‘Big Hero 6’ Directors On Combining The Disney And Marvel Brands

As of this writing, Big Hero 6 is on track for a $56.2 million opening, just over $6 million ahead of Christopher Nolan’s new sci-fi epic, Interstellar. Based on a Marvel property and given a Disney makeover, Big Hero 6 has quite the pedigree, and from what critics have to say about the film, it has done a fine job merging the Marvel quirk and Disney heart. In an interview with Screen Rant, Big Hero 6 directors Don Hall and Chris Williams talked about their inspirations for the film, and how the idea first came about to adapt a Marvel property in Disney animated form. Don Hall explains how the project came together.

You know, it all stemmed from just a childhood love of Disney animation and Marvel comics and what a dream come true to be able to combine those things into a film. And I pitched that to John Lasseter and he loved that idea and I started researching, you know, through the Marvel archives, just properties that I thought would be cool to bring over here and found Big Hero 6.”

While Disney has had plenty of success in the past with films like Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen, Marvel’s superhero films are gifts that keep on giving for Disney. Because of this, one would think there would be temptation to treat Big Hero 6 as just another Marvel property rather than take it the Disney route.

Very early on, once we talked to Marvel, they really encouraged us to make [Big Hero 6] our own, to build our own world and not be worried about setting it within the confines of the Marvel Universe. So that’s what led to San Fransokyo — this idea that we could create our own world to put these characters in. And we loved the idea of mash-ups — this is a Disney/Marvel mash-up.”

With a brand like Marvel, one expects fantastic action set pieces and comedy, but with Disney, viewers are looking for more of a heart. Big Hero 6 co-director Chris Williams elaborated on the idea of creating a mash-up between the two brands.

We did want our action scenes to be thrilling and we wanted it to be really funny, but to your point, it had to be really substantive at the same time emotionally. It had to be engaging emotionally, and that’s something that I think people expect from Disney animated movies, going back to Bambi and Dumbo and some of the greatest ones that have ever been made.”

Have you had a chance to check out Big Hero 6 in theaters yet? If not, do you plan on checking it out? Let us know below.

[Image courtesy of Disney]