The annual Annecy International Animated Film Festival is a place normally reserved for films skewing to the indie crowd. But like Cannes, Annecy is no stranger to hosting current and future offerings from major animation studios.
For example this year, DreamWorks’ How To Train Your Dragon 2 was shown out-of-competition at the festival (to a very positive reception) and Disney premiered the animated short film Feast, which is the directorial debut of Paperman‘s animation supervisor Patrick Osborne.
And it’s not just screenings. Work-in progress previews were being hosted for films such as Laika’s The Boxtrolls and Pixar’s first 2015 outing Inside Out, with the latter being presented by its director Pete Doctor.
And speaking of Disney, one particular film that was on display was Big Hero 6, the studio’s first animated feature film collaboration with Marvel (despite being only loosely based on Marvel’s respective source material).
Ever since the first teaser for it came out in May, there has been, as with all things, a ‘slow drip’ of tantalizing information about the film. All bits and pieces hinting at certain aspects of the film (rumors or otherwise). Our biggest one was not too long ago, when several images floating around the internet showed what appeared to be promotional material (in the form of a box) showing character designs for the whole team:
At this point, it would only be a matter of time before something else major about the film would reach the surface. And sure enough, it has!
Several (presumably finished clips) from Big Hero 6 were screened during the festival, and courtesy of Tumblr fan blog, we now know exactly what those scenes are about. (Descriptions themselves are courtesy of David Gilson, who was kind enough to share them with the blog).
Without further ado, here are the descriptions for the following scenes of Big Hero 6 as shown at Annecy!
(WARNING: Potential spoilers ahead!)
Clip 1
The first scene is set in Hiro’s bedroom as Baymax tries to “heal” Hiro, feeling that he’s suffering from something (that ‘something’ we’ll get to in a little bit).
Here we see Baymax serving his original function as a nurse robot. And he talks! Yes, Baymax actually has a speaking voice in the film (the voice actor has yet to be confirmed at this stage). He’s trying to figure out the ‘level’ of suffering Hiro has when he only just wants to be left alone. Baymax still attempts to console and cuddle him, only to come to the explanation that said suffering must be caused by Hiro’s puberty. It’s said to be a very humorous scene and it’s gotten a pretty solid reaction out of the audience.
Clip 2
The second scene is Baymax in his armor with Hiro (supposedly suited up as well) on his back as they fly around San Fransokyo. It’s said to be a stunning sequence, reminiscent of the famous ‘Test Drive’ scene from the first How To Train Your Dragon. The backgrounds are said to be beautiful, showcasing the city’s unique blend of American and Japanese cultures.
Clip 3
The third and final scene was a shot of Hiro in a black suit and tie at a funeral procession. Here, David confirms that Hiro’s big brother Tadashi does indeed die in the first act (something we revealed in a Big Hero 6 cast and plot video last year), which we can presume leads to the events of the first scene of Baymax trying to comfort Hiro.
Notably, these scenes don’t feature any of the other characters that make up rest of the team (Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Gogo Tomago, Fred), keeping the focus squarely on the relationship between Hiro and Baymax, an element that seems very much to be the linchpin of the story and the overall heat of the film.
With San Diego Comic Con well on its way, it’s a pretty good assumption that by that time we may get to know a little more about the film–more footage, plot details, possible cast announcement– and finally get some solid confirmations on what’s already out there.
Big Hero 6 lands in theaters this fall on November 7.
