Big Hero 6
When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo and catapults Hiro into the midst of danger, he turns to Baymax and his close friends adrenaline junkie Go Go Tomago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. Determined to uncover the mystery, Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes called "Big Hero 6."
Despite a major studio investment of $165.0M, Big Hero 6 became a financial success, earning $657.9M worldwide—a 299% return. This commercial performance validated the ambitious narrative scope, proving that audiences embrace unique voice even at blockbuster scale.
1 Oscar. 17 wins & 58 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Big Hero 6 (2014) exhibits deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Chris Williams's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 42 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.6, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Hiro Hamada
Baymax
Tadashi Hamada
Go Go Tomago
Wasabi
Honey Lemon
Fred
Robert Callaghan
Aunt Cass
Main Cast & Characters
Hiro Hamada
Played by Ryan Potter
A 14-year-old robotics prodigy who forms a superhero team to combat a masked villain after his brother's death.
Baymax
Played by Scott Adsit
An inflatable healthcare companion robot created by Tadashi, who becomes Hiro's closest friend and protector.
Tadashi Hamada
Played by Daniel Henney
Hiro's older brother and robotics genius who inspires Hiro to use his talents for good before dying in a fire.
Go Go Tomago
Played by Jamie Chung
An adrenaline junkie engineering student specializing in electromagnetic suspension technology.
Wasabi
Played by Damon Wayans Jr.
A precise, organized applied physics student who creates laser-induced plasma fields.
Honey Lemon
Played by Genesis Rodriguez
An upbeat chemistry enthusiast who uses her knowledge to create chemical compounds in battle.
Fred
Played by T.J. Miller
A wealthy superfan of science and comics who serves as the team's mascot and provides their headquarters.
Robert Callaghan
Played by James Cromwell
A renowned robotics professor at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology who becomes the villain Yokai.
Aunt Cass
Played by Maya Rudolph
Hiro and Tadashi's loving aunt who runs a bakery and raises them after their parents' death.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Hiro wins an illegal bot fight in San Fransokyo, showcasing his robotics genius but wasting his potential in the underground fighting scene. His brother Tadashi rescues him from trouble, establishing their close relationship.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Hiro meets Professor Callaghan and is inspired by the cutting-edge robotics at SFIT. He decides he wants to attend the university, disrupting his directionless bot-fighting lifestyle and setting a new goal.. At 10% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to A massive fire breaks out at the SFIT showcase hall. Tadashi runs inside to save Professor Callaghan and dies in the explosion. Hiro is thrust into grief and a new world without his brother, mentor, and best friend., moving from reaction to action.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat First major confrontation with Yokai at the abandoned Krei Tech warehouse. The team is completely outmatched and barely escapes with their lives. Stakes raise dramatically—they realize they need real training and coordination to survive. False defeat moment that changes the tone from fun to serious., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 74 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Consumed by rage and grief, Hiro removes Baymax's healthcare chip and orders him to kill Callaghan. The team intervenes and stops the attack. In the struggle, Baymax is nearly destroyed—a symbolic "death" where Hiro almost destroys Tadashi's legacy and the caring purpose Baymax represents. Hiro's lowest point, having become exactly what he shouldn't be., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 81 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Hiro reinstalls Baymax's healthcare chip, restoring his core programming. Watching Tadashi's final video message, Hiro realizes: "This is what Tadashi wanted"—to help people. Synthesis moment where Hiro combines his superhero abilities with Baymax's healing purpose, choosing to save rather than destroy. He learns Callaghan's daughter Abigail is trapped in the portal dimension., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Big Hero 6's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Big Hero 6 against these established plot points, we can identify how Chris Williams utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Big Hero 6 within the animation genre.
Chris Williams's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Chris Williams films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Big Hero 6 represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Chris Williams filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional animation films include The Bad Guys, The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie and Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. Presage Flower. For more Chris Williams analyses, see Bolt, The Sea Beast.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Hiro wins an illegal bot fight in San Fransokyo, showcasing his robotics genius but wasting his potential in the underground fighting scene. His brother Tadashi rescues him from trouble, establishing their close relationship.
Theme
Tadashi tells Hiro: "Your bot-fighting career can wait. Your education cannot." The theme of finding true purpose and using one's gifts to help others (rather than for selfish gain) is introduced through Tadashi's mentorship.
Worldbuilding
Setup of Hiro's world: his relationship with older brother Tadashi, their Aunt Cass, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology (SFIT), and Tadashi's lab friends (Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Fred). Tadashi introduces Hiro to his project: Baymax, a healthcare companion robot.
Disruption
Hiro meets Professor Callaghan and is inspired by the cutting-edge robotics at SFIT. He decides he wants to attend the university, disrupting his directionless bot-fighting lifestyle and setting a new goal.
Resistance
Tadashi guides Hiro through preparing for the SFIT application showcase. Hiro invents microbots—tiny robots controlled by a neural transmitter. He successfully presents his invention to Callaghan and is accepted to SFIT. Krei Industries tries to buy the technology but Callaghan warns against it.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
A massive fire breaks out at the SFIT showcase hall. Tadashi runs inside to save Professor Callaghan and dies in the explosion. Hiro is thrust into grief and a new world without his brother, mentor, and best friend.
Mirror World
Baymax activates in response to Hiro's pain (saying "ow"), beginning his healthcare protocol. Baymax represents Tadashi's legacy of healing and care, introducing the relationship subplot that will teach Hiro how to process grief through helping others rather than revenge.
Premise
Hiro discovers someone stole his microbots and is manufacturing them. He and Baymax investigate, encountering a masked villain (Yokai) using the microbots. Hiro recruits Tadashi's friends and upgrades Baymax with armor and flight capabilities. The team begins functioning as superheroes, tracking Yokai—the "promise of the premise" delivers superhero team action.
Midpoint
First major confrontation with Yokai at the abandoned Krei Tech warehouse. The team is completely outmatched and barely escapes with their lives. Stakes raise dramatically—they realize they need real training and coordination to survive. False defeat moment that changes the tone from fun to serious.
Opposition
The team trains and creates specialized superhero suits using each member's scientific expertise. They track Yokai to Akuma Island and discover Krei's secret teleportation portal project. In the confrontation, they unmask Yokai and discover he is Professor Callaghan—alive, having stolen the microbots and let Tadashi die. Hiro is devastated and enraged.
Collapse
Consumed by rage and grief, Hiro removes Baymax's healthcare chip and orders him to kill Callaghan. The team intervenes and stops the attack. In the struggle, Baymax is nearly destroyed—a symbolic "death" where Hiro almost destroys Tadashi's legacy and the caring purpose Baymax represents. Hiro's lowest point, having become exactly what he shouldn't be.
Crisis
Hiro isolates himself, pushing everyone away. The team doesn't give up on him. They show Hiro video recordings of Tadashi's Baymax testing, revealing Tadashi's true intent: creating something to help people and make the world better. Hiro confronts his grief and what Tadashi would have wanted.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Hiro reinstalls Baymax's healthcare chip, restoring his core programming. Watching Tadashi's final video message, Hiro realizes: "This is what Tadashi wanted"—to help people. Synthesis moment where Hiro combines his superhero abilities with Baymax's healing purpose, choosing to save rather than destroy. He learns Callaghan's daughter Abigail is trapped in the portal dimension.
Synthesis
The team confronts Callaghan at the Krei Tech headquarters where he's using the microbots to destroy Krei with the unstable portal. Instead of fighting for revenge, they fight to save Abigail trapped in the portal dimension. Hiro and Baymax enter the portal and rescue her. Baymax sacrifices his armored body to propel Hiro and Abigail to safety, but his healthcare chip (his true essence) survives in his rocket fist.
Transformation
Closing image mirrors the opening: Hiro at SFIT, but transformed. He's rebuilt Baymax using the healthcare chip and now leads his friends as Big Hero 6, protecting San Fransokyo. Where he once wasted his genius on bot-fighting, he now uses it to help others—fulfilling Tadashi's legacy and finding purpose through healing rather than revenge.