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The Art of Big Hero 6

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Walt Disney Animation Studios' Big Hero 6 is the story of Hiro Hamada, a brilliant robotics prodigy who must foil a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo. This new title in our popular The Art of series, published to coincide with the movie's U.S. release, features concept art from the film's creation—including sketches, storyboards, maquette sculpts, colorscripts, and much more—illuminated by quotes and interviews with the film's creators. Fans will love the behind-the-scenes insights into Disney's newest action comedy adventure.

Copyright ©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.

159 pages, Hardcover

First published October 21, 2014

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Jessica Julius

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5 stars
703 (64%)
4 stars
252 (23%)
3 stars
98 (8%)
2 stars
22 (2%)
1 star
19 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
Profile Image for Gretel Hernández.
269 reviews94 followers
October 6, 2024
Una excelente historia de súper-héroes, con un gran mensaje; fue muy entretenido ver su arte.
Profile Image for Sophie Crane.
5,235 reviews179 followers
February 16, 2022
Wonderful and fairly thorough compilation of ideas, sketches and narrative from the creative-sorts behind the brilliant movie.
The section about the film's fictional city San Fransokyo, reveals wit, imagination and architectural speculation, of two worlds coming together. The culture/urban form of geek's paradise San Francisco, and the robotic/futuristic paradise of Tokyo combine.
The book makes an informative yet accessible insight into various techniques used in the Disney art department; from preliminary research and concept sketches, to colour scripting, rendering and post-production. The book gives a bit of space for you to appreciate that all the little details (which hover almost unnoticed in the background ,although give a general impression of an immersive/convincing environment), have been meticulously and imaginatively considered by the team. it is great to see that the concept artists have their names next to the sketches, personally I enjoyed seeing who got to do what, or rather who drafted the version of a character that was eventually selected from a series of interpretations. Some might have trouble forgiving the book for using Comic Sans typeface in some areas, but it's just there because of the comic book theme!

Nice colour, good printing + lots of cute images of Baymax too!
Profile Image for Diana.
1,979 reviews309 followers
December 27, 2017
Very nice and cute art book. Lots of designs and info about the characters, even the cat Mochi is included! <3
:3
Profile Image for Art of the Film.
71 reviews10 followers
December 9, 2015
description

"Big Hero 6" is one of the best designed films I've seen in a while. The film features sophisticated animation which Walt Disney Animation has become known for (particularly since Disney brought Lasseter/Pixar into the fold). The film employed the most cutting-edge technology in computer animation, including Hyperion (a brand new light simulator which adds realism to digital cinematography). It's also important to note that the film was based on a Marvel comic - and although story and design changes were quite substantial, some aspects of the comic's visual style were retained in the film.

All of these aspects are discussed (and shown) in great detail in "The Art of Big Hero 6" . If you are a fan of the movie, then you should enjoy this book. There are plenty of drawings of the main characters Hero and Baymax (both pencil sketches and full color renders). But there are also storyboards, color script pages, digital concept art, and more. The environment designs were particularly interesting because they are a stylistic blend of San Francisco and Tokyo.

description

Table of Contents
- Preface by John Lasseter
- Foreword by directors Don Hall & Chris Williams
- Introduction: A Super Hero Movie with Heart
- The World of Big Hero 6
- The Characters of Big Hero 6
- Cinematography
- Color Script
Profile Image for Kamal.
184 reviews24 followers
April 5, 2015
I can't say that I'm a huge fan of this movie. I think that it suffers from many of the limitations of classic Disney films. That being said, it was eye opening to see the details of the creative process that brought this visually stunning film to life. I was also surprised to find out that Big Hero 6 is inspired by a defunct Marvel comic from the late 90s-early 2000s. The translation (or in this case the "Disneyfying") of the comic is carefully explained in the book. The authors also give insight into the technology used to animate the film. These technical details are peppered with anecdotes from the director and cinematographer. The book is loaded with great concept art, which in turn reveals how much the themes, plot and aesthetics of the film shifted over the four-year period it took to take the idea to the box office.
Profile Image for claud..
834 reviews74 followers
July 6, 2017
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I really only bought this for the cool pictures that I knew would be included: early designs for the characters that of course we never would have seen in the actual film.

As for reading material though, it was mostly annotations and not much actual text. Dammit, I wish this was longer. :(
Profile Image for Trike.
1,976 reviews189 followers
March 23, 2015
Aside from the fact that some of the pictures are so small that you need a magnifying glass to read the notes, this is one of the best "Art of" books I've seen.

The details of how they developed everything from the architecture to the characters is fascinating, and it all feels like it simply flows from one item to the next.

Weirdly, this book doesn't have any more text than most of its type, yet it feels like it has a lot more content. I attribute that to clear explanations and solidly-chosen examples to illustrate the thought process. Unlike the recent Marvel art books, pages aren't wasted on interminable storyboards. We get a brief taste of them here and there, showing how the designs evolved over time in consideration of how it would look on film.

Some specific things I found particularly interesting were the fact that earlier designs of Bayomax had a mouth, and that mouth eventually became his eyes. It seems like an odd beyond-the-box choice, but if you've seen the movie it makes perfect sense. Also that the houses were rendered as caricatures as much as the people were, because it wasn't obvious in the film. Exaggerating certain features is something that's done a lot (as they note in the book) but it never once jumped out at me while watching the movie. Which means they found the right balance of realism and cartooniness.

Oh, and shout-out to the layout designer of this book. My pet peeve is pictures that span two pages, because you always, always, ALWAYS lose part of the picture in the book's valley. (This is one of the reasons I stopped reading car and photography magazines, too.) I think there were probably 5 or 6 two-page spreads in the entire book, and all of them were either low-information pictures or chapter breaks.
Profile Image for Caitlin.
327 reviews7 followers
January 30, 2019
My first "The Art of..." book! I really enjoyed this overall, packed with wonderful art that illustrates the many different stages of production as well as some of the thought processes that went into making design decisions for the film. As usual with these coffee-table Disney books, I'm left wanting more actual information, more detailed breakdowns of certain things, but in general I do think that this book is still informative for all fans of the movie and offers insight to the creation of Big Hero 6's gorgeous aesthetic. My personal favorite part was actually at the very beginning, with the exploration of how the film's setting, San Fronsokyo, came to be.
Profile Image for andrea .
323 reviews72 followers
February 11, 2020
Muy interesante y completo. Da descripciones detalladas de los personajes y de la ciudad de San Fransokyo. Me ha encantado ver las dificultades que supuso la fusión de San Francisco y Tokyo, y los bocetos de la casa de Hiro son preciosos. Me ha sorprendido que incluyera villanos eliminados, aunque me hubiese gustado ver alguna que otra escena eliminada.
Profile Image for Steph.
272 reviews2 followers
February 11, 2021
A stunning collection of concept art! Really makes me wish this had been a 2D film though--the test designs are so much more fun. Also, cannot give this more than 4 stars because it made me read the word "Marvelicious" which is probably a war crime.
Profile Image for Kat.
59 reviews1 follower
January 14, 2020
One of my favorite artbooks. It's really interesting how they designed the city and I love the attention to detail they put in everything.
Profile Image for Ylenia.
1,089 reviews415 followers
October 6, 2016
This one was SO good.

I love the movie and I watch it every time it's on tv or just when I feel sad on DVD.
This book was so inspiring! I loved to read the whole process; from creating the setting, to the characters and even how the light and colors worked in the final product.
Profile Image for M.i..
1,411 reviews6 followers
February 5, 2015
This book really gives the reader an insight into the incredible work that went into creating the movie. I loved how it was put together, selfishly wishing there was more to it, but I guess that's what the movie is for.
Profile Image for Nathan Albright.
4,488 reviews160 followers
January 6, 2020
It can be a fascinating experience to read a book consisting mostly of artwork from a film that one has not seen and that one may not even like.  For those who enjoy the complex art of film animation and the way that contemporary animated films seek to use similar techniques to live-action cinematography so as to preserve the expectations for visuals that people have when looking at live-action films, this book is definitely instructive.  It demonstrates a desire to blend the sentiments of San Francisco and Tokyo together, and that is something I find more than a little bit dodgy, not least because I an think of few cities as devoted to the culture of death than those two cities, or two cities I would like less to live in.  To their credit, the makers of the film sought to capture the shadow and light of their imaginary city as well as provide places that offer rustic comfort and even a mansion from someone who looks like a homeless bum, but clearly this film is being made for people who are not me, but rather those who want a San Fran & Tokyo-inspired Marvelesque hero comedy about a loving sibling relationship that is ended by death.  At least I can be sure that this film and this book are being made for somebody, though, even if that somebody is not me.

This book is a bit longer than 150 pages and contains three sections.  The book first begins with a preface, foreword, and introduction that allow the filmmakers the chance to talk about their film and how pleased they were with it and to set the stage of the ambitions of the filmmakers in making a superhero movie with heart that is based on an obscure part of the Marvel comic world that nonetheless fits Disney's own approach to friendship.  After that the three parts of the book contain a discussion of the world to Big Hero 6, which shows the way that Tokyo and San Francisco served as points of inspiration for the film, the characters of Big Hero 6, and then a discussion on the animated cinematography techniques that the film used.  After that there is a discussion of the color script, which is itself pretty interesting, if brief, and acknowledgements.  What is particularly notable about these is the way that the book shows how the color palatte of the film reflected the experiences of the main characters and that the film sought to play against type in its characterization, with likely mixed results.
Profile Image for Cindya.
209 reviews5 followers
December 12, 2024
Sometimes I will find myself rewatching a Disney movie I haven't seen in a while, and find that I'm seeing with entirely different eyes; this was the case with movies such as Inside Out, Brave, and most recently, Big Hero 6. It's my mother's favorite Disney movie, and a must-watch during the holiday season; and the most recent re-watch led me to pick up this book. Let me me say, I'm glad I did!
This book, like it usually happens with volumes in The Art of series, delves deep into the production and decision-making aspects of our favorite animated movies. In the case of BH6, I was especially fascinated with the imaginary city of San Fransokyo and how it came to be (does my most recent obsession with everything Japanese play a part in this? Probably). In that regard, it did not disappoint. The place is regarded as a character of its own, and the extensive research behind it is fully showcased in this volume. I also found out one of my all-time favorite artists, Lorelay Bové, collaborated to this movie, and that made me appreciate it even more. What I did expect to learn more about in this book, however, was how the Hamada family is formed, and most importantly, how aunt Cass is related to the Hamadas. Her minichapter in this book was especially disappointing, for it only mentions how difficult her hair was to animate, and that's pretty much everything about her. However, I can understand this was not an essential aspect of the movie and, for this reason, it might have been not thoroughly explored. Overall I'm more than satisfied with this, and that’s all that matters.
See you at the next movie I will rediscover - and its athe Art of Book.
Profile Image for Sonia.
109 reviews
December 26, 2021
Aún recuerdo todos los años que tardé en ver esta película de Disney basada en los superheroes de Marvel. Tardé. Sí, mucho, pero lo que la disfrute al verla no está escrito.

Es por ello que este libro de arte tenía que estar si o si en mi estantería y pensando en que libros deberían de cerrar este 2021, me decanté por "El Arte de Big Hero 6". En resumen es un libro bastante rápido de leer, desde mi percepción personal es más rápido incluso que otros libros de arte de Disney (aunque no lo he comprobado me ha dado la impresión que contaba con menos páginas).

Lo mejor: la historia de base de Big Hero 6, las fuentes usadas. No es de extrañar que se quisieran basar en las megaproducciones de Marvel y que la ambientación se llevaría a cabo en una gran ciudad, en este caso San Fransokyo (una mezcla entre San Francisco y Tokio).

Lo peor: no indaga demasiado en cuestiones de vestuario. Esto es algo que se está volviendo recurrente en mis Reviews de los libros de Arte de Disney, pero siempre me falta algo y en esta ocasión es el vestuario. ¿Por qué? Porque son superhéroes y tan sólo se dan pinceladas en cuanto a la inspiración para su desarrollo creativo.

"En una escala del uno al diez, ¿cómo calificarías tu dolor? ¿Físico o emocional?"

Puntuación final: 3,5/5✨
Profile Image for dafne ❀.
191 reviews6 followers
August 9, 2023
Big Hero 6 es una película que resuena bastante conmigo; sí, es una historia de origen para este grupo tan carismático de superhéroes, pero en su núcleo está la relación tan humana y honesta entre Hiro-Tadashi-Baymax... y, como una hermana mayor que ama a su hermana con toda su alma, no puedo sino apreciar la manera tan realista y desgarradora, pero también tierna y esperanzadora, en la que se abordan los temas de familia, crecimiento y duelo. Le tengo tanto cariño a esta historia que claro que tenía que internarme en este libro para descubrir más sobre el desarrollo de la idea, el proceso de animación y la lógica creativa detrás de la ciudad ficticia en la que todo tiene lugar.

Para mí, la primera mitad del libro en donde se aborda la creación de San Fransokyo es perfecta. Las fotografías de referencia, la idea de combinar dos ciudades y aún así respetar sus respectivas esencias (lo que me sacó bastantes reflexiones sobre las visiones de oriente y occidente), el arte conceptual, la convicción de hacer que los espacios se sientan «vividos», el balance entre un mundo que se perciba real y uno que aproveche la flexibilidad y magia de la caricatura, la relación entre espacio y personajes... todo eso es maravilloso. Sin embargo sí creo que la segunda mitad del libro se cae un poco. Cuando se llega al capítulo de los personajes, aunque la parte visual es fantástica, la parte escrita —exceptuando las secciones de Baymax y Hiro— se reduce a anotaciones que siento que pudieron ahondar más en el proceso de adaptación de cómic a película disney, así como en el diseño de los personajes. También la parte de cinematografía, iluminación y efectos visuales, aunque interesante, me dejó con ganas de saber más. Pero fuera de eso el libro es sorprendente, colorido y muy bello.
Profile Image for Yami Morales.
153 reviews4 followers
April 9, 2020
Ha sido una delicia.
Algo que me encanta de este tipo de libros de arte es conocer datos que desconocía, vamos, APRENDER ALGO NUEVO. Y este no me ha decepcionado.
Big Hero 6 es una película a la que le tengo un especial cariño, quizás por esa vibra asiática mezclada con EEUU (que personalmente son dos sitios con los que sueño con viajar), quizás porque la historia no gira entorno a dramas de princesas y quizás porque no esta basada en cuentos. Eso sí, la fuente de esta película es, nada más y nada menos, que Marvel. Lo cual es algo que me ha sorprendido gratamente porque desconocía de estos comics. Estos art books son una maravilla
Profile Image for Rubi.
2,665 reviews15 followers
June 29, 2018
This book was really interesting. It was cool to read where they found the BH6 idea and how the plot and villains changed as the team continued to work. Reading about lighting technology and how the idea for San Fransokyo came to b was so cool. And of course the photography and artwork was amazing! I also loved reading how Baymaxxs design came about and how the creaters wanted Hiro and Tadashi's relationship to read across to the audience. I must say, u pulled it off Disney. I fell in love with all the characters 😍
This book is going on my To Buy list haha
Profile Image for Armando.
275 reviews54 followers
January 7, 2023
San Fransokyo is among my favorite imaginary cities. It sits alongside the likes of Ba Sing Se and Republic city, Minas Tirith, Quereto, and the just recently added, Janloon.

The art style of modern Asian-inspired architecture is so very mesmerizing, Avatar the last airbender was one of the first places where I fell in love with that style, and BH6 was able to capture that same feeling of awe and adventure.

Some of the art pieces displayed in this book are breathtaking, and the notes from the creators showed a glimpse at the magic that is movie making.
Profile Image for Elena.
165 reviews1 follower
September 18, 2024
Muy chulo, más que el de Frozen que me leí recientemente. Me gusta más el enfoque que tienen aquí: hablan más del proceso de decisión creativo, ponen más sketches y se puede ver la evolución del diseño... Si en el de Frozen la dificultad era el hielo y la nieve, aquí es la luz y el enfocado. Es curioso ver cómo cambia el "centro" de los esfuerzos de una película a otra.

Quizás en este caso me hubiese gustado ver también la comparación con el cómic original, no sólo en un par de frases sueltas sino también con comparativas del diseño original con los bocetos para la peli. Aun así, muy guay.
Profile Image for Mehmet Mustafa.
40 reviews2 followers
November 9, 2020
I’m a filmmaker that also has interest in animation. I learned from reading the art books to Moana, Coco, Spider-Verse, Last Airbender and Korra and attempting my own animation that animation is HARD to do but damn this book shows just truly how much work goes into animation.

The process behind this movie is so cool, this is one of my favourite movies ever and the bts process is amazing. Also the Hyperion Renderer is incredible and I hope to use it some day, hit me up Disney.
Profile Image for Sandra.
52 reviews9 followers
April 16, 2019
A great walk-through of the film process, which mostly focused on the early stages. So interesting to see them combining San Fransisco and Tokyo to make this fictional city, and all the details of the environment and tech. Would have liked to see a little more of the character design, and some of the late stages of the making, but all in all, great layout of the book.
Profile Image for Rin Wu.
22 reviews19 followers
June 14, 2019
Amazing to see what characters would/could have looked like! I’m still not over Tadashi’s death (and the story could’ve been much stronger, I won’t lie - especially with the art of all the other potential villains we could have had) but the art and writing of this book brings me such a happiness to see the thought and effort that went into crafting each character and piece of background art.
Profile Image for Zian B..
2,312 reviews34 followers
December 3, 2020
This was a very cute and very colorful art book. I love that the book itself was spilt into 3 sections so we got to learn more in-depth knowledge of the making of the movie as well as the setting and characters. My one critique would be that I wish we got to see more of how the characters looked in the production sketches.
Profile Image for Laura.
172 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2020
Es impresionante conocer el mundo de esta pelicula tan maravillosa, la creación de sus personajes, los escenarios mezcla de San Francisco y Tokyo y ver todo el trabajo que hay detrás de una pelicula tan complicada como esta que despues se resume solo en dos horas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for N Ku.
18 reviews
June 15, 2021
WOW! Spojení animační h schopností Disneyho, příběhu, který by mohl závidět i Marvel, a mých dvou nejoblíbenějších míst na této planetě (Tokio a San Francisko) je snad splněný sen. A kniha přináší vtipná odůvodnění, krásné skicy, storybordy, backgroundy, color skript a mnoho dalšího.
Profile Image for iMan.
7 reviews
February 23, 2019
Very well done art book. It started with environmental designs and goes into very details. I totally enjoying it and it's kinda book that never get old.
Profile Image for Niko Hyppönen.
127 reviews1 follower
June 9, 2019
Hienon elokuvan hienoa taidetta. Mielestäni kirjan mielenkiintoisinta antia oli tekijöiden kertomukset siitä, miten he rakensivat elokuvan tapahtumapaikan, San Fransokyon.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews

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