by Austen Terry, Contributing Writer
In 2014, Disney Animated Studios released Big Hero 6, which tells the story of five genius young adults who come together as a superhero team, led by their healthcare robot Baymax. In 2017, Disney followed this film up with Big Hero 6: The Series, which continues their story as they defend the town of San Fransokyo. In December 2020, Disney announced Baymax!,a new series for Disney+. This new series would consist of 6 episodes of about 11 minutes each. I was excited to finally get to see this series out, since I immediately fell in love with Baymax when Big Hero 6 came out — this series did not disappoint.
Baymax! tells the story of Baymax (Scott Adsit), who travels around San Fransokyo as he continues his work as your healthcare companion. This series not only brings back Adsit to voice Baymax again, but we also see the return of Ryan Potter voicing Hiro and Maya Rudolph voicing Aunt Cass as they did in the previous movie and series. Bringing back the original voice actors for this new series just elevates it even more for me; Baymax has a unique voice that, just as he was created for, makes him feel reassuring and comforting. These six episodes take you on an emotional journey, and even though they are short, it does not matter. You still get to connect with each new character.
Baymax tries to help people with their physical injuries since he’s a healthcare companion, but he ends up helping each person with an emotional issue as well. Overcoming your fear is a big overarching theme throughout the series, and each character goes through their own emotional journey. Whether it’s overcoming fear of disappointing others, fear of taking the leap, fear of growing up, fear of asking someone out, or a fear of people because you have been alone, each grows with Baymax by their side, and he helps them along the way. The emotional side of these episodes help you connect with these characters in every way possible. This means you will go through the emotions with them — during a couple of the episodes I even started tearing up.
Each episode tells a unique story with each character, but they are pretty basic characters who get hurt, which alerts Baymax, and he stays with them until they are satisfied with their care. Hiro and Cass are the only returning characters from the original movie and series, but this show isn’t about the superhero team. Its about Baymax.
Now there is an elephant in the room with this series and I want to briefly talk about it. There is one episode and some characters that have sparked some discussion. If you have been on the internet since the show premiered, then you might have heard one of the episodes does feature a character going through her period for the first time. The question was raised, does this episode need to be in a kid’s show? I am glad they included it, and even the scene that has sparked the controversy. Animated shows simply need to tackle tough subjects. Many shows I watched as a kid tackled tough subjects, and modern shows need to be able to do that, and not just feel like something to keep your kids entertained for a few minutes. Allowing kids to be able to learn something, and if need be, ask their parents about what they learned is okay.
There are LGBTQ+ characters in the show as well, and I am so happy there are because representation matters. This show doesn’t make a big deal out of the characters and is not trying to say anything other than LGBTQ+ people exist and can be characters in a TV show — even a kids’ show. This show left me wanting more, even as a 30-year-old adult. I could spend the next week watching 100 episodes of this little series and I would probably rewatch all 100 after I am done. This series is such a quick, joyful watch, and it’s just comforting as well. Baymax is always there for us, and is truly our healthcare companion.
If you loved Big Hero 6 then this series is a great followup to the movie. I haven’t seen Big Hero 6: The Series yet, but since this series made me go rewatch the movie, I might end up checking out that series as well. Unlike with other Disney+ shows, all the episodes for Baymax! were dropped all at once. I recommend this series, and feel it is appropriate for all ages.
Score: 8/10
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