Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney and today, we close out this year's Villains Profile as we look at the villain of Big Hero 6. And man, I wanted to like this villain. Big Hero 6 isn't a bad movie but it's probably my least favorite of the new batch of Disney movies that have come out since Princess and the Frog. It's not bad but it feels wanting. Now, this movie is based on an obscure Marvel title that from what I understand, not even a lot of Marvel fans were aware of.
Oh, and that green looking monster on the cover is Baymax as he appeared in the comics. There is a certain irony that IDW will be putting out comics based on the new TV show that is a continuation of the movie. It's odd as it was supposed to be released in July but nothing has been seen of it.
So, while we are looking at a movie that is an adaption, it is as The Dom would say In-Name Only but that's really no different than a lot of the Disney fairy tale movies. I am going to do this a little differently than I did with my first entry as some source indicate that this character served as the basis for Yokai in this movie. You can read his Villains Wiki entry for more on this character, Lord Deathstrike.
The design maybe but again as I've brought up, this is a loose adaption. So yeah, he could have been the inspiration. Anyways, let's move on to the actual contents.
Voice Actor
James Cromwell
James Cromwell does a good job at voicing Robert Callaghan. As Yokai, his villainous identity is mostly a silent antagonist and we will touch on this in the Personality section because while that was a good idea, I'm not sure if it worked. Cromwell was really good in the role but I do wish that he had been given a bit more to do.
First Appearance
Now, like some of the other entries that we have done throughout this event, I feel that we have two different First Appearances to look at. Callaghan's first Appearance and Yokai's first Appearance. Let me address something really quick, I will be using Yokai throughout this blog, even though that name is never used in the movie.
Robert Callaghan is first introduced, when Tadashi takes Hiro to SFIT and there, we see that Callaghan is a smart man that seems to be very kind and pleasant and is able to convince Hiro to at this point still a bot-fighter to join SFIT after Tadashi reveals that Callaghan had invented the tech that Hiro uses in his bot fighting. There's really not much of a feeling for him here.
When the movie shows Yokai for the first time after Hiro and Baymax see him in the warehouse using Hiro's microbots, there is an idea that he is a menace but again, there isn't a whole lot to him here.
Personality
I'm going to quote the Disney Wiki's trivia section from the Yokai page as it brings up something that is a seed of a good idea for this character.
Yokai represents Callaghan's dark side. Whenever the man shows a hint of morality throughout the film, the mask of Yokai is off; but when he allows his bitterness and hatred to take control, the mask returns and villainy ensues. This in its own way gives Callaghan an almost split personality.
This idea could work and I see what the movie was going for, but Callaghan quote-unquote dies so early in the movie that I feel like the movie never allows the audience to get to know Callaghan before Yokai is brought into the movie.
So, it's a seed of a good idea and there are hints at the end that Callaghan feels regret for his actions as Yokai when his daughter is saved at the end of the movie but I'm still not sure if it works.
Grand Desire
He wants revenge on Krei for what happened to his daughter and there, I can't blame him. This is one thing that is set up rather well as the movie makes it clear throughout that Callaghan does not like Krei and when you discover what happened to his daughter, you feel for him.
And considering Krei is a bit of sleazeball, I don't exactly feel bad for Callaghan/Yokai threatening him.
Most Evil Deed
This is a bit hard to pin down and not because Yokai/Callaghan is a sympathetic villain, which he is in a way but more because he doesn't do a whole lot in the movie. If I had to narrow it down, maybe letting Tadashi die. Even though, that really wasn't his fault but considering he had Hiro's microbots to protect him, if he had truly cared about his student, he could have helped Tadashi.
Which before this, when it's revealed that Callaghan is Yoaki, we get one of the darkest moments in the movie as Hiro sets Baymax to destroy his former professor.
Demise
Callaghan goes to take everything away from Krei at a big presentation and Big Hero 6 shows up to stop him but it seems that he has the upper hand until Hiro remembers his brother's advice to look at the problem from a new angle and our heroes are able to defeat Yokai this way as he runs out of microbots. And Baymax crushes the mask and it ends with Callaghan being arrested but not before his daughter is saved and he gets to see her, one last time.
With his arrest, you get a sense of regret towards his actions as he his actions have caused him to lose his chance at reuniting with his daughter after she is saved. It's small but it does help somewhat to show the human side of Callaghan/Yokai.
Is Yokai a Good Villain?
He's fine. There's nothing special about this character that makes him really stand out and Big Hero 6 has gone up against more threatening foes. Disney Channel has been airing the first season of Big Hero 6: The Series and the main villain of the show, Obake has proven to be a more interesting threat to the team.
But putting aside, the TV show, Yokai is an okay character but I really think more could have been done with him.
Well, we are all done with Villains Profile but we have one review left for Halloween. Join me on Halloween night as we look at a book about the villain of my favorite Disney movie.
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