Behind the Setting

This Friday, November 7th will be the opening for the upcoming movie “Big Hero 6.” Ever since I saw the trailer for this movie a few months ago, one of the main characters in the movie won my heart, Baymax. Baymax is an inflatable robot who was built by Hiro’s older brother. Hiro is the protagonist of the story and in the movie he attends a university called San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. Mekado Murphy wrote an article called Higher Learning in a Hybrid City, where he discusses the importance of the setting and all the work placed into it.

The movie takes place in a city that combines Tokyo and San Francisco, San Fransokyo. However, most of the story takes place more specifically on the college campus where Baymax was built, and where Hiro and his friends work on projects. The director Don Hall and the productions designer Paul Felix put in a lot of time in researching to create the perfect setting. They traveled to many universities to observe and take pictures of robotic labs and Hall noticed that in most of these labs, they all contained white boards and were cluttered to a certain extent. They made sure to incorporate all of this into Tadashi’s (Hiro’s brother) lab. Hall also mentioned that all of the little details in the lab are done for a specific reason, “There are a lot of historical things in there to make it look like he’s done a lot of trial and error to get Baymax where he is today.” The main robotics lab on campus (shown below) where Hiro and his friends work, is suppose to be “the most striking building on the university campus.” It was inspired by multiple things: a building that looks like a Transformer in Tokyo, Renzo Piano’s works, and a building from the MIT campus.

I think it is so amazing how much work goes into creating the perfect setting. Lots of people overlook the setting and it is under-appreciated many times. It is amazing to think that beside the fact that characters usually have a background and history, so does the setting. Felix and his team stated that the history of the college dates back to the early 20th century and it incorporates Japanese architectural design with Stanfordesque Mission Revival architectural style. The design team also made sure that the setting is bright and cheerful to inspire Hiro, who was not to excited about attending this university. Now that I read this article about the setting, I will definitely appreciate the movie and its design more when I go see it. I cannot wait to see Baymax and the beautiful design of San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.

8 Responses to "Behind the Setting"

Erynn Hughes says:

November 4, 2014 at 12:18 am

It is so refreshing to hear how directors Don Hall and Chris Williams have taken different approach to creating a fantasy world for “Big Hero Six.” I especially like how Marvel Comics gave the directors its “blessing” to make the movie their own and not worry too much about setting it in the Marvel Universe. I have so much respect for Hall and Williams because they paid such close attention to detail by drawing ideas from in-depth research trips to universities. Also, the production design team also didn’t “just create a space, they create a history for the space,” Williams said. This futuristic campus set in hybrid city “San Fransokyo” is enough the entice me to see this movie. With animator legend John Lasseter as an executive producer of the movie, I would expect nothing less from Walt Disney Pictures.
Ann Privorotskiy says:

November 4, 2014 at 2:09 pm

If I’m being completely honest, I’d probably overlook the setting of the movie and focus more on the plot or characters, had I not read this article. It’s very true that the setting of a movie is often overlooked and very under appreciated. I know that every decision a producer makes is purposeful, but I didn’t know they’d go all through the trouble of visiting various college campuses to get the ideal movie environment. I love the “San Fransokyo” concept because San Francisco and Tokyo are so very district and it’ll be really cool to see how Disney merges the two into a single setting. Disney never ceases to amaze and I’m the biggest kid at heart so now I’ll definitely be looking even more forward to seeing “Big Hero 6” in theaters!
Bethany Freynk says:

November 8, 2014 at 2:14 pm

I am happy that the New York Times is dissecting this animation and bringing a spotlight on the choices in cinematography made by the directors. Animation is an amazing art form and it never fails to intrigue me in its power to portray a story with a moral. I tend to have an eye for detail when I see a movie, but I definitely would not notice all of the architectural and urban ideas that were mixed to create this college campus. Many do not give animated films enough credit, as they require immense preparation and effort to complete. For example, when The Lion King was being drawn in the nineties, real lions and other savannah animals were brought to the studio and sat in front of the animators as models. My love for animation, especially those created by Disney, will never die and I cannot wait to see “Big Hero Six” in 3D.
Layanah.Nsouli says:

November 9, 2014 at 1:58 am

It has definitely become very difficult to find movies, books, television shows, or any other forms of media with absolutely original plot lines. As your article states, the setting plays a huge role in the development of a story line and the characters. Along with the setting of the movie, the distinctive character of Baymax make this movie truly unique. Disney’s creation of this “new species” of animated characters follows suit with trend of cute characters present in recent animated movies. One such example are the minions present in the 2012 movie, Despicable Me.
Beatrice Margolin says:

November 9, 2014 at 9:20 am

I am often ashamed at myself for overlooking just how much time and effort goes into creating the setting of animated films. It is more than obvious that the design team put a lot of thought and meaning into their work, even by simply making the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology cheerful and bright to help the protagonist feel inspired. The creation of San Fransokyo itself is extremely clever as it dully works to thrust us into another world as well as help us relate back to our own. I would want to watch this movie solely based on the plot, but the design aspect of the film is definitely helping increase my excitement about it.
Sydney Marino says:

November 9, 2014 at 12:13 pm

I am very excited to see this movie! i was so happy to see someone posted about this movie. I feel like one of the biggest things I try to do is watch a movie twice. Once for the story, second for the setting. I’ll be greedy, and try to do both if I am in a movie theater. I think it is amazing the amount of effort, time, and research goes into making a movie in general. In order to get every detail right, the makers of the movie have to go read, view, and experience certain things in order to set it up. It is also cool because they get to experience so much more in their life time, compared to other people. Now that I have read this article I can go see the movie with some insight already. It will make it easier to absorb both the story line and scenery.
nicholasleung says:

November 10, 2014 at 10:23 am

I freaking love this movie, and I haven’t even seen it yet. Thank you for pointing out how much work actually goes into animated movies such as these. As a connection, the animators and producers of Frozen went to Norway and Greenland to study landscapes and get inspiration for their movie. I commend Disney a lot for that: they make sure every detail is made to perfection. The animated movie industry as a whole is definitely pushing boundaries with technology and imagination. It’s not just about the characters now, but also about the beauty around them.
stephenesses says:

November 11, 2014 at 2:12 pm

I agree that many of what we would call minor aspects of a film are sometimes overlooked by the average movie-goer. It is interesting to see how much work went into the setting alone for this movie. It also illustrates the difficulty of creating a long film that becomes successful. Not only is the story obsessed over but even minor details like the setting can be problematic. Lots of that is lost when we observe a movie. We don’t see how difficult it can be to make a movie the way they do in hollywood.

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