What Is the Premise and Plot for Big Hero 6?
Big Hero 6 is a superhero film. And is loosely based off of the Marvel comic created by Stan Lee of the same name. Its follows the story of fourteen-year-old Hiro Hamada alongside a robot named Baymax. After a tragic incident which later cost Hiro’s older brother Tadashi his life, l Hiro, alongside Baymax and Tadashi’s friends. Gogo, Honey Lemon, Wasabi and Fred, all band together to save the city of San Fransokyo.
How depression is shown in the movie?
After Tadashi’s death, Hiro is distancing himself away from robotics, or anything that is related to college. He locks himself away from everyone, including his Aunt Cass and Tadashi’s friends. He does not want to leave his bedroom and even refuses to go outside. It could’ve implied that he might be skipping meals. Aunt Cass is seen replacing a plate of untouched food with a fresh one. He ignores all of his friends attempts to help him and even barricading Tadashi’s part of their shared bedroom. Aunt Cass tries her best to cheer him up, convincing him to start classes telling him it’s not too late to apply.
In the most famous “Tadashi Is Here” scene, Hiro is speaking to Baymax in a saddened and defeated manner. Covering Tadashi’s side of the bedroom, telling Baymax that Tadashi is dead and isn’t going to coming back despite. Baymax constantly telling Hiro that he is here. In which Hiro responds back saying, “No. Everybody keeps saying that he’s not really gone, as long as we remember him. It still hurts.” indicating that he most likely hasn’t healed and is still not over Tadashi’s death.
How the Five Stages of Grief are shown in the film
While not really shown in the traditional order of, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The stages of grief is shown throughout the film.
Bargaining and Anger
Bargaining is shown by Hiro assuming that the only way he could actually feel acceptance avenge his brother’s death, is by tracking down the person who was responsible for starting the fire at the college which had killed Tadashi and Professor Callaghan, with him carelessly sneaking out at night without Aunt Cass knowing, and not caring about the conditions, even pushing all of his friends away, ordering them to leave him and Baymax alone when they come to see what he is doing after Baymax had contacted them much to Hiro’s annoyance.
Anger is shown during the confrontation of Hiro and Professor Callaghan. In which Hiro tampers with Baymax’s healthcare chip and orders him to kill Callaghan as revenge for starting the fire and for showing no remorse for being the cause behind Tadashi’s tragic death. His friends eventually stop Baymax just in time, with Hiro berating and shouting at them, even leaving them on the island alongside Baymax.
Acceptance
Acceptance is seen by Baymax showing Hiro of Tadashi building him. Furthermore, of his feelings of his anger and rage he had before has completely disappeared, and he now sees how his actions and behaviour was wrong towards both his friends and apologises, He matured more during the film, telling a grieving Callaghan who is about to kill Alastar Krei that anger that revenge is not the way and will change anything, indicating that he has matured from the last time we had seen him. Baymax had diagnosed Callaghan with Acute Stress Disorder which is often caused by traumatic events, most likely either the fire at the college or the disappearance of his daughter, Abigail Callaghan.
Why is it important that children’s cartoons, movies and media do not shy away from topics like mental health?
It’s important for kids shows and cartoons to have mental health representation. So that kids could not only be aware of these things, but they can be introduced about certain topics in a very soft way. Rather than hitting them with hard topics which would be either difficult or hard for them to understand. It might seem very inappropriate on the surface, but this will help them recognise mental illness both now and well as they become older. I hope that Disney can continue to handle such topics like this in such a mature manner in the future.