Critique #5: Big Hero 6 and it's depiction of grief

Post link: In Brightest Day: Big Hero 6 and Grief

Big Hero 6's depiction of grief is something that I think is so important and is honestly one of the reasons why it's one of my favorite movies of all time. So many movies (especially children's movies) have such shitty depictions of grief. It's usually something along the lines of one character dies, the main character screams "NOOOOOO!!!!" as a tear slips down their cheek and then they go about their day. It's like directors are afraid to show what grief and mourning really looks like.

But Big Hero 6 does something different in the sense that they actually show an accurate depiction of grief. After Tadashi dies, we actually get to see how Hiro falls into depression as he's forced to grapple with the fact that his brother is no longer there. This is a reality for so many people who have lost a loved one and yet this is one of the first times we really get to see it on-screen.

And not only is the depiction of grief accurate but it's treated like a normal human emotion. I think it's so important for children so see these depictions and how they're treated on-screen so they can understand that the feelings they're experiencing after going through hardships like the death of a loved one are completely normal. It's important for these emotions to be normalized and openly expressed to children.

One last thing that Big Hero 6 does wonderfully is that it emphasizes the importance of healing. Throughout the movie, we're given two different depictions of responses to grief: Hiro and Callaghan. In Hiro's case, he's distraught after the death of his brother but he eventually learns to lean on his friends for support and finds healing in a healthy way. Callaghan, on the other hand, turned to anger and vengeance after the disappearance of his daughter which only lands him in an endless pit of despair. Both are realistic ways of dealing with grief but the value of telling both of these stories is to highlight the difference between a healthy and unhealthy reaction to grief.

Overall, I think it's incredibly important for children to understand that their emotions are valid and that there are healthy ways of dealing with said emotions and I think Big Hero 6 does a wonderful job of emphasizing this.