If your heart was warmed by Disney’s animated “Big Hero 6” movie, you’d be excited to learn that Disney will be continuing the cuddly robot’s story in the new show, “Baymax!” At their Investor Day in 2020, Disney announced it was working on the TV series, as well as a host of other TV shows like “Moana,” “Tiana,” and “Zootopia+.”
Baymax returns in the first animated series created by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio responsible for Disney classics like “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Frozen.” Until now, episodic Disney cartoons have been developed by Disney Television Animation (DTVA) and other departments.
The show’s creator, Don Hall, also directed the 2014 film. In addition to “Big Hero 6,” Hall has directed several other Disney projects, like “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Moana.” In this article, we’ll give you the run-through of what the show is about and tell you everything we know about the project so far.
When Will the Disney Plus “Baymax!” Series Premiere?
Although “Baymax!” doesn’t have a release date at this time, the show is set to premiere sometime in early 2022.
Where Can You Watch Disney’s “Baymax!”?
The show will be available for streaming exclusively on Disney Plus.
What Will the “Baymax!” Series Be About?
Not much is known about the full plot of the “Baymax!” series, but Disney has said it will be a continuation of the events from the “Big Hero 6” film. However, the spinoff will focus on Baymax’s experiences as a nurse in the city of San Fransokyo (a fictional city with elements of San Francisco and Tokyo) and not as a member of the Big Hero 6 team. If you haven’t yet seen “Big Hero 6”, be forewarned that the next few paragraphs may contain spoilers.
The 2014 film is loosely based on the “Big Hero 6” Marvel comics. The movie follows Hiro Hamada, a 14-year-old genius in robotics who lives with his aunt Cass and brother Tadashi. Tadashi convinces Hiro to apply to the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology (SFIT).
Hiro creates microbots (a horde of small robots that can be controlled by a user’s mind) for the school’s showcase. His project is a hit, and he gets accepted to SFIT. However, there’s a fire, and Tadashi is killed while trying to save his professor, Robert Callaghan. The microbots are seemingly destroyed.
Later, still mourning Tadashi’s death, Hiro finds Baymax, a big white inflatable medical robot built by his brother. When Hiro realizes his microbots were not destroyed and have been stolen, he teams up with Baymax and Tadashi’s friends from school, Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred, to hunt a mystery criminal. The friends form the superhero group, Big Hero 6.
The film’s story focuses heavily on the relationship between Hiro and Baymax, as the former struggles to come to terms with the loss of his brother. When Hiro realizes his brother’s death wasn’t an accident, he desperately wants revenge. Through his selfless nature, Baymax helps Hiro process his emotions and let go of his rage so he can move on with his life. The show “Baymax!” could feature the robot helping medical patients have similar breakthroughs.
In 2018, “Big Hero 6: The Series,” created by writers Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, premiered on Disney XD. The TV show also takes place after the events of the film. It features the team taking on an assortment of villains with technological abilities and follows Hiro’s educational and personal endeavors as a student at SFIT.
The series features a hand-drawn 2D animation style as opposed to the 3D style used in the film. “Baymax!” will most likely adopt a 3D animation model like the one used in the film. It’s unclear whether “Baymax!” will address the events of the Disney XD cartoon series that ended its run in early 2021.
What Ages Are Appropriate to Watch the “Baymax!” Series?
The comic book movie “Big Hero 6” was rated PG (some scenes may not be suitable for younger children) due to its intense action and minor rude humor. It’s unknown whether “Baymax!” will have a similar rating. More details on the show’s rating will likely be available as it nears its release date (which hasn’t been announced yet).
However, the plot of “Baymax!” is centered around the robot’s work in the medical industry of San Fransokyo, so it might not have the same heart-pounding action as the film. Given Baymax’s innocent nature and child-friendly design, it’s likely that the show could be aimed at a younger audience.
Who Are the Main Characters of Disney’s “Baymax!”?
“Big Hero 6” had an all-star cast of voice talent, which included Maya Rudolph from “Bridesmaids,” Jamie Chung from “Sucker Punch,” Ryan Potter from “Titans,” Genesis Rodriguez from “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” and Scott Adsit from “30 Rock.”
Because “Baymax!” will focus on the robot’s solo escapades, it’s not known which, if any, of the characters from the original film will take part in the new series. So far, the only character who will definitely appear in “Baymax!” is … Baymax.
Tadashi Hamada created the inflatable robotic health care assistant Baymax to increase the quality of medical care worldwide. Baymax’s health care chip enables him to react to a patient’s physical or emotional pain, scan their vitals, and treat them accordingly. Baymax’s soft, non-threatening design is intended to put patients at ease.
Hiro later gives Baymax armor and a jetpack and alters the robot’s programming to fight villains. However, Baymax shows he’s actually a caring, sentient being by sacrificing himself for Hiro without his health care chip installed. He’s later rebuilt by Hiro.
In the film and animated series, Scott Adsit provides the voice of the fluffy, white robot. While it’s likely that Adsit will reprise the role, given that “Baymax!” will have the same director as the film (Don Hall), there hasn’t been a formal announcement from Disney confirming Adsit’s involvement in the project.
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