Disney Analysis: Big Hero 6
Alamilla, Alejandra
9/22/2017
Professor Blacksher
Big Hero 6
All Disney movies have sociology theories and terms incorporated
within them. Disney is a powerful socialization agent not only with how persistent the messages are but also how it operates within a society. “Big hero 6” is one Disney movie that has many Sociology ideas and theories throughout the film. The main protagonist in the film is Hiro Hamada, through his experiences as well as others in the film; we can see the connection to sociology in Big Hero 6.
The setting of “Big Hero 6” is in a futuristic city that has combined San Francisco and Tokyo. Together they make San Fransokyo, a high-tech city. It distorts reality and shows a future in when San Francisco is rebuilt by Asian immigrants. This is the reason it gets the name San Fransokyo. It is a postindustrial society which is a society that is driven by knowledge. San Fransokyo is big in digital technology, with its future relying heavily on new technology and knowledge. It is a time when innovation is increasing. The society of San Fransokyo is held together organically. It is a society that accepts economic and social differences. Since the city is a combination of two different societies, culture is accepted. New ways of thinking and innovation are encouraged. An example of this is when Hiro is trying to get into his big brother Tadashi's school (Institute of technology), in order to get accepted they must have a new invention. This pushed them to think outside the box and to be different.
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San Fransokyo is also a capitalist society. A society where major businesses are ran by companies and not the government. Evidence of this can be seen by Krei Tech. Krei tech is the big technology company owned by Alistair Krei. He is an entrepreneur, showing that capitalism is possible in San Fransokyo. San Fransokyo also has all the major institutions; Education, Religion, Government, Media, Family. Education is shown by San Fransokyo’s institute of technology. Religion is seen in Tadashi's funeral. Government is seen in the form of the police. Media is seen throughout the movie through the news. Finally, family is seen in Hiro's family and close friends.
Next, the sociological theme of deviance can also be seen in “Big Hero 6”. Hiro shows deviance in the beginning of the movie. The movie starts off with Hiro in an undergrown Bot fighting scene where he is competing with a bot he created. His brother Tadashi later states that bot fighting is illegal. But bot fighting wasn’t the only thing Hiro was doing illegally, he was also gambling on bot fighting. This lands him in jail for a night until his aunt bails him out. Hiro is showing signs of deviance right from the start.
Furthermore, with deviance come sanctions. Hiro being arrested was a form of formal sanction. These are ways that are officially recognized to enforce norms; there is usually a record of it. An n example is when the police were enforcing norm violation in the form of arresting Hiro. However, formal sanctions weren’t the only kind of sanction Hiro got. When
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Hiro’s aunt yelled at him, it was a form of informal sanction. These are sanctions that occur in face to face situations. The only things both sanctions had in common were that they were both negative
sanctions and punishments for violating norms. Also, Hiro’s actions are considered primary deviance as they did not produce long term effects on his image. And they are considered nonviolent crimes since he is not using force or threatening
Professor Callaghan (the antagonist) also showed deviance actions. The difference between his deviance actions and Hiro’s actions are his were much more serious. Callaghan tries to destroy Krei and his company. He was so focused on his revenge that he didn’t care if he destroyed the city while accomplishing his goal. Callaghan committed violent crimes. These are crimes when someone threatens others and uses force. He threatened all of San Fransokyo when he tried to destroy Krei. Unlike Hiro, Callaghan’s actions were considered secondary deviance. This is when your actions change the way your society views you. Callaghan was a respected professor and inventor. His actions made him into a criminal, changing how everyone viewed him. He let revenge control him causing him to be deviant, changing who he was.
Another sociology idea in “Big Hero 6” is Robert Merton’s strain theory. This is having goals and ways you decide to reach those goals. This can be seen through Hiro’s way of reaching his goals. In the movie, Hiro's way of viewing goals is in the rebellion way. This is when someone
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replaces society’s means and goals with their own. Hiro does not accept society’s way of reaching goals and does things his own way. Therefore, he does things like bot fighting and gambling to make money. He chooses to make money illegally because he doesn’t want to go to college. Hiro states that he does not go to college because he doesn’t want to go somewhere to be told things he already knows. So, he chooses to rebel against societies norms and reach his goal his own ways.
Furthermore, Hiro’s rebellious acts can be explained through Travis Hirschi’s control theory. Hirschi's control theories state that deviance is a result of feeling disconnected from society. Hiro is disconnected from society in the beginning of the movie. He doesn't really care what his brother and aunt think of his deviance actions. Evidence of this is seen right after he gets bailed out jail. Hiro tries to go to another bot fight to continue his ways. He has no commitment to his community as he does not care what the police say or do because he continues to bot fight. He is not involved in his community and does not agree with the common values of his
society. Hiro is disconnected with his society which is causing him to rebel. The most probable reason he has lost connection to his community is due to fact of the loss of his parents. His parents are not there to keep him connected.
However, Tadashi does not give up on Hiro. Tadashi sees his disconnection with society and tries to socialize Hiro. To do this Tadashi tries to convince Hiro to apply to get into San Fransokyo’s Institute of
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Technology. With the help of Tadashi and his friends Wasabi, Fred, GoGo, and Honey Lemon, they convince Hiro to apply to their college. Tadashi and his friends become Hiro’s primary group. They help Hiro socialize back into society. They serve as an expressive function. They became the closest people to Hiro. They further served this function when Tadashi died.
In addition, this group also served as Hiro's reference group. When Hiro was first introduced to them he was inspired by all their inventions. He observes what they are doing and uses it as a guide to be better. This is the reason he wants to apply for the college. They also serve as a reference group in the later parts of the movie. Later, Hiro tries to kill Callaghan but is stopped by his friends. They serve as his reference group and help him find who he is. They make him realize that killing someone is not the right thing to do.
Next, with every group there must be a leader as like many groups they face a problem. The problem arises when the group confronts Callaghan and cannot beat him. Hiro steps up and becomes the leader. He starts to help everyone out with developing their special abilities. He also builds a suit for Bay Max. Hiro becomes a Democratic leader. He encourages all his friends to be part of the team to help take down the bad guy. Hiro would also fall under the Expressive leader. He is all about being connected with his friends and having a strong bond. He wants everyone to grow and become better heroes. This is seen when he helps everyone prepare for the bad guy, helping them develop their suites further.
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However, Hiro isn’t the only leader in “Big Hero 6”. Alistair Krei is also a leader, but a much different one. Krei runs his company as
an authoritarian leader. He runs a huge company so he must be this type of leader. He is also an instrumental leader. He doesn’t care what happens to his workers if the goal is met. An example of this was when he sent Professor Callaghan’s daughter Abigail into a portal even though it was not stabilized.
Finally, in the end Hiro finds himself. In the beginning, Hiro didn't have interactions with society. He had interactions with the underground scene of San Fransokyo. This is why he did deviance things. Then with the encouragement of Tadashi, Hiro was able socialize back into society. This is when Hiro began having social interactions. He met new people that became his best friends and helped him through rough times in his life. He started to change how he acted and changed his point of view of the society. Hiro found his true self, someone who is seen as a hero and a protector of San Fransokyo.
In conclusion, there are many Sociological theories and ideas in Big Hero 6. This Disney movie shows how characters operate within a society. Hiro and other characters show evidence of sociology terms and ideas, proving and showing the connections to the sociology world.
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