Big Hero 6!

I'm going to be working a lot with Big Hero 6 this semester. And while my essays for class be focusing mainly on Professor Callaghan, the villain, I wanted to share some thoughts on another major character in the movie: Hiro’s brother Tadashi. I think what Disney did with Hiro and Tadashi’s relationship was really interesting, especially how that relationship continued, in a way, even after Tadashi’s death, with Tadashi being represented first by Baymax, and then by Hiro himself. Allow me to elaborate.

The first twenty minutes or so of BH6 is primarily devoted to establishing the strong relationship between Tadashi and his younger brother Hiro. Tadashi is always looking out for Hiro, whether that means rescuing him after some bot-fighters didn't take too kindly to Hiro’s robot destroying theirs, or pushing Hiro to leave bot-fighting behind, pursue a college education, and “use that big brain of [his]”. The two also share a lot in common, including similar mannerisms and catchphrases.

The beginning of the movie performs one other important function: introducing Baymax, or more specifically, introducing Baymax as Tadashi’s engineering project. Tadashi shows off Baymax’s programming chip as “what makes Baymax, Baymax”. The chip has Tadashi’s name written on it. In other words, Tadashi is what defines Baymax. The connection between the two is set up very early.

Soon after Tadashi’s death, Baymax is reactivated in Hiro’s room. Baymax works to help Hiro

through his grief following the death of his brother. In doing this, he begins to take on a role as a kind of surrogate older brother to Hiro. During most of the action of the movie, Baymax’s main priority is to protect Hiro, much like Tadashi did. Furthermore, many of Hiro and Baymax’s interactions are similar to Hiro and Tadashi’s. For example, Hiro teaches Baymax how to “fist-bump,” which is something he and Tadashi did while Tadashi was alive.

Here's another example:

And of course:

During the scene where Hiro turns on Callaghan, he is forced to remove Tadashi’s chip to make Baymax attack. His quest for revenge causes him to lose sight of his brother. Once the chip is restored, Baymax acts as he is supposed to again. Again, the movie emphasizes how Tadashi created Baymax and created him for a specific purpose.

The following scene is where the Tadashi-Baymax connection is made most explicit. Baymax tells Hiro that “Tadashi is here” and shows him videos of Tadashi designing Baymax. Hiro realizes that in Baymax he still has a part of Tadashi with him. Baymax’s essence is Tadashi, so as long as Hiro has Baymax, he does not really lose his brother.

After Baymax shows him the videos, Hiro apologizes, saying, “I guess I'm not like my brother.”  The irony of this is that this scene marks the shift in Hiro’s character development. Hiro becomes more and more like Tadashi as the movie progresses. These changes first manifest themselves in small ways, starting with dialogue. Hiro’s advice to his team echoes advice Tadashi gave him in the beginning of the movie.

Then, his actions start to live up to his words. Hiro is willing to put himself in harm's way to rescue someone in danger.  Furthermore, he rescues the daughter of the man responsible for Tadashi’s death. Like his brother, he is selfless and goes out of his way to help others. This also illustrates how Hiro has gotten past the strongest feelings of grief and anger he felt after first losing his brother.

This is why, in the portal, Hiro is able to say goodbye to Baymax. In a way, losing the robot is like losing Tadashi all over again. However, this time, Tadashi is also embodied in Hiro. Hiro no longer needs Baymax to stand in for Tadashi; he can do that himself. He realizes that he can't lose his brother if he remembers him and honors what Tadashi worked to do. That doesn't mean it isn't hard for Hiro to let go, and it doesn't mean that Hiro wouldn't rather bring Baymax back with him. It just means that Hiro is now willing to make the same sacrifices his brother made. I don't think that the Hiro from the beginning of the movie would have been able to give Baymax up to save someone he didn't even know. But the Hiro at the end of the movie is able to do that.

The final Hiro-Tadashi parallel is the movie’s end, where Hiro rebuilds Baymax. This is a bit of a full-circle moment. Hiro finds Tadashi’s computer chip and uses it to complete Baymax (in what appears to be Tadashi's lab space at the university). He fulfills his brother’s legacy by bringing back his project. He essentially is able to accomplish what Tadashi did. Again, Hiro’s ability to reflect his brother’s values and strengths allows him to reconnect with who Tadashi was. With Baymax’s help, he is able to continue his brother's mission to help others.