Baymax has tons of laughs, even more heart
Disney Animation's upcoming slate of short-form content is just getting started.
Of all the modern Disney characters that have become instant icons, it’s easy to see why Baymax was the one selected for his own series on Disney+, a first of its kind for Walt Disney Animation Studios. The Big Hero 6 star is simply likable. Have you ever heard of anyone finding Baymax annoying? It’s simply not possible. As far as potential stars go for a six-episode series, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better one.
Still, I was completely blown away by the depth of Baymax! I expected the shorts to be funny. Scott Adsit’s deadpan, heartfelt delivery will always make that a given. I didn’t expect most of the episodes to hit me directly in the feels. The majority of them left me either near tears or simply smiling from ear to ear as the credits rolled. The episodes – which all run roughly 9 minutes each – all start similarly: Baymax is patrolling San Fransokyo and finds someone in need of medical assistance: a food allergy, a rolled ankle, even a seeming fear of water. The individual shorts are all directed by different Disney talents but they all share the same screenwriter: Cirocco Dunlap, who is not receiving enough of a publicity push for this series in my opinion. She perfectly captures who Baymax is as a character and the multiple dimensions she mines out of brand new characters we meet are incredibly impressive.
We get to see Baymax perform the duties he was originally designed for – personal health care – rather than battle villains as a part of Big Hero 6. He is still a hero, just in a different and more meaningful kind of way. There are no rocket fists to be found here. Most of the BH6 gang is left on the sidelines as well. As much as I would like to have seen Honey Lemon or Fred make a cameo, this decision ends up paying off as we get to see Baymax help the ordinary citizens of San Fransokyo on his own. The two exceptions: Aunt Cass (still voiced by Maya Rudolph) who needs Baymax’s help to run the Lucky Cat after she gets injured and Hiro (Ryan Potter) who shows up at the end of each episode and then for an extended bit in the finale.
The episode that has stuck with me days after viewing is the third one. (Do not proceed if you want to avoid spoilers!) In it, Baymax helps a young girl who gets her first period while preparing to take the stage for a talent show at school. The short – helmed by one of Disney’s best story artists, Lissa Treiman – is beyond touching. The care with which Baymax handles the situation is incredibly moving. Dunlap and Treiman are also careful not to dance around the subject as well. Both Baymax and the girl are matter-of-fact and blunt about what is happening to her. Showcasing something that every woman goes through shouldn’t be as groundbreaking as this feels, but this kind of normalizing is crucial and important. Also even though the joke is a bit of a layup, it’s still pretty funny to watch Baymax hit the drug store to shop for pads and tampons.
The series hit me hard for another reason, as well. I grew up loving Disney Animation. In many ways, it has defined the course of my life, both personally and professionally. But what made me fall in love with Disney wasn’t Snow White or Peter Pan or The Little Mermaid or The Lion King. It was their short films.
The first thing I remember watching as a child were the shorts from the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s starring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Chip N Dale and everyone else in between. As a kid, I knew most of them backwards and forwards. Hell, I still do! They made me not only fall in love with Disney, but helped me recognize that animation is the greatest storytelling medium in the world. It’s also why the sight of Humphrey the Bear merchandise sends me into a frenzy in a way that Elsa and Anna merch never will. To be clear, I love Frozen and the new generation of Disney Animation projects. Obsessed, even. But there’s something about those shorts that mean more to me.
Though the studio has produced short periodically, particularly in the last fifteen years with instant classics like Paperman and Feast, Baymax! is the start of the studio committing to short-form series as a way to produce original content for Disney+. Zootopia+ is coming soon. Tiana and others will follow after that. It is a wonderful nod to the origins of the studio and a beautiful way to mine the current Disney roster for new filmmaking talent.
The thought of a kid browsing around Disney+ for something to watch and landing on this new series of short films makes me smile. It could very well be their own gateway into the wonderful world of Disney Animation.