At the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, audiences have seen contemplative dramas, insightful documentaries and meditative, thought-provoking pieces – but it all comes to a close with a feel-good Disney animation.
It's a real coup for the festival – tomorrow's screening is a week ahead of its general release in both America and UAE, while most of Europe will not get to see Big Hero 6 until January.
When the film received its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 23, reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The UK's Daily Telegraph described the movie as "probably the most visually extravagant animation Disney has produced to date".
But for all the screen candy, the plot and premise is a simple one, a dramatic departure from Disney's princess-driven musical blockbuster Frozen, which screened at the Dubai International Film Festival last year.
The film is based (very loosely) on a Marvel Comics character called Baymax, an “artificial synthformer” (basically a very clever robot). Along with his human pal, Hiro, Baymax investigates the suspicious death of his creator, Tadashi, in a laboratory fire, with the film milking the comedic potential of squeezing his mammoth frame into human-sized spaces.
• Big Hero 6 screens at Emirates Palace, tomorrow, 8.15pm. Tickets are sold out
