Disney’s Big Hero 6 is Here!

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Erin

Disney’s Big Hero 6 is Here!

By Mindy Marzec

What do you get when you combine classic Disney animation with the action-adventure of live action Marvel super hero movies? The result is the stunning “Big Hero 6,” the 54th animated feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

“Big Hero 6” is set in the futuristic fantasy world of San Fransokyo, where young robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) befriends a large inflatable robot, Baymax (voiced by Scott Adsit). Baymax was programmed to be helpful and compassionate, but when evil befalls the city, Hiro must help Baymax become an all-powerful fighting machine. They team up with Hiro’s friends GoGo Tomago (voiced by Jamie Chung), Wasabi (voiced by Damon Wayans Jr.), Honey Lemon (voiced by Genesis Rodriguez), and Fred (voiced by T.J. Miller) and become the high-tech super hero team Big Hero 6.

The movie is based on the Marvel comic of the same name, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Marvel gave Disney their blessing to use the name and create their own story and universe, which is exactly what Disney did. “Big Hero 6” is certainly packed with action, but it also has that Disney heart and soul we come to expect. And I don’t want to give away spoilers, but yes, this one is a tear jerker so pack some tissues (think “Dumbo” and “Bambi” level heart-string-pulling). While we’ve come to expect tragedy in Disney movies, this one is a little different. The audience goes on an emotional journey with Hiro as we watch him deal with grief and then process those feelings and emotions throughout the film. It’s quite touching and groundbreaking for an animated movie. As the kids would say, it gave me “all the feels.”

Big Hero 6: Thoughts From the Cast & Creators

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Erin

Big Hero 6: Thoughts From the Cast & Creators

By Mindy Marzec

Last month I had the great privilege to see a screening of “Big Hero 6” and attend a press junket with some of the film’s creators and voice actors. It was a fun afternoon at the Disney studios in Burbank, CA, and I want to thank Erin at Horsing Around in L.A. for the experience! My review of the film is coming up, but first I wanted to introduce you to some of the creative geniuses behind “Big Hero 6,” then be on the look out for the scoop on the short film that runs before it, called “Feast,” tomorrow!

First we got a little background about how the film was made from Don Hall (Director), Chris Williams (Director), and Roy Conli (Producer). They were asked about how the project came to be and how similar it is to the original Marvel comic of “Big Hero 6.”

Don: “The project came from my love of comic books. It was a dream project to take these things (Disney and comics) and combine them. We inquired about the project because I liked the title, found out it was a Japanese super hero team and then became more intrigued, then actually read the comics and got really intrigued. And so when we met with Marvel and said, ‘We want to do Big Hero 6,’ they loved it, they loved the idea we were going to do, and they said ‘don’t worry about setting it in the Marvel universe. Do your own thing. Use your own creative and create your own world.” So then we created San Fransokyo, because that’s what we do first, right off the bat, what’s the world we’re dealing with here? We love fantasy and we do fantasy very well, and so we wanted to create a fantasy world. That’s what led to this mash up of San Fransokyo. We wanted this world to not be super powered beings walking around, there’s a reality to this world. And then super technology became everybody’s super power. So a lot of these little decisions took us farther away from the comic book.”

What about criticism from Marvel fans?

Don: “One thing about our process is, no matter what story you think you’re going to tell when you start out, it is going to be something else by the end. That’s just the way it is. (Changing the story) was always going to be that way. I will say that Duncan Rouleau, who is one of the co-creators of the original comic, just saw (the film) and loved it.”

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Erin

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

By Erin

*I attended the press junket for this film as a guest of Disney for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own. All photos and videos are courtesy of Walt Disney Studios*

We all have bad days. Some more than others, including myself a lot of the time I feel like! As a child, I adored the book, so I am thrilled to see this one in theaters. I still have the book and enjoy taking a look back at it every now and then. Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is such a funny movie starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner. Alexander is a young boy who at 11 years old experiences one of the most terrible and horrible days of his young life! After making a wish that he soon regrets, he begins to find out that he isn’t the only one who has bad days. The movie has a good message about family coming together and having each other’s backs, even when things are going terribly wrong. It is the perfect family movie that we can all relate to while enjoying a good laugh.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the film and see what tid-bits the cast has to share with us about making the film. In attendance was Jennifer Garner, Bella Thorne, Dylan Minnette, Ed Oxenbould, Kerris Dorsey, and Steve Carell.

Did the cast have any bad days on set?

Jennifer Garner told us about a miserably hot day shooting outdoors on location when the temperatures out were getting unbearable. Steve Carell was humorously mocking her answer and you could tell instantly that the cast really enjoyed working together.

What did Jennifer Garner think about getting to work with Dick Van Dyke during his cameo in the film?

She said he could do whatever he wanted since it’s Dick Van Dyke, even if he was screaming at her. She wished the rest of the cast could have been with her though. As this was the only time they weren’t all together.

Has Jennifer cracked what it takes to make a good mother?

Jennifer: “Gosh, have I cracked what it is to be a great mom? Nooooo! But that’s the great thing about being a parent, it’s that everyday is a fresh start. You always can say “Today we’re going to try this.” And if it goes horribly, you say “Today we’re throwing that out, we’re trying this.” That’s part of what I like about being a mom in general.
But I do, I have enjoyed this new world of playing moms. This little kid whose mom is a teacher at my child’s school said, “Mrs. Affleck is a lot like my mom, she gets to have a lot of other kids.” (laugh) You feel that way. You form these relationships.”

The Cooper family in the film is overly positive and support each other most of the time, is there any danger to that positivity at all in the real world?

Jennifer: “Of course. Your kids need to be allowed to have a bad day and you need to show them that it’s ok to have the whole range of emotions, you should have it all, you have rage and anger and sadness, so there’s a lot of room for joy and happiness as well.”

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Disney’s Big Hero 6 is Here!