Little Kid 6

Just got out of Big Hero 6, with my team at work, and to say I loved the movie would be the absolute understatement of the year.

I don't even really know where to start, and I'm not sure if I'm going for a review or just my response to it. SO, let's just go forward with the following disclaimer.

I CANNOT GUARANTEE THERE WILL NOT BE SPOILERS

Just one more time for people who read faster than their minds can process what they are reading.

THE FOLLOWING MAY VERY WELL CONTAIN SPOILERS

If you don't want the movie spoiled turn back now.

Final warning.

THE FOLLOWING DEFINITELY CONTAINS SPOILERS

Let's do this.


THE INTERNET DIDN'T PREPARE ME FOR THIS MOVIE!! Everyone on the internet absolutely loves Tadashi. If I had a nickel for every single time I saw a piece of artwork of Tadashi, or a post from someone proclaiming their love for him I would have enough money to buy the $15 dollar poster from Amazon.

That being said, I couldn't help but think of my brother. Tadashi is there for Hiro, and pushes him to do more with his brain. He encourages him to strive for more, and challenge himself to be even better. And his science project? Freaking Baymax, "your personal healthcare companion." He built a robot that would scan a person and help to take care of them, only turning itself off when the patient was satisifed with their care. He even gave it a freaking huggable design!

And I know I'm no Hiro. As much as I dream of being Hiro Hamada, or  Pavel Chekov or even Klaus Baudelaire, I'm not. At this point, at the age of 22, I've long passed the point where I would be the super genius that manages to create a cool thing or even just smart enough to save the world.

However, I'm fine with that. I mean, if you gave me the chance to go back to when I was young, with the ability to become that kid, I would jump at the chance. I mean, just being that super smart kid would be fantastic and would definitely help me with my dream of helping others. However, that's not happening, no matter how much I dream of it being the case.

No, I wasn't destined to be a super genius. I'm ok with that. I've come to terms with that.

That does't mean that when I watch a movie like Big Hero 6 I don't become a little kid again.

No, the exact opposite happens. I become the kiddest little kid that ever walked the Earth, and it is beyond glorious. For the duration of the film, I was awestruck. I couldn't pull myself out of the film. I was laughing, I was crying, I was completely in tune with the film.

I'm the easiest person to cater to when it comes to films. I get attached. I become the main character. When I watched heroes, I was Peter. His brother was mine. His struggles I felt. For Big Hero 6 I was Hiro. Tadashi was my brother. Tadashi was Charlie.

The way Tadashi encouraged Hiro, was the way Charlie encouraged me. So, you can imagine how much I fell in love with the on screen chemistry. I was sold. I was in the zone. And that's when everything came crashing down. That was the moment the internet failed to prepare me for.

Tadashi, in the classic heroic move, sacrificed himself to try and save his mentor and friend. It took a few moments for things to click, but by that point the tears had already found the best path on their way down my cheeks. By the time I was capable of comprehending that he was actually gone, I could taste the salt from the tears as they ran over my lips, and crashed into my mouth.

I guess it's understandable then, that upon leaving the theater, I shot a text to my brother telling him I loved him. It just made sense.

See, my brother encouraged me, and if there's anything my brother taught me, it's that I'm worth something.

I don't know if he ever posted this, or if it was just meant to me, but it was in my graduation letter, and I read it whenever I'm down to remind myself that I have a purpose. Here's the poem he wrote for me upon graduating from UT.

i.

you are not me.

i became attached
to my shadow
until i realized
he might become me.

let me tell you
sleep does not favor
the misshapen

ii.

you are not me.

i will never stop
being grateful
for your self.

you are more a man
than most will meet
and you tell us all
how to be better
without words.

iii.

you are not me,
but you are a part of me.



It rests front and center on the door of my fridge, and I can't read it without tearing up. However, it reminds me of my purpose. I'm not going to create a robotic suit to save the world. No, but I am here to encourage others. I'm here to love people. I'm here to be a light, when all else is dark.

And, well, that's as important a super power as the super intelligence. I don't acknowledge it enough, and I need to acknowledge it more. That's why I make videos, that's why I strive to retain a smile 24/7. And just like any hero, I can't do it 24/7. I have moments, where the world is blank, and I'm lost. In those moments, I find the poem. And it is in those moments that I find the strength to be the person I'm meant to be.

So, when Hiro finds the person who caused the death of his brother I understood his pain. When he removed the Tadashi chip and set Baymax to kill his enemy I knew that pain. I haven't lost my brother. I can't imagine what I would even begin to feel. Yet, I know that my actions wouldn't range that far from Hiro's.

So you can imagine, my face was pretty much a solid stream of tears. And the tears only grew worse as Baymax then revealed the videos of Tadashi working to create Baymax. And then his friends, his brother's friends, arrived to comfort him. Man, I may not have been sobbing, but in that moment my heart had shattered, and was being pieced back together by the love among them.

I'm such a sucker for friendship stories. And brother stories. And definitely superhero stories. So when the team worked together in the final fight. When Fred burned Honey Lemon's chemistry pellets creating the smoke screen I legitimately fist pumped in the theater and the tears were definitely there. When they each had to think outside the box, my inner 6 year old was jumping up and down with excitement.

In the end, I had one of the best cinematic experiences of my life. I was so happy, and so pumped, and full of inner childish joy, and at the same time I sobbed and felt my heart pulled apart. I laughed more than I thought I would, and it was just a perfect experience.


So, this wasn't a review of Big Hero 6. No, this was the story of how Big Hero 6 managed to pull me in, and enthrall me in its story. And yes, I definitely cried while writing this, I cried when I read back through the poem my brother sent me.

And in the end, when the world does get me down. I have more friends than I can count who help to pull me out, and my family is beyond capable of lifting me up.

So, that is why I maintain my smile at all times, and while it may not be a super intelligence, or a super power, it is the only super power I could ever want.

I love you all, and don't forget to smile. =D