Actress Michelle Rodriguez, actor Jason Mitchell and Oscar-winning director John Lasseter, along with Roy Conli, Don Hall and Chris Williams, the producing and directing team behind the Animated Feature Film Oscar winner “Big Hero 6,” will be presenters at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 42nd Student Academy Awards on Thursday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The awards ceremony caps a week of industry activities for the 15 winning student filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad.
Rodriguez is a versatile actress whose breakout performance in “Girlfight” (2000) garnered her numerous awards, including an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance as well as a National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance-Female. She went on to star in the multi-billion dollar “Fast and Furious” franchise. In addition, Rodriguez has starred in such film and television projects as “Avatar” for director James Cameron, “Machete” and the sequel, “Machete Kills” for director Robert Rodriguez, “Lost,” “Blue Crush,” “S.W.A.T” “Resident Evil,” “Battle Los Angeles,” and has voiced a character in the DreamWorks animated film, “Turbo.”
Newcomer Mitchell can currently be seen playing the iconic rapper “Eazy E” in “Straight Outta Compton” (2015). He recently shot the independent feature “Vincent & Roxxy” (2015), and his upcoming projects include New Line’s comedy “Keanu” (2016) and Warner Brother’s “Skull Island” (2017).
Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, made his feature directing debut in 1995 with “Toy Story,” the world’s first feature-length computer-animated film and the first animated film to be nominated for an Original Screenplay Oscar. In addition to sharing that nomination, he received an Academy Special Achievement Award recognizing his inspired leadership of the filmmaking team. Lasseter also directed the features “A Bug’s Life” (1998), “Toy Story 2” (1999), “Cars” (2006) and “Cars 2” (2011). He won an Oscar in 1988 for the animated short “Tin Toy” and is the only two-time Student Academy Award winner for Animation, for “Lady and the Lamp” (1979) and “Nitemare” (1980), both of which he made while studying at CalArts. He is currently directing “Toy Story 4.”
Conli, Hall and Williams took home Oscars as the producer and directors, respectively, of the 2014 Animated Feature Film winner “Big Hero 6.” All three have been with the Walt Disney Animation Studios since the 1990s. Conli has served as producer or co-producer on “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996), “Treasure Planet” (2002) and “Tangled” (2010). Hall started as a story apprentice on “Tarzan” (1999), rose to head of story on “Meet the Robinsons” (2007) and “The Princess and the Frog” (2009), and directed his first animated feature, “Winnie the Pooh,” in 2011. Williams was an integral member of the story team on “Mulan” (1998) and “The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000). He received his first Oscar nomination for Animated Feature Film for “Bolt” (2008), his feature directing debut with Byron Howard.
Animated Feature Film nominees Roy Conli, Don Hall and Chris Williams, “Big Hero 6” prior to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscar Week: Animated Features event on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
A complete list of this year’s Student Academy Award winners can be found here.
Medal placements for each of the five award categories – Alternative, Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Foreign Film – will be announced at the September 17 ceremony. Gold Medal award winners receive cash grants of $5,000, Silver Medal award winners receive $3,000 and Bronze Medal award winners receive $2,000.
The 42nd Student Academy Awards ceremony is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets may be obtained online at oscars.org. Any remaining tickets will be made available at the door on the evening of the event. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award-winning BIG HERO 6 has become the #1 animated title of 2014 with more than $620 million globally. The film, which has earned $221 million domestically, also surpasses $400 million at the international box office this weekend.
BIG HERO 6 continues to perform strongly in China, where it opened Feb. 28 and has brought in over $51 million, surpassing FROZEN to become the highest grossing animated release ever from Disney or Pixar. In Japan, it has earned more than $75 million and is the second highest grossing Disney animated release ever. It’s the second biggest Disney or Pixar animated movie ever released in Korea and Russia, and it’s the biggest animated release of all time in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.
Last weekend, BIG HERO 6 surpassed TANGLED to become the third biggest Walt Disney Animation Studios release ever globally, behind only FROZEN and THE LION KING. It is also Walt Disney Animation Studios’ third biggest domestic release of all time.
BIG HERO 6 debuted in the U.S. on November 7, 2014. Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams and produced by Roy Conli, this action-packed comedy-adventure, inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, centers on the special bond that develops between Baymax, a plus-sized inflatable robot, and prodigy Hiro Hamada as they team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.
Read our interview with the filmmakers during Oscar Week HERE.
Animated Feature Film nominees Roy Conli, Don Hall and Chris Williams, “Big Hero 6” prior to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscar Week: Animated Features event on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
This year there are 30 nominees in the animated category, between the Short and Features. “Don’t we love these people who bring us the magic?,” said Academy Governor Bill Kroyer as The Academy celebrated the Feature Animated films on Thursday.
The Academy presented their seventh annual event celebrating the nominees for Best Animated Feature Film.
Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, who won last year’s Animated Feature Film Oscar for FROZEN, moderated the discussion with all the nominated filmmakers from BIG HERO 6, THE BOXTROLLS, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, SONG OF THE SEA and THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA. This year’s nominated films come from around the world and encompass traditional animation, computer animation and stop-motion, and the evening also featured clips from each film.
Prior to the panel discussion, a few of the nominees spoke with WAMG.
Nominees Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
On her first nomination, Arnold said, “I feel like Cinderella at the ball. It’s so amazing because it’s a whirlwind of great activity and you get to meet so many people. So many great filmmakers. It’s fun and super special.”
On what’s in store for HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3, DeBlois gave us details on the third installment of the beloved series. “The story takes on a little more balance between Hiccup and Toothless because they are now chiefs of their respective tribes. It’s a story of carrying Hiccup through to the fulfillment of his character’s growth and arc, but also seeing where Toothless goes with all of this new responsibilities.”
In January, DreamWorks Animation appointed Bonnie Arnold & Mireille Soria as co-presidents of Feature Animation. When asked about her new position, Arnold told us, “there are so many great filmmakers at DreamWorks and a lot of projects, and I’m getting to spend time with the other filmmakers. There’s not a house style, so each of them are very unique and I’m having a lot of fun getting to know more about them and what they’re doing and helping them get the best version of their movies on the screen. It’s very exciting, until I start having to focus back on DRAGON 3.”
Nominees Roy Conli, Don Hall and Chris Williams, BIG HERO 6
The film is filled with a rousing score by composer Henry Jackman. On the choice to go with Jackman, Don Hall said, “He’s awesome. I worked with him on WINNIE THE POOH. I think he’s the best. I love working with Henry. He’s so collaborative. For those who don’t know music, he’s really good at breaking down what he’s thinking and very clear with his thoughts. He’s also a very fun, entertaining person who knows story. There was never any doubt that he was the guy.”
Chris Williams added, “the music covers a lot of ground tonally. He was able to hit all of those tones and bring a cohesion to the film, so he was fantastic.”
Roy Conli said Jackman, “saw early clips and had an idea where we going thematically. From those early themes, he was crafting ideas and as the film kept evolving, he would bring more. During our weekly meetings, for over a three month period, we would talk about the film, listen to music and he’s the most collaborative composer I’ve ever worked with.”
On how they put together the look and dialogue for Baymax. “It’s based on a real concept called soft robotics and I discovered it at Carnegie-Mellon University,” said Chris Williams. “I did a real trip and this is real stuff – vinyl robots that are inflatable for use in the health care industry. The entire personality of Baymax and his character design came from that research trip. We can’t say enough about the voice of Baymax, Scott Adsit.”
Adsit looked at many drawings of Baymax before deciding on the voice. “We wanted him to have a calm soothing voice and Scott himself came up with the idea of having the weird pauses between words. It was like the computer was trying to think of the things to say. It was great to have an amazing actor to work with,” said Roy Conli.
Between the filmmakers, the three mentioned their favorite animated films were PINOCCHIO and BAMBI.
Nominees Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, THE BOXTROLLS
The film’s charming score is from Dario Marianelli. “He’s a genius. We listed to a bunch of different composers and something unique as far as the instrumentation from Dario really stood out,” said Stacchi on their choice to go with the Oscar-winning composer (ANNA KARENINA).
Annable added, “He’s never done animation. I didn’t even know if he was going to be interested. We were nervous to meet him and it turned out he was just as nervous to meet us. He has his own children and he really wanted to do an animated feature.”
“Plus, a composer usually comes in at the end of the process, when the film is cut. Dario worked with us all the way through the process, so he did the music for our story reels. Sometimes we went to him for sequences where “Fish” and “Eggs” are playing with the music machine and he had to write the music before we would storyboard it. The dance sequence, he wrote that whole waltz while we were still storyboarding. It’s not only a waltz, it has to be a score, it has to be an emotional bed under the romantic moments. We worked with him for the entire 18 months of production,” concluded Stacchi.
Nominees Isao Takahata and Yoshiaki Nishimura, THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA
Nominee Tomm Moore, SONG OF THE SEA
While waiting for the Q&A to begin, the song “Let It Go” was piped into the theater. We noticed co-hosts and Oscar-winners Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck sitting in the row ahead. Both turned and said, “not this song again.” With a sense of humor, Lee went onto say, “my new phrase is ‘it’s not my fault.’ ” Buck said he is a fan of the latest video to come online where one N.C. mom records her frustration with FROZEN on the third snow day as well as the Oscar nominated song.
The nominees discussed how their films were developed, their creative processes and presented clips illustrating their technique. The five nominated films all deal with young characters who had lost someone and invokes the conversation no matter the age of the viewer.
“Sometimes an animated movie is the first film a child will see,” said HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 producer Bonnie Arnold.
For all the filmmakers, the process is still very organic. SONG OF THE SEA director Tomm Moore said, “It’s a way to tell the story so we don’t lose the folklore.” (trailer)
From drawings to movies, the panel discussed what originally drew them all to animation. “Comics was a way into animation,” said BIG HERO 6 director Don Hall.
THE BOXTROLLS nominee Anthony Stacchi said, “I’d love to see the people who do the behind the scenes work acknowledged with nominations in the main categories like Best Costume and Best Visual Effects.”
Nominees Isao Takahata and Yoshiaki Nishimura (THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA), via a translator, said they brought their film to life with a process of flat plane effects for animating. “It’s all about the simplicity of the line work.”
Watch the Oscars this Sunday, February 22nd on ABC.
Jerry Goldsmith, PLANET OF THE APES (1968) Nominee for Best Original Score for a Motion Picture
By Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson
As 2014 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the best movie music from this past year. The backbone of any movie, audiences heard rocket engines roar, traveled through LEGO worlds and made spiritual connections all thanks to the musical vision of the composer.
In a mix that was soulful, haunting and fun, this year’s soundtracks covered a range of emotions, from light to dark, to atmospheric and assaultive.
Our Top 15 scores wouldn’t be complete without an honorable mention…
Michael Giacchino – DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
The story about the birth of a civilization and “restart” for the planet Earth was no more prevalent than with the emotional reality of composer Michael Giacchino’s score. Director Matt Reeves’ sequel to 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes found its musical language through the empathetic sounds of the apes in the environment Caesar has created for them.
Making his fifth collaboration with filmmaker Christopher Nolan, composer Hans Zimmer steered clear of any musical expressions he’d explored in the past with the director, and invented a whole new palette for the film with the earthy yet elevating notes of an organ.
We went for a spectacular adventure on a journey into the universe and Zimmer’s score gave humanity’s mission to the stars a very primeval quality.
2. Alexandre Desplat – THE IMITATION GAME, GODZILLA and THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
Three of the best scores this year, six-time Academy Award Nominee Alexandre Desplat’s music was heard by audiences throughout 2014.
Desplat developed one of his most unusual scores for THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL – one played entirely without traditional orchestral instruments. Instead, he brought in a host of Central European instruments, including balalaikas and the cimbalom, a type of hammered dulcimer common to Eastern European gypsy music.
With THE IMITATION GAME, the composer took us to the Bletchley Park codebreaking centre and inside the Enigma machine. Desplat may see his first Oscar win with his beautiful score to the Alan Turing biopic.
Lastly with the great force of GODZILLA propelling the action and keeping the tension high, Desplat made a big sonic impact with the music. “I’ve never done a monster movie before, so coming to this with more than a hundred musicians—double brass, double horns—allowed me to open the frame of my imagination to another territory, and that’s very exciting.”
3. Jóhann Jóhannsson – THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
Filled with a charming score, composer Jóhann Jóhannsson’s music for director James Marsh’s THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING was a mix of orchestral instruments and synthesized sounds giving the story of astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde an ethereal, lovely sound.
David Fincher returned again to work with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (THE SOCIAL NETWORK, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO) for the surging undertow to GONE GIRL.
Trent Reznor said, “In terms of the palette of sounds what’s unique on this one is that we used a more organic, less synthetic soundscape. We didn’t want it to feel too slick so we used a lot of interesting homemade equipment. There are moments where the rhythm is just me tapping on a wooden box so it feels repetitive but drifts around a bit like a human heartbeat.”
5. Antonio Sánchez – BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Drums, cymbals, sticks, mallets and rods were used for the percussion heavy score in director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance. Four-time Grammy Award winner and composer Antonio Sanchez effectively sets the pace and rhythm to convey Riggan Thomson’s (Michael Keaton) tonal tightrope between comedy and pathos, illusion and reality.
Composer John Powell’s fantastic soundtrack on HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 was filled with emotional triumphant orchestral pieces and a resounding chorus making it one of our favorites scores of the year.
7. Henry Jackman – BIG HERO 6, THE INTERVIEW and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
Jackman had three big scores in 2014.
He composed a grandiose action score for North Korea’s favorite film – THE INTERVIEW. While building on his previous collaboration with Evan Golderberg and Seth Rogen on THIS IS THE END, Jackman scored the film as if it were a classic action-blockbuster to ground the film’s comedic moments. Jackman also created a score that celebrated the comic-book style action of BIG HERO 6, while weaving in the original music from American rock band Fall Out Boy.
But none was more epic than Jackman’s contemporary take on his superhero score for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. Up next for Jackman is Kingsman: Secret Service and Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War.
Just as Price did on his Oscar-winning score for GRAVITY, where the sounds of radio waves were incorporated into the score, the British composer was able to find a distinctive voice for the music of FURY by using unusual and unconventional instruments in a fusion with the orchestral, choral and solo writing featured throughout. The daunting sounds put the audience inside the WWII tanks alongside Brad Pitt and his crew.
Marco Beltrami’ s created a rustic sounding landscape in director Tommy Lee Jones’ THE HOMESMAN. Alongside his work on SNOWPIERCER, THE GIVER and THE NOVEMBER MAN in 2014, the Oscar-nominated composer’s score for THE HOMESMAN evoked the desolation of the homesteaders by drawing out the essence of the wind with an innovative wind piano that contained 175 feet long wires.
10. James Newton Howard – MALEFICENT and THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1
The sweeping emotions and volatile moods of THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 and MALEFICENT are evoked not only in the performances and visual designs but in the music, which once again is driven by an original orchestral score from eight time Oscar nominee James Newton Howard. The music for both films cover the whole breadth of experience from scenes of epic action to moments of epic heartache and intimate poignancy.
Howard also composed the score for Dan Gilroy’s NIGHTCRAWLER and Edward Zwick’s PAWN SACRIFICE.
11. Hanan Townshend – THE BETTER ANGELS
Directed by A.J. Edwards, executive produced by Terrence Malick with a beautiful score by Hanan Townshend (TO THE WONDER), THE BETTER ANGELS music took a poetic approach to Abraham Lincoln’s childhood in the harsh wilderness of Indiana.
12. EDGE OF TOMORROW – Christophe Beck
The composer created a score that captured the suspense, the action and the fun of Cage (Tom Cruise) and Rita’s (Emily Blunt) extraordinary journey in director Doug Liman’s awesome EDGE OF TOMORROW.
Combining a rich orchestral score with familiar rock tunes, composer Tyler Bates’ score for director James Gunn’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY was one of the most popular of the year.
The soundtrack featured classic 1970s songs like Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling,” “I’m Not in Love” by 10cc, Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” and The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb.”
Bates also composed the score for the heart-pounding revenge thriller JOHN WICK starring Keanu Reeves.
Another beautiful score from composer Alex Ebert (ALL IS LOST), the haunting music for director J.C. Chandor’s A MOST VIOLENT YEAR transported audiences into the treacherous yet stunning landscape of NYC, 1981. Ebert’s score uses piano, synth, and percussion to capture the tension and emotional pressure faced by Oscar Isaac’s Abel Morales, as he fights to protect his business and family.
Displaying his versatility, Ebert also recently composed the score for Disney’s animated short FEAST, which is currently being shown in theaters prior to BIG HERO 6.
Brick by Brick, composer Mark Mothersbaugh’s fun score for THE LEGO MOVIE
Filmgoers went along for the hilarious ride with Emmet, Wyldstyle, Vitruvius, Lord Business, Unikitty, Batman, Benny the Spaceman and Bad Cop/Good Cop and it truly was the most AWESOME time at a movie theater this year!
Listen as The Hollywood Reporter discusses with Marco Beltrami (The Homesman), Danny Elfman (Big Eyes), John Powell (How To Train Your Dragon 2), Trent Reznor (Gone Girl) and Hans Zimmer (Interstellar) the process behind scoring the top films of the year.
The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 42nd Annual Annie Award recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation.
Best Animated Features nominations include: Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Cheatin’ (Plymptoons Studio), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (DreamWorks Animation SKG), Song of the Sea (GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon), The Book of Life (Reel FX), The Boxtrolls (Focus Features/Laika), The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures), and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (GKIDS/Studio Ghibli).
The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
“We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it’s going to be a great awards ceremony,” remarked ASIFA-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. “We added a new category to the mix – Best Character Animation in a Video Game – bringing the total Annie categories to 36. The Annies are a true celebration of the best talent in the animation industry, from big studio features to indie films, television series to internet shows, games, shorts and student films alike, as well as a wonderful group of juried award recipients again this year.”
The juried awards honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation, will also be presented. Three Winsor McCay recipients have been selected by the ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors – Didier Brunner, Don Lusk and Lee Mendelson for their career contributions to the art of animation; June Foray Award – Charles Solomon for his significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation; Ub Iwerks Award – DreamWorks Animation’s Apollo Software for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art or industry of animation; and Special Achievement Award – The Walt Disney Family Museum recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation.
While DUMB AND DUMBER TO and BIG HERO 6 may have delivered the one-two punch at this weekend’s domestic box office, it was Christopher Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR that reached stratospheric heights around the globe.
Rentrak’s Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian commented, “Interstellar continues its solid orbit around the globe in 64 territories topping both the international and worldwide box office charts for the second straight week as it eclipses the $300 million mark.” Nolan’s sci-fi epic opens in Japan on November 22nd.
Dergarabedian also noted, “On Friday, The Walt Disney Studios surpassed $4 billion in global box office for the second time in its history and in studio record time, they previously accomplished this feat in 2013, reaching $4 billion on November 26th.”
The top 12 worldwide weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, are below.
1. Interstellar – Warner Bros./Paramount – $135.2M 2. Big Hero 6 – Disney – $47.9M 3. Dumb And Dumber To – Multiple – $47.1M 4. Penguins Of Madagascar – 20th Century Fox – $11.3M 5. Gone Girl – 20th Century Fox – $9.4M 6. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart 2 – Multiple – $9.0M 7. Fury – Multiple – $6.9M 8. Beyond The Lights – Multiple – $6.5M 9. Ouija – Universal – $6.3M 10. Nightcrawler – Multiple – $4.44M 11. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Paramount – $4.39M 12. Imitation Game, The- Multiple – $4.2M
The top 12 domestic weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, are below.
1. Dumb And Dumber To – Universal – $38.1M 2. Big Hero 6 – Disney – $36.0M 3. Interstellar – Paramount – $29.2M 4. Beyond The Lights – Relativity Media – $6.5M 5. Gone Girl – 20th Century Fox – $4.6M 6. St. Vincent – The Weinstein Company – $4.0M 7. Fury – Sony – $3.8M 8. Nightcrawler – Open Road – $3.0M 9. Ouija – Universal – $3.0M 10. Birdman – Fox Searchlight – $2.5M 11. John Wick– Lionsgate – $2.3M 12. Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No – Disney – $1.6M
Next up – Lionsgate will be releasing THE HUNGER GAMES – MOCKINGJAY, PART 1 on November 21st, while DreamWorks Animation’s cute and cuddly PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR and Warner Bros. Pictures’ HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 open just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 26.
Full details regarding the global domestic and international box office results are listed in the table below.
I don’t care who you are, where you are from, or how old you are… Everyone needs a Baymax in their life.
BIG HERO 6 is more than a tale about a young boy. It’s a tale about a boy and his robot. After Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) loses his brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) in, what he thinks is a terrible accident, he turns to a puffy, inflatable personal health care robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit) for comfort… and then for help in seeking truth and revenge. With the help of his robotics loving friends Go Go Tomago (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez), and Fred (T.J. Miller), they go on a quest to uncover the mystery of what really happened to Tadashi.
If Baymax doesn’t warm your heart with his soft, cushy waddle and dry, innocent jokes then you might want to check your pulse… or get your very own personal health care companion, because you clearly need it. Disney stayed true to their new theme of steering away from princess romance tales (BRAVE, WRECK-IT RALPH, FROZEN) and present audiences with a story about family and friendship. BIG HERO 6 isn’t a revenge story, although it may seem that way on the surface. Instead, it’s a story filled with love. Disney impressed me, once again, with their ability to go to a dark place and bring something beautiful out of it.
They couldn’t have done a better job with the voice cast. The relationship between the characters of Hiro and Baymax is very organic and natural feeling. Adsit does an incredible job of conveying compassion and care, while also adding some fun to the character. I’m almost positive your kids will never fist-bump the same after seeing this movie. (I’m not telling you why. Go see it for yourself!) T.J. Miller really steals the show when it comes to supporting roles. His improv skills were well lent to Fred, and he added some very light-hearted moments to a story that was, at times, quite dark. I’ll admit that I cried a few times. Aiding the story is a terrific soundtrack with songs by Fall Out Boy and St. Louis band Greek Fire.
One of the most impressive things about this movie is that Disney created a beautiful, make-believe city that I would be completely happy to live in. The city of San Fransokyo (a combination of San Francisco and Tokyo… duh!)is a rich, well detailed world with wondrous architecture, and exquisite skylines. The amount of research they put into their background locations and settings is mind-blowing! Although this film is based on a Marvel comic, Disney made it their own.
If you like action, friendship, humor, and big squishy robot hugs, then BIG HERO 6 is for you! If you don’t… maybe you should go talk to someone about that.
BIG HERO 6 is getting ready to soar into theaters this Friday, and WAMG can’t wait! Recently, we sat down with TJ Miller (voice of Fred) and Damon Wayans Jr.(voice of Wasabi) in a small roundtable at Disney Animation Studios to talk about their experience working on the Disney Film, lending their comedic skills to their characters, and giraffes. Check it out below!
From Walt Disney Animation Studios, the team behind “Frozen” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” comes “BigHero6,” an action-packed comedy-adventure about the special bond that develops between Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit), a plus-sized inflatable robot, and prodigy Hiro Hamada (voice of Ryan Potter). When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo and catapults Hiro into the midst of danger, he turns to Baymax and his close friends adrenaline junkie Go Go Tomago (voice of Jamie Chung), neatnik Wasabi (voice of Damon Wayans Jr.), chemistry whiz Honey Lemon (voice of Genesis Rodriguez) and fanboy Fred (voice of T.J. Miller). Determined to uncover the mystery, Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes called “BigHero6.”
What is it that said to you, I got to do this.
TJ MILLER : I would, my story is a little interesting because I haven’t told this all yet so this is an exclusive for you guys but yeah, scooping this uninteresting story. But my Voice Over Agent called me and said Disney’s doing this thing called BIG HERO 6 and it was right when I was at a point where I’ve worked sort of compulsively. I have a very strong work ethic and I was trying to pair down the stuff that I was doing so I said I can’t do it, you’ve got to tell them I can’t audition, I can’t do anything with the movie. And he was like ‘I really think you should consider doing this. It wouldn’t take a ton of time.’ ‘And I can’t. I’m sorry. I’m already doing a TV Show’ cause in my mind, I thought it was like another television show, or it was some small DVD Project or something. How wrong was I? And then he called back the next day and he said, ‘They’re really, really interested in you for the part. They really want you to do the movie and it’s gonna be like a big thing for Disney.’ And I was like ‘I can’t do it,’ and I was at my terrible girlfriend’s house at the time. ‘I can’t – I can’t step away to do this.’ And then he called back a 3rd time the next day and said, ‘Can you just record something on your iPhone?’ And I go ‘OK, fine, yes all right.’ I think I went into her weird walk in closet and recorded this thing. As I looked at it on the iPhone, I did it once or twice and I added some funny lines to it and I just sent it in and I was like ‘Fine, fine, fine.’ And you know, months later as Damon’s discussed how insanely long this process is, they said, ‘So, you’re gonna do BIG HERO 6.’ And I was like ‘Great-What is it?’ And he’s said, ‘It’s Disney’s huge tentpole movie after FROZEN.’ And I think part of it was that he wanted to make me not get nervous. I don’t really get that nervous but he just wanted me to do just the read if I could. So, I booked it off an iPhone.
DAMON WAYANS JR. : It’s just… why didn’t he lead with that?
TJ MILLER : I know. Then I would have been like, ‘I’ll fly to you now!’ Disney’s influenced all of our lives.
Did you guys audition for Baymax?
DAMON WAYANS JR. : No, I mean aside from him, I feel like our characters facilitate the comedy as far as keeping it light when needed and making the group of friends feel real, like they actually have been friends for a while. I feel like being friends with a guy like Fred is like you have to have known him for a while to maintain that friendship.
TJ MILLER : Yeah.
DAMON WAYANS JR. : And he’s kind of, not an annoying person but he’s like the guy who’s the fan of what all the other characters do but he doesn’t do any of that. He kind of just chills and goes, ‘You know what would be cool if you made like—’
TJ MILLER : And we’ve been here for a while and I think he hit it on the head in that they came and they said, you know, you’re both comedians so we want you to do a lot of the comedy in the movie. Baymax is comedic but he’s everything, and all of it. And they told me until I signed on for the movie but Fred’s kind of like you, kind of like a chill guy, who’s very excitable. And I think that’s what I love about his character is that he’s so excited for everybody in this journey. And this is like a comic book and we’ve got to do this. We should go for it. This is our Origin story, all that sort of stuff. And he’s very silly. They let me be kind of absurdist in a couple of points and sing that Fred’s Angel song that’s so bizarre. And those moments allowed me to sort of play to my idiosyncrasies but then they also trusted me and Damon to kind of do the Disney moments where we have to have some heart, you have to add some sweetness to it and you’ve got to act a little bit, which I’m not very good at but I fooled everybody.
DAMON WAYANS JR. : The animated characters have been some of my best acting work. I just put my voice but the way they animate those guys, like the certain facial expressions that I would make reacting to something – I would just be like Wow. Wasabi is a better actor than me.
I saw that you have a tendency to kind of going off the rails sometimes. Is that you in the studio and do you get a chance to kind of riff a lot?
TJ MILLER : Totally. They were so cool about that. They sort of told us thank you for partnering with us on this, not thank you for being an employee or working on this. Disney has that feel as a company, as a studio.
DAMON WAYANS JR. : We want it to be your voice, we want it to be your comedy and do the weird stuff that you do and riff and take it in any direction. And they provide you with such a great foundation, such good writing, such good stories, such great characters so it’s easy to riff off of those whereas it’s difficult to riff off of Pete Holmes and Jeff Garlin. But it was very much that experience of a Podcast like I could go anywhere that my voice could take me in my weird strange mind. So, that’s Fred Angels and Mi Casa is French for ‘front porch.’
I have a question. I watch you in your role every week. And it was obviously, clearly, a completely different character. Do you find any similarities in Wasabi and if so, what is your favorite thing about him that you got to put yourself into?
DAMON WAYANS JR. : Similarities between me and Wasabi-we’re both a little neurotic, a little OCD. I definitely am like him in that everything should be in its place. I’ve always been like that since I was young. But aside from that I’m not like him. I’m a lot more brave than he is. I’m also not a cartoon. [LAUGHTER] But it was a great experience to kind of be that guy who’s a little more apprehensive than most in going into these dangerous situations.
In the Movie, Fred sort of jumps.
DAMON WAYANS JR. : Super jumps.
Super jumps… and I know that he’s super excited and I noticed that throughout the Movie, he would point out. I saw it almost as satire poking fun at the Super Hero genre which it’s a revenge plot and there’s a Super Villain chasing you. What makes Big Hero Six rise above your typical Superhero Movie?
TJ MILLER : Well I think that, I am a human cartoon. I think there’s something great about that self reverential thing that Disney does so well cause in a lot of television and stuff now, there’s this cynicism to like right? What if we were actually doing this thing and Fred is kind of like “we’re actually doing this thing” because he’s so excited that this is our origin story. I read something “that was our first landing together”. He’s so excited about all this. And that’s what I think- the topics that are a little bit more difficult like revenge and loss and grief and death is balanced really well with comedy and heart that Disney can do better than anyone else. And Marvel is so great with action and superhero through line but there’s a lot of wish fulfillment in this movie. I think even as adults we think about what would be our super power and what does it take to become a hero and how do you overcome loss and there’s just a lot of themes that are dealt with here that aren’t dealt with in every comic book or superhero story and this kind of got it all. That’s like what I’m so excited about to see people go whoa- this has 50 elements to it and they’re all handled well, that are balanced out with some pretty good comedy from Damon and then some fairly mediocre stuff from me.
DAMON WAYANS JR. : I also love the idea that these characters are normal human beings and what makes them Superheroes is their minds. Hiro making all these special suits for these guys. They’re not from a Planet Farkinon or somewhere that gives them their powers.
TJ MILLER : And radiation.
DAMON WAYNES JR. : Yeah, it wasn’t a spider bite. It was just these guys and their will, and their ingenuity combined with their costumes. But I really love that. I love, it kind of being about your superhero of your mind first.
TJ MILLER : And your Super power is Tech.
DAMON WAYANS : Yeah.
TJ MILLER : And work ethic, and like you said, ingenuity. That’s something all kids can go ‘whoa, well maybe I can build a robot like Baymax or maybe I can do something to help the world.’
DAMON WAYANS JR. : Definitely planting the seed for the next Generation coming up.
It’s interesting that they’re teams, they’re superheroes yet they all have their unique quirks as a person. What are some of your unique quirks.
TJ MILLER : I mean, I’ve been saying this a lot but I know more about Giraffes than anyone in this room. So I know an immense amount on giraffes facts.
Would you like to share a fun fact?
TJ MILLER : Yeah, their hooves are roughly the size of a Dinner Plate. They have 7 vertebrae like all mammals but they’re the tallest land mammal. The only animal that is born standing up, gestation period is 18 months. Have I made a point yet? [LAUGHS]
DAMON WAYANS JR. : How do they sleep?
TJ MILLER : Just kidding. They sleep in 10 minute giraffe naps and roughly sleep 30 minutes a day.
DAMON WAYANS JR. : Really?
TJ MILLER : Yeah, and they rarely get down. Their necks are so long that you would think that they would be able to reach a watering hole but they have to spread their legs apart, which is why they don’t drink much water, you know. They drink even less water than a camel because then they’re subject to predatory dangers. They have eyelashes and they have tear ducts but they’ve never been seen to cry.
DAMON WAYANS JR. : He doesn’t even like giraffes.
TJ MILLER : Yeah, I don’t like giraffes. That’s true. I just know everything about them.
The movie is an action-packed comedy-adventure about the special bond that develops between Baymax, a plus-sized inflatable robot, and young robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada. When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo, Hiro and his friends thrust into action as high-tech heroes called “Big Hero 6.”
Read Melissa Howland’s early look at the film here.
Award-winning composer Henry Jackman creates an epic, emotional score for the movie. The soundtrack, also featuring the original song, “Immortals” from Fall Out Boy, will be available at digital retail on November 4 and on CD November 24 on Disney Records.
10 lucky WAMG readers will win 4 passes to the Saturday (November 1) 10 AM screening in the St. Louis area.
Tell us your favorite film robot for a chance to win.
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. Winners will be notified on Thursday evening, October 30th.
3. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.
RATING: PG
BIG HERO 6 HITS THEATERS EVERYWHERE ON NOVEMBER 7TH
Check out this preview of Disney Animation’s FEAST.
A new short from first-time director Patrick Osborne (head of animation, “Paperman”) and Walt Disney Animation Studios, FEAST is the story of one man’s love life as seen through the eyes of his best friend and dog, Winston, and revealed bite by bite through the meals they share.
FEAST’s producer, Kristina Reed, produced 2012’s Oscar-winning short PAPERMAN.
Director Patrick Osborne, who joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2008 as an animator on Bolt, took part in the Studio’s Spark program – which invites artists to explore their own unique ideas in a month-long project that is presented to the Studio team. His experimental short “Pet” was a hit among his fellow Disney artists. Osborne, whose credits Disney’s 2010 feature TANGLED and 2012’s Oscar-winning short PAPERMAN, for which he served as head of animation, was later tapped as co-head of animation for the upcoming feature BIG HERO 6.
But his plans changed when he pitched the idea for FEAST as part of WDAS’ new shorts program – the project was greenlit with Osborne as director.
The short opens on Nov. 7, 2014, in front of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ BIG HERO 6.
