Animating a hero’s journey

When Disney staged the premiere this week of its new animated film “Big Hero 6” — with a traffic-stopping red carpet and towering replica of the film’s beloved robot star Baymax — at Hollywood’s El Capitan, the film’s directors Don Hall and Chris Williams couldn’t believe their eyes. “It was so amazing to see it all,” says Williams. “When I went to animation school 20 years ago, this is hardly what I imagined.”

The two directors are sitting in one of their offices at Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank surrounded by classic Disney storyboards, Japanese robots, a replica of the Millennium Falcon and the Hulk. “Animators always liked to be surrounded by their toys,” Hall explains with a laugh. “But we have hardly been in our offices since we started this film.”

The two directors are so in sync they almost finish each other’s sentences, and both have worked for Disney for nearly two decades. Hall was born in Iowa, attended CalArts — a school where the graduates include Pixar founder (and now Disney animation chief) John Lasseter. “My mother said I declared at the age of 5 that I wanted to work for Disney, so to be here at this iconic studio is such a thrill,” says Hall. Beginning as an apprentice on the studio’s animated “Tarzan,” he worked as storyboard artist for “The Emperor’s New Groove” and Head of Story for 2009’s “The Princess and the Frog” before taking on his first directing assignment with 2011’s “Winnie the Pooh.”

Williams was born in Canada, beginning his work for Disney with 1998’s “Mulan.” More recently, he co-directed 2008’s “Bolt” and worked on 2012’s “Wreck-It Ralph” and last year’s explosive hit “Frozen.” “I came from a small town in Canada, and then moved to Burbank near the Equestrian Center with guys riding horses down the street,” he laughs. “It wasn’t quite what I expected to find in L.A., but I was so pleasantly surprised to find a feeling of community here in Burbank like what I felt back home.”

“It is so great to be working for Disney now,” says Williams. “Since John Lasseter came onboard there is such a level of camaraderie and cohesion and we are all working on each other’s projects. We feel like we can achieve anything.”

“Big Hero 6” is a unique new chapter for Disney. It blends classic Disney-style animation with the super hero elements of Marvel comics. “I met with Marvel and went through their vaults and discovered this obscure little gem called Big Hero 6. I loved its Japanese influences and its title. I thought it would be perfect for us,” says Hall.

Marvel was more than happy to get onboard, even though the original comic book had attracted only a limited fan base. “It gave us incredible freedom that it was so unknown,” says Hall. “Marvel were happy for us to make this our own, create our own world and characters.”

“Big Hero 6” creates a spectacular and intricate world that combines western and Japanese influences. The story is set in a fictional futuristic city called San Fransokyo, complete with a Golden Gate Bridge fitted with traditional Torii gates. “Like the original comic, we wanted to have a very strong Japanese aesthetic, so we thought San Francisco was so iconic we could make it look really unique with Japanese elements,” says Hall.

To create the film, the directors utilized a unique in-house software developed at Disney called Hyperion. “Big Hero 6” is the first time it is being used. “This is really revolutionary,” says Williams. “It allows us to create a rich and complex world. It looks more detailed and realistic.”

In terms of its cinematic complexity, you could fit “Tangled,” ‘Wreck-It Ralph” and “Frozen” and still have room to spare in “Big Hero 6,” says Williams.

In this world lives our hero, a precocious teenager Hiro (voiced by Ryan Potter). When tragedy strikes and he loses his older brother, he turns to one of his brother’s inventions, a lovable puffy robot called Baymax (voiced by Scott Adsit), and together (with a group of equally tech-nerd teenage friends) they battle the sinister masked villain who threatens their world.

“It’s really a hero’s journey,” says Williams. “The friendship Hiro forms with Baymax opens his eyes to what it really means to be a hero.”

Creating the unique lovable Baymax was key to the film. “In the original comic book there was a robot guardian and one of our challenges was to make a robot no one has ever seen before,” says Hall. After a research trip to Carnegie Mellon University, Hall discovered the area of soft robotics. “They had this vinyl arm that was inflatable and nonthreatening. It could do simple things like brush somebody’s teeth. The possibilities are endless, so that’s how we thought of Baymax as a compassionate robot always wanting to help.”

“This is the furthest you will get from a superhero robot and we thought it would be so much fun to see this caring nurturer turn into this fighting warrior. It’s where a lot of the humor and the pathos of the film is based,” says Hall.

After more than three years of work on the film, the two directors are now looking forward to a vacation. While the film hints at a sequel, they are not yet speculating about the future of the characters. “We are so proud of this film and we put everything into this,” says Williams. “We are happy people are responding and enjoying this movie.”

--

KATHERINE TULICH writes about film and culture for Marquee.