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The holiday season is a time for giving gifts and showing loved ones how important they are. It is a time of togetherness but also comes with many stresses. Some are unable to see their families, and some have lost loved ones during the year, making the holiday season even more difficult. It is easy to get caught up in the holidays’ traditions and routine, as gifts are always the main priority. Because of how demanding and commercial the holiday season can be, it is easy to lose track of what is really important when it comes to gift-giving — and that is the connections made with others.
What makes a connection special? From a favorite teacher to a best friend, each connection is special in its own way. A different kind of value is placed on these connections and seem to hold fast during the toughest of times, including the holiday season. Disney’s film Big Hero 6 gives a prime example of how important a connection can be and how it can be the greatest gift to receive. When Hiro loses his older brother in a tragic accident, Hiro feels that his most important connection is lost. Hiro later finds that Baymax, his brother’s robot creation, plays an important role in preserving Hiro’s connection with his late brother.
Friendship In The Midst Of Grief
Hiro’s friendship with Baymax was special in a different kind of way. When Hiro’s brother Tadashi passes, Hiro was left grieving for weeks after the funeral. He didn’t attend school, hardly went out, and wouldn’t even talk to his group of friends. He was in a deep-rooted depression that seemed impossible to break out of. Hiro and his brother had been inseparable their entire lives, and whenever Hiro was in trouble, Tadashi was always there to rescue him. When Tadashi had passed, however, Hiro had felt more alone than ever. This time he didn’t have his older brother there to help him get through such a difficult time. When Hiro lost Tadashi, he felt that he had lost a part of himself also.
Despite his friends’ efforts, they could not help Hiro get through his grieving process, even though they wanted so badly to be there for him. They were constantly checking up on him and encouraging him to get out of the house to hang out and even try to convince him to come back to class. Hiro didn’t respond to his friends’ efforts, leaving them worried. Hiro’s friends never gave up on him, as they all were kind and understanding in their own right. They never wanted to push him out of his comfort zone when he didn’t seem ready.
Hiro’s friends were also very supportive and usually backed him up in anything he decided to do, so long as it didn’t cause harm to others. They showed how much they valued Hiro and only wanted what was best for him; however, they also didn’t want to overstep any boundaries with him, which unfortunately left Hiro in the same state for several weeks with little to no change. When Hiro accidentally activates Tadashi’s creation, Baymax (an inflatable healthcare robot), Hiro is immediately pushed out of his protective bubble, which ends up doing him a lot of good after grieving his brother’s death for weeks.
After dragging Hiro out of the house against his will on an unexpected wild adventure, he and Baymax eventually became inseparable. Though the seemingly infantile and troublesome robot less than amused Hiro at first, Baymax began to grow on him steadily and more. Baymax was already able to give Hiro something that his group of friends couldn’t give him, and that was the push to start treating his mental health. Baymax was made to assess others’ health and knew that Hiro was in a bad state, so he continued to work with Hiro until he was able to stand on his own two feet without him.
Baymax’s primary purpose is to treat the sick and heal, and when he was unexpectedly activated, he only strived to do just that for Hiro. Hiro’s friends took a gentle approach and stayed patient with him, not wanting to overstep and let Hiro work through things in his own way; however, everyone’s needs are different when treating mental health. Hiro just so happened to need someone who would push him out of his bubble instead of leaving him to deal with his grief alone. This isn’t to say that his friends’ intentions weren’t good, but Hiro needed something different. Baymax paralleled Tadashi in this way, as he would never want Hiro to stay stuck in such a depressed state with no way out. Tadashi was the type that would push Hiro to get up and start moving again, even if it was hard, which is essentially what Baymax ended up doing.
Not only was Baymax able to get Hiro out of the house for the first time in weeks, but he also gave Hiro a distraction from his grief. Hiro delved back into robotics as he made unique upgrades for Baymax, and the two fly around the city together. For the first time in a while, Hiro has begun to feel happy again, even it was just a little bit. It is even because of Baymax that Hiro is able to reconnect with the circle of friends he had distanced himself from. Baymax was the one friend that Hiro needed when nobody else could get through to him and was the push to get himself back up and thriving again.
Hiro’s Unexpected Connection With Baymax
Tadashi held a special place in Hiro’s heart, not only as a brother but as a best friend. Tadashi pushed Hiro to become more and to use his potential for something great. Hiro was thriving because of his brother, and right as he was at his peak, Tadashi was taken away instantly. When Tadashi died, it was as if a part of Hiro was taken away as well. Hiro no longer felt that his life had a purpose and stopped showing up to school, something that Tadashi had inspired him to go for in the first place. He stopped talking to his friends, who were actually Tadashi’s friends who welcomed Hiro into their circle.
It was as if Hiro was trying to cut out everything that reminded him of Tadashi, not to be cruel or to try and forget him, but simply because the pain was too much to bear. Hiro’s friends tried to reach out to him many times after Tadashi’s passing, and, despite their good intentions, it just wasn’t enough to get Hiro to move from where he was. When Baymax was activated, however, things began to change quickly for Hiro. Hiro’s friendship with Baymax gave him a reason to leave the house, reconnect with his friends. It overall gave him a purpose again by eventually saving the city from destructive forces.
This isn’t to say that Baymax “cured” Hiro’s grief and frustration. Hiro still has moments of grief and pain, like when he found out about the truth behind his brother’s death. When it was discovered that Professor Callaghan, Tadashi’s mentor that he held in high regard, had planned to use Hiro’s microbots for his own personal gain, Hiro was taken aback. After discovering that Tadashi ran into the burning building to save Callaghan, he became even more distraught, only to be killed in the explosion. In contrast, Callaghan saved himself by using Hiro’s microbot technology.
Callaghan made it clear what his intentions were and wasn’t going to let anything or anyone get it the way of getting what he wanted. After finding out that Tadashi died in vain, Hiro ended up experiencing the pain of his death all over again. This caused Hiro to nearly go into a frenzy while trying to force Baymax to destroy, which goes against his healing nature. When Hiro tries to remove Baymax’s healthcare chip, Baymax asked if Tadashi would have wanted it, and Hiro’s emotions finally take over.
Hiro broke down for the first time in weeks as he was once again reminded that his brother was gone, and it was left even more devastated by the truth behind it. He tries to remind Baymax that Tadashi is gone, and therefore it doesn’t matter what he would have wanted or not. Baymax tells Hiro that Tadashi is “here,” leaving Hiro to look at the screen on Baymax’s stomach reluctantly. Hiro is surprised to see multiple video recordings of Tadashi when he was still testing out Baymax. Because of Baymax, Hiro is able to hear Tadashi’s voice and see his face for the first time in weeks.
Seeing Tadashi on Baymax’s screen seemed to hit Hiro a little differently than just looking at regular photos or even other past videos of his brother. Hiro watched as Tadashi spends countless hours working on making Baymax the best that he can be. There are certain points where Tadashi looks worn out and on the verge of giving up. It seems as if he’d never get Baymax to work the way he wanted him to. Despite these difficulties, Tadashi never gave up. He kept working patiently with Baymax and even encouraged him to hang in there because people need him. Hiro watched as Tadashi kept striving, even when things got difficult, which is a lesson that he always tried to convey to Hiro.
Baymax: Tadashi’s Final Gift To Hiro
Hiro is hit with a slew of emotions upon seeing his older brother in front of him, as it is almost as if Tadashi was speaking directly to him. When Tadashi encouraged Baymax to hang in there, it hit Hiro on a personal level, and for the first time in a while, he had begun to feel hopeful. Baymax was somehow able to get through to Hiro at the right moment and remind him of what Tadashi had been trying to teach him all along. This gave Hiro the strength he needed to endure, and both he and Baymax work together to find a way to stop Callaghan’s plans without resorting to violence.
Hiro began to realize that Baymax was more than just Tadashi’s creation, but an extension of Tadashi himself. Hiro formed a connection with Baymax, which helped strengthen his connection to his brother, even though he was no longer physically there with him. Baymax stayed loyally by Hiro’s side since he was activated and, despite being a robot, managed to care for Hiro and give him what nobody else could give him at the time. Even at the end of it all, Baymax was willing to sacrifice himself so that Hiro could be safe, something that Tadashi would have done for him in a heartbeat.
Hiro and Baymax find Callaghan’s daughter Abigail in an interdimensional portal opened during the battle with Callaghan, and they attempt to rescue her and close the portal. However, Baymax is knocked back by flying debris and damages most of his armor and disabling his rocket boosters. Baymax told Hiro that he could save both him and Abigail by using his rocket punch to launch them out of the portal, though it would leave Baymax inside forever. Hiro tearfully struggled to let Baymax go, as he didn’t want to lose his connection with not only with Tadashi but Baymax himself. Baymax reassured Hiro that he will always be with him, and Hiro tells him that he is satisfied with his care.
Hiro tearfully left Baymax behind as he escaped the portal with Abigail. It was a bittersweet moment for Hiro in the sense that even though he saved the city, rescued Abigail, and was reunited with his friends, he still wished that he didn’t have to let Baymax go. But it was also another push that Hiro needed to keep thriving, no matter how difficult and painful life can sometimes be. He was reminded of his brother and the positive lesson he instilled in Hiro when he was alive, and Hiro finally understood.
In a way, it was because of the love and care that Tadashi had put into his creation that Hiro could move forward again. He was inspired to reconnect with his loved ones. He reached his potential and found the strength to be brave and move forward with many things in his life. Eventually, he was able to go back to school and even continue Tadashi’s work. Hiro had kept Baymax’s rocket fist and found the green chip wedged inside–the chip that Tadashi had initially put into Baymax. Once again, Hiro felt hopeful, and he began to work hard to rebuild Baymax, eventually succeeding.
When Hiro was able to be reunited with Baymax, he is on a much better footing than before, meaning he was able to move along without Tadashi, or even Baymax, physically being there. He was able to thrive, which is what his older brother would have wanted all along. Hiro continued to take classes and develop his inventions while protecting the city from crime with his friends and Baymax at his side.
How Connections Can Be The Greatest Gift
The holiday season can be stressful with a lot of pressure to give a good gift, but it is important to remember that the value doesn’t always lie simply in the gift itself, though the physical gift can be a symbol of it. Baymax was not physically given to Hiro as a gift but ended up being the most important and valuable gift that Hiro could have ever received. Baymax left a lasting impression on Hiro, much like his brother, and because of it, Hiro was able to thrive and be happy again. Hiro was also able to learn that no matter how many difficulties life held, he could get through it all if he just kept going and never gave up.
Humans crave connection in most relationships, and though we want to believe that all relationships equal a connection, that is not always the case. That is why when a connection is made; it can make a bigger impact on our lives than anything else. It is important to remember these connections and hold onto them tightly. A simple connection may be the greatest gift we could receive, and maybe even the one thing that helps us through the toughest of times.
