smiley face :-) He puts down his money, and mimics Yama as he's sitting down (even making a neck crack voice with his mouth :-D) The fight quickly ends in Yama's favor as Little Yama saws up Dinkybot into three... but Hiro's just getting started :-)
Hiro wants to go again... Yama: "No one likes a sore loser, little boy! Go home!" Hiro: "I've got more money :-)" And this time, it's all tied up neatly with a rubber band :-)
So they're getting down to business again, and Hiro's got some tricks up his sleeve, as he orders Dinkybot, or rather, Megabot, to destroy... The yellow smiley flips over Liam Neeson-style to reveal a red rage face :-) and it deliberately splits itself into three to gang up on Little Yama :-)
So basically, a more aggressive version of Olaf :-)
(Disney Screencaps)
Eventually, the Dinkybot pieces combine again to decapitate the opponent... "No more Little Yama :-)" Big Yama and his goons don't take to getting hustled very well, but thankfully, here comes Hiro's big brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) on a motorbike :-)
"You okay?" "Yes" "You hurt?" "No" "Then what were you thinking, knucklehead?" :-D While they're getting away from a bunch of Yama's goons, Tadashi chews out his younger brother for spending his time after graduating from high school at 13 (!) bot fighting. Tadashi drives up a conveniently placed plank of wood and makes a great jump over the thugs, and Hiro briefly sees a reflection of himself in the reflective windows of a building :-)
"Bot fighting is illegal. You're gonna get yourself arrested" "Bot fighting is not illegal... BETTING on bot fighting, that's illegal, but so lucrative :-)" Hiro shows off his winnings... "I'm on a roll big brother, and there is no stopping me!" The police, however, will have something else to say about this, and we soon see Hiro get one holding cell all to himself, and Tadashi having to share his with a bunch of other bot fighters :-D
Cut to outside the police station, where a young woman is pacing around frantically, when the brothers emerge from the station. This is their Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph), and it looks like Tadashi takes a lot after her... "Are you guys okay? Tell me you're okay" "We're fine" "Then what were you two knuckleheads thinking?!" :-D
While Cass is driving them back home, she goes off on a rant, in which we learn that she's been rearing them for a decade. "Have I been perfect? No! Do I know anything about children? No! Should I have picked up a book on parenting? Probably!" They arrive home, where the bottom floor also doubles as Cass' cafe, which she had to close early on beat poetry night (apparently lucrative by the way she's specific about it) on account of the arrest, so she grabs and eats a donut. Tadashi: "You better make this up to Aunt Cass before she eats everything in the cafe" :-) "And I hope you learned your lesson, bonehead" Hiro: "Absolutely."
And then Hiro looks up another bot fighting venue across town :-D "When are you going to start doing something with that big brain of yours?" "What, go to college like you, so people can tell me stuff I already know?" "...Unbelievable. What would mom and dad say?" "I dunno, they're gone. They died when I was three, remember?" And unlike a certain other film about a teenage superhero living with his aunt, this film won't dwell on that issue :-)
Tadashi's probably thinking that Hiro seriously needs an intervention, and he's going to have to be sneaky about it :-) Tadashi throws Hiro his bike helmet and offers to take him: "I can't stop you from going, but I'm not going to let you go on your own" "Sweet!"
Tadashi drives past the sign for his nerd school, or more specifically, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, confusing Hiro because his bot fight is elsewhere. Tadashi is ostensibly here to get some stuff from his robotics lab, but it's pretty clear he also wants to show little brother around, and give him some ideas :-)
Hiro pejoratively calls his brother's lab the nerd lab, as a yellow bike swishes by with a female voice saying "Heads up!" :-) The rider puts it up on a stand hanging from the ceiling, before taking off its back wheel (no tools needed!), looking at it for a bit, then tossing it back to the bike, where it automatically reattaches itself :-) We take a good look at the activity in the nerd lab (ping pong robots! cat with rocket boots! all-terrain roboskates!), as Hiro walks over to the bike, and we get a 3D friendly close-up as he's amazed at the gap between the support and the wheel, and puts his hand through it :-) It's an electromag suspension... and then he hears the female voice yell HEY! Tadashi introduces his brother to Gogo (Jamie "Mulan in Once Upon a Time" Chung), and she takes off her helmet to reveal a Wyldstyle-style purple streak in her black hair, before blowing and popping some bubble gum, and saying "Welcome to the nerd lab" :-)
Hiro brings up the suspension, and Gogo brags: "Zero resistance... faster bike. But..." She takes off the wheel and tosses it frisbee style into a recycling (heh!) bin: "Not fast enough... yet." Hmm, think those frisbee skills might come in handy later? ;-)
Hiro walks over to the left, where a burly black guy is setting up some equipment and has Hiro step behind the caution tapeline. Tadashi introduces Hiro to Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.... and you thought a Wayans could only ever be cast in mediocre movies ;-)) Yes, Wasabi as in the Japanese condiment... that was one of the more questionable aspects of the original comic, but the film will give an explanation shortly... Anyways, he tosses an apple at his equipment, and it turns it into instant apple slices, ready to be made into chips :-) It's laser induced plasma, with magnetic confinement for extra precision, which funnily enough also describes Wasabi to a T, as we see a table full of tools placed in their given outlines :-) (And not just tools, but also things like his keys and his coffee mug :-)) Hiro picks up one of his magnifying glasses: "Wow, how do you find anything in this mess? </maybe-sarcasm>" Wasabi puts it back: "I have a system: There's a place for everything, and everything in its place." So I suppose Gogo drives him up the wall a lot, since here she just cavalierly barges in and nudges the table as she grabs a tool from it :-D
As Wasabi runs after Gogo whinging that society has rules, a really tall bespectacled blonde girl is rolling a big black ball past Hiro to her part of the lab... She's delighted to see Hiro: "I've heard so much about you! :-D" She takes off her earbuds (yeah, she's THAT kind of girl) and kisses Hiro on the cheeks... and of course, he's right on time to see some science. Hiro on the ball: "That's a whole lot of tungsten carbide" Girl: "400 lbs. of it! :-)" Girl shows off her chemistry set (and it's a pretty good 3D shot, too :-)) as she describes her formulation of perchloric acid, hydrogen peroxide and cobalt, superheated to 500 K (with a blowtorch!) while your average viewer is just looking at the brightly colored stuff in the flasks :-) Green, cyan, blue, red, yellow, pink... just sayin' ;-)
So anyways, she sprays the pink stuff all over the ball, and flips a switch to electrically attract the stuff to the ball. Hiro doesn't look impressed that she essentially spraypainted a ball pink, but she adds: "Here's the best part..." She taps it and it explodes :-0 She reveals it to be chemical metal embrittlement, and we finally find out she's named Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez, who before acting, dabbled in robotics [!])
An aside... It's nice to see Disney giving us not one, but TWO scientifically-minded girls in the film (granted, the girls were in the original comic, but not as scientists :-)) I mean, how many other scientifically-minded female characters can you think of in film? I know girls aren't a major part of scientific fields in real life, but still...
Other than these two? About 4 for me...
(Google Images/The Agony Booth)
So anyways, Hiro questions the bizarro names his brother's labmates have, and we find out that Wasabi spilled the condiment on himself once (literally, one time!) Turns out they were given by some guy named Fred (TJ "Ruffnut" Miller)... who shows up in a kaiju costume, freaking Hiro out :-D He wields around a big plank with the SFIT logo on it (those skills will be important) as he explains that he's a "School mascot by day... and by night... I'm also a school mascot :-)" Not a student here, but he's "a major science enthusiast" :-) His corner of the lab is full of comics, so he's a different kind of nerd, and essentially a mix of Guy Fleegman and Fred Kwan... He reveals that he's been asking Honey to come up with a formula that can turn him into a fire-breathing lizard at will (a nod to the original comic!) "But she says that's 'not science' :-/" Honey: "It's really not." Same deal with the shrink ray he asked Wasabi for as well :-) While he's rambling about making an invisible sandwich and other kooky ideas, Tadashi calls his little brother over, because it's time to meet the film's real MVP...
In Tadashi's room, Hiro is surprised that Tadashi is holding up a roll of duct tape: "I hate to break it to ya, bro, but already been invented :-/" Tadashi puts the tape on Hiro's arm and rips it off, making him go OW! This prompts a red container... thing... to flash a light, before inflating a big white robot. Robot takes his time moving over to Hiro, even moving a stool out of the way :-D before introducing himself as "Baymax, your personal healthcare companion" (Scott Adsit) :-)
Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but considering that Baymax a) is mostly white, b) likes hugging, c) was created by the older sibling, and d) later comes to symbolize the relationship between the two sibs, would it surprise you to know that one of the animators once animated his introduction with his head made to look like Olaf? ;-)
Josh Gad even had to clarify that they weren't related ;-)
(YouTube)
Bay puts up 10 emoji on his screen and asks: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?” Hiro: "Physical or emotional?" :-) Bay decides to scan Hiro, and detects the "slight epidermal abrasion" on his forearm. Bay recommends an anti bacterial spray, and Hiro asks what's in it. Bay explains: "The primary ingredient is... bacitracin", and puts up a diagram of a bacitracin molecule on his screen. "That's a bummer. I'm actually allergic to that..." Bay: "You are not allergic to bacitracin. You do have a mild allergy to... peanuts" :-)
As Tadashi explains that Bay's been programmed with over 10,000 medical procedures, he opens the card port (a circular slot about where the heart would be in a human... symbolism! :-)) to reveal a green data card with his name on it, and an illustration of a doctor, explaining "This chip is what makes Baymax... Baymax." This will be important :-)
Hiro checks Bay out in detail... Skin's made out of vinyl for a "non threatening, huggable design", which Hiro likens to a walking marshmallow :-) "No offense" "I am a robot. I cannot be offended" :-)
Sentient snowmen, OTOH...
(Disney Screencaps)
Bay also comes with hyperspectral cameras (placed in the head to give it its look), a carbon fibre skeleton, and internally made actuators, and Tadashi brags he can lift 1000 lbs. :-) Bay gives Hiro a lollipop :-) before explaining how to deactivate him: "I cannot deactivate until you say you are satisfied with your care." Hiro obliges him and Bay skulks back to the charger unit to deflate, as Tadashi explains that "He's gonna help a lot of people", and also reveals it runs on lithium ion batteries (which the kiddies in the audience might not know a) are actually a thing, and b) powers their phones :-) ), prompting Hiro to respond that super capacitors would recharge faster...
A professor enters the room: "Burning the midnight oil, Mr. Hamada?" The guy notes Hiro's love of bot fights, and mentions that's all his daughter wanted to do when she was younger, before taking a look at Dinkybot... and taking particular notice in the magnetic bearing servos...
Hiro: "Pretty sick, huh? Wanna see how I put them together? :-)" Tadashi: "Hey genius, he invented them." This is Robert Callaghan (voiced by James Cromwell), and Hiro is in awe and provides some quick exposition on the guy: other notable works of his involve Catmull splines and laws of robotics :-) So basically, Bob's a mix between Zephram Cochrane, that hologram dude from I Robot, and Pete Waternoose (See what I did there? :-))
Bob would like to have Hiro study at SFIT, adding that his age wouldn't be an issue :-) He pitches his program before wishing Hiro luck on bot fighting, just in case :-) "If you like things easy, then my program isn't for you. We push the boundaries of robotics here. My students go on to shape the future."
Outside the lab, Tadashi's ready to take little brother to his bot fight... Hiro: "If I don't get into this nerd school, I'm gonna lose my mind. How do I get in?"
Cut to a banner for the SFIT Showcase being stapled over one of Hiro's posters :-) Tadashi explains that he has to come up with an idea to really impress Bob to get in... So time to cue up some Eye of the Tiger and sharpen some pencils, time for this little genius to get to work! :-)
The very next visual is of Hiro's table being strewn with crumpled papers, and Hiro repeatedly banging his head against it :-D
Hiro laments his sudden creativity block, but Tadashi (after getting in a jab about being washed up at 14 :-)) says: "I'm not giving up on you" and slings him over his back like a backpack (!) Hiro: "What are you doing?" "Shake things up :-) Use that big brain of yours to think your way out!" "What?" "Look for a new angle :-)"
Hiro spots Dinkybot and what do you know? He's got an idea... So he heads to the garage, and we get a Wreck-It Ralph style pull-out time-lapse/montage, where he works on his new idea, and we get brief glimpses of Tadashi's labmates watching him at work. Eventually, he fills a bunch of rubbish bins with his idea, and fistbumps his brother :-) That gesture will be important :-)
Coming up: Things are about to heat up... What, too dark?
