Disney’s ‘Big Hero 6’ took the third spot in the list of top-grossing films in the domestic box office for the animation studio. It passed the $218.9 million overhaul of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and is now sitting in No. 3 just behind ‘Frozen’ and ‘The Lion’ King.’
According to Disney Animation president Andrew Millstein, an important factor in ensuring the success of ‘Big Hero 6’ was the studio’s new approach in enhancing storytelling and pushing filmmakers forward to control the process.
While it remains typical for many to believe that film companies often focus on filmmakers, Disney Animation has traditionally emphasized the role of the administration, including executives who “dictated content and bogged down the creatives.”
With ‘Big Hero 6’ highlighting the dynamic San Fransokyo settings and action features, it also packs an emotional punch with the relationship between tech expert Hiro and inflatable robot Baymax.
“It’s the absolute key to the film and the reason the film resonates with audiences,” “Big Hero 6″ co-director Chris Williams explained.
Williams, along with Don Hall, both took on directorial duties for the film and have been with Disney Animation for 20 years.
In 2006, Ed Catmull and John Lasseter placed higher ranks in the studio and had put forward a change in filmmaking approach. Instead of competition, the two pushed forward a more cooperative means of filmmaking and initiated the Story Trust through which animation directors, writers and story artists focus on increased collaboration, similar to Pixar’s approach.
“The change was about the Pixar team sharing ideas with us, sharing their key principles,” Millstein says. “‘Hero’ is one example of what we’ve learned over the years and our embracing some of the Pixar DNA.”
When it comes to future sequels, Williams stated that he and Hall have not had any serious talks about possible opportunities. ‘Big Hero 6’ has already raked in a total of $505 million in the international box office and will still be released in several more regions.
According to Williams, he is happy to know that there remains “such a strong fanbase” for the movie. However, he believes that sequels can only happen if the directors seek the next movie and strongly feel that the story should continue.
“If it’s not a great story, it won’t be a great movie,” Williams explained. “The crew deserves a great story. And we have expectations from the audience, who grew up with Disney animation. They deserve a great story too."
