Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Big Hero 6 released in 2014 with a promising vision of what a technical utopia could look like in the near future. However, in the decade to follow, that future has not arrived, and to many the promise of technology fixing society's promises has faded into oblivion.
This video examines what that vision of the future is, and how it's deeply related to the history and culture of Disney and Pixar. It describes what I believe went wrong, and how this is reflected in the implicit and omitted content of Big Hero 6. Finally, I conclude with what the video still leaves us for shaping the next decade to come.
00:00 Introduction
01:36 The Vision
03:51 Disney/Pixar
07:16 Utopia Lost
11:33 Redeeming Empathy
For full disclosure, I work at a large tech company in the US. I do not speak about any real world companies in particular in the video and work as an engineer unrelated to any marketing or public relations roles. This video reflects my personal thoughts and research spurred on by my own observation of how technological innovation has been perceived by the public.
Bibliography (additional inline citations available in the captions.)
Cantalapiedra, Arturo Encinas, Vera Merino Gómez, María Pérez de la Peña, and Valeria Andreina Salgado Rodríguez. “Un arquetipo para el superhéroe: sustitución y configuración del mundo personal en Big Hero 6.” Doxa Comunicación. Revista Interdisciplinar de Estudios de Comunicación y Ciencias Sociales, January 1, 2025. doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n40a2183.
Cotter, Kelley, Priya Kumar, Ankolika De, and Ryan Tan. “Technology Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: How Disney Harnesses Practical Magic Discourse to Legitimize MyMagic+.” New Media & Society, February 23, 2024, 14614448241230923. doi.org/10.1177/14614448241230923.
“Disney’s Pixar Acquisition: Bob Iger, John Lasseter Reanimated Studio.” Accessed December 29, 2024. variety.com/2016/film/features/disney-pixar-acquisition-bob-iger-john-lasseter-1201923719/.
Gray, Tim. “‘Big Hero 6’ Director Talks Sequel, Key to Film’s Success.” Variety (blog), February 14, 2015. variety.com/2015/artisans/awards/big-hero-6-director-talks-sequel-key-to-films-success-1201433844/.
“Three in Four Americans Believe AI Will Reduce Jobs.” Gallup.com, September 13, 2023. news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/510635/three-four-americans-believe-reduce-jobs.aspx.
Kim, Jacqueline G H. “Digital Media and Unionization in the “Guilded" Age: How Labor Organizations in the Entertainment Industry Are Swimming Against the Current of Streaming …,” n.d.
Luna, Marta Izarra de, and Roberto Gelado Marcos. “Disney Reloaded: Pixar’s Influence on the Evolution of Disney Animation Feature Films (1994–2018).” Journalism and Media 5, no. 4 (December 2024): 1452–76. doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia5040091.
Maddaus, Gene. “John Lasseter Will Exit Disney at the End of the Year.” Variety (blog), June 8, 2018. variety.com/2018/film/news/disney-john-lasseter-harassment-bob-iger-1202734060/.
———. “Pixar’s John Lasseter Was the Subject of a ‘Whisper Network’ for More Than Two Decades.” Variety (blog), November 21, 2017. variety.com/2017/film/news/john-lasseter-pixar-disney-whisper-network-1202620960/.
Mastrostefano, Stephanie M. “Scratching the Celluloid Ceiling: Women’s Labor as Technology in the Industrialization of Animation at Disney From 1928–1945.” PhD Thesis, University of Oregon, 2024. search.proquest.com/openview/cb2d95c6a71ad93d105e1d67eedc5119/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y.
Roper, Caitlin. “Big Hero 6 Proves It: Pixar’s Gurus Have Brought the Magic Back to Disney Animation.” Wired. Accessed December 29, 2024. wired.com/2014/10/big-hero-6/.
Smolcic, Cassandra. “How Pixar’s Open Sexism Ruined My Dream Job (Guest Column).” Variety (blog), June 27, 2018. variety.com/2018/film/news/pixar-boys-club-john-lasseter-cassandra-smolcic-1202858982/.
Tenzek, Kelly, and Bonnie M. Nickels. “(PDF) End-of-Life in Disney and Pixar Films: An Opportunity for Engaging in Difficult Conversation.” Accessed December 29, 2024. researchgate.net/publication/319167175_End-of-Life_in_Disney_and_Pixar_Films_An_opportunity_for_Engaging_in_Difficult_Conversation.
Teo, Yugin. “Recognition, Collaboration and Community: Science Fiction Representations of Robot Carers in Robot & Frank , Big Hero 6 and Humans.” Medical Humanities 47, no. 1 (March 2021): 95–102. doi.org/10.1136/medhum-2019-011744.
Wagner, Keith B, and In-gyoo Jang. “The 3-D Animated Codescape: Imperfection and Digital Labor Zones in Wall-E (2008) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012).” Animation 11, no. 2 (July 2016): 130–45. doi.org/10.1177/1746847716638267.
Wise, Timothy D. “Creativity and Culture at Pixar and Disney: A Comparison.” Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies 20, no. 1 (2014): 149.
Big Hero 6 released in 2014 with a promising vision of what a technical utopia could look like in the near future. However, in the decade to follow, that future has not arrived, and to many the promise of technology fixing society's promises has faded into oblivion.
This video examines what that vision of the future is, and how it's deeply related to the history and culture of Disney and Pixar. It describes what I believe went wrong, and how this is reflected in the implicit and omitted content of Big Hero 6. Finally, I conclude with what the video still leaves us for shaping the next decade to come.
00:00 Introduction
01:36 The Vision
03:51 Disney/Pixar
07:16 Utopia Lost
11:33 Redeeming Empathy
For full disclosure, I work at a large tech company in the US. I do not speak about any real world companies in particular in the video and work as an engineer unrelated to any marketing or public relations roles. This video reflects my personal thoughts and research spurred on by my own observation of how technological innovation has been perceived by the public.
Bibliography (additional inline citations available in the captions.)
Cantalapiedra, Arturo Encinas, Vera Merino Gómez, María Pérez de la Peña, and Valeria Andreina Salgado Rodríguez. “Un arquetipo para el superhéroe: sustitución y configuración del mundo personal en Big Hero 6.” Doxa Comunicación. Revista Interdisciplinar de Estudios de Comunicación y Ciencias Sociales, January 1, 2025. doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n40a2183.
Cotter, Kelley, Priya Kumar, Ankolika De, and Ryan Tan. “Technology Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: How Disney Harnesses Practical Magic Discourse to Legitimize MyMagic+.” New Media & Society, February 23, 2024, 14614448241230923. doi.org/10.1177/14614448241230923.
“Disney’s Pixar Acquisition: Bob Iger, John Lasseter Reanimated Studio.” Accessed December 29, 2024. variety.com/2016/film/features/disney-pixar-acquisition-bob-iger-john-lasseter-1201923719/.
Gray, Tim. “‘Big Hero 6’ Director Talks Sequel, Key to Film’s Success.” Variety (blog), February 14, 2015. variety.com/2015/artisans/awards/big-hero-6-director-talks-sequel-key-to-films-success-1201433844/.
“Three in Four Americans Believe AI Will Reduce Jobs.” Gallup.com, September 13, 2023. news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/510635/three-four-americans-believe-reduce-jobs.aspx.
Kim, Jacqueline G H. “Digital Media and Unionization in the “Guilded" Age: How Labor Organizations in the Entertainment Industry Are Swimming Against the Current of Streaming …,” n.d.
Luna, Marta Izarra de, and Roberto Gelado Marcos. “Disney Reloaded: Pixar’s Influence on the Evolution of Disney Animation Feature Films (1994–2018).” Journalism and Media 5, no. 4 (December 2024): 1452–76. doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia5040091.
Maddaus, Gene. “John Lasseter Will Exit Disney at the End of the Year.” Variety (blog), June 8, 2018. variety.com/2018/film/news/disney-john-lasseter-harassment-bob-iger-1202734060/.
———. “Pixar’s John Lasseter Was the Subject of a ‘Whisper Network’ for More Than Two Decades.” Variety (blog), November 21, 2017. variety.com/2017/film/news/john-lasseter-pixar-disney-whisper-network-1202620960/.
Mastrostefano, Stephanie M. “Scratching the Celluloid Ceiling: Women’s Labor as Technology in the Industrialization of Animation at Disney From 1928–1945.” PhD Thesis, University of Oregon, 2024. search.proquest.com/openview/cb2d95c6a71ad93d105e1d67eedc5119/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y.
Roper, Caitlin. “Big Hero 6 Proves It: Pixar’s Gurus Have Brought the Magic Back to Disney Animation.” Wired. Accessed December 29, 2024. wired.com/2014/10/big-hero-6/.
Smolcic, Cassandra. “How Pixar’s Open Sexism Ruined My Dream Job (Guest Column).” Variety (blog), June 27, 2018. variety.com/2018/film/news/pixar-boys-club-john-lasseter-cassandra-smolcic-1202858982/.
Tenzek, Kelly, and Bonnie M. Nickels. “(PDF) End-of-Life in Disney and Pixar Films: An Opportunity for Engaging in Difficult Conversation.” Accessed December 29, 2024. researchgate.net/publication/319167175_End-of-Life_in_Disney_and_Pixar_Films_An_opportunity_for_Engaging_in_Difficult_Conversation.
Teo, Yugin. “Recognition, Collaboration and Community: Science Fiction Representations of Robot Carers in Robot & Frank , Big Hero 6 and Humans.” Medical Humanities 47, no. 1 (March 2021): 95–102. doi.org/10.1136/medhum-2019-011744.
Wagner, Keith B, and In-gyoo Jang. “The 3-D Animated Codescape: Imperfection and Digital Labor Zones in Wall-E (2008) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012).” Animation 11, no. 2 (July 2016): 130–45. doi.org/10.1177/1746847716638267.
Wise, Timothy D. “Creativity and Culture at Pixar and Disney: A Comparison.” Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies 20, no. 1 (2014): 149.
