Tear Jerker / Big Hero 6

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"On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

Big Hero 6 is a worthy addition to the legacy of a company known for bringing on the tears. It may look like a cute Boy and his Giant Inflatable Robot picture on the surface. However, at its core, it is an emotional Deconstruction of the Death by Origin Story trope, and runs the gamut of tear jerking moments. Let's just say that after these scenes, you'll wish you had a personal healthcare robot to hug.

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• Tadashi's funeral. All of Tadashi's friends are there, and all their joy is gone; every one of them is incredibly sad, trying to comfort Aunt Cass. Then we pan to Hiro, who's just sitting at the top of the stairs, despairing alone (as seen on the page image).
• The prequel manga shows Hiro getting bullied by the other kids for being very smart for his age, which contributed to him becoming a Shrinking Violet and not being interested in inventing. A lot of people can relate to being bullied for traits that you'd think would be seen as more positive.
• The Japanese trailer: "How much pain is in your heart?" is somehow more poignant than the original line. Then again, Japanese trailers seem to emphasize heartfelt emotion over action and violence, making most Japanese trailers Tearjerks in their own right.
• "People say that Tadashi isn't really gone as long as we remember him... but it still hurts."
• "Top of the World" by Greek Fire appears in one trailer. While it seems like an uplifting song, it is actually about suicide. Is this meant to hint that Hiro has suicidal thoughts? Or is it another example of a Repurposed Pop Song that doesn't actually fit the theme of a trailer?
  • Considering how death is a major theme of the story and how Baymax makes several comments concerning Hiro's mental health, it's very likely the former.
  • The other two major songs are "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" and "Immortals" by Fall Out Boy. They have extremely relevant lyrics as well. The former seems to touch on the brink of Hiro's madness in the middle of the movie, while the latter seems to touch upon Hiro's grief and thoughts after his brother's death.
• As Hiro watches the montage of Tadashi building Baymax, he starts crying. This doubles as a CMOH as you realize it's the exact same process Thomas Edison and Lewis Robinson had to endure every single time they created one of their many inventions.
• The scene where Yokai is revealed to be Callaghan fits here just as much as it does in NF. Just the exchange between him and Hiro and the realization that someone can be this cold-hearted in a Disney flick to a child is extremely heartbreaking.
  Hiro: [voice breaking] B-but Tadashi....you just let him die!
  Callaghan: Give me the mask, Hiro.
  Hiro: He went in there to save you!
  Callaghan: THAT WAS HIS MISTAKE!
  • Taking it a step further, given that Callaghan lost his daughter, there's a parallel between Hiro and Callaghan losing their loved ones. Callaghan wasn't brave enough to stop the experiment or go into the portal to find out if his daughter was really dead or not. In this scene, Callaghan may be projecting his regret, guilt, and frustration at the loss of his daughter onto Hiro.
• "Baymax, destroy."
  • This scene is both a Tear Jerker and straight up Nightmare Fuel. The reveal of Yokai being Callaghan is heartbreaking for two main reasons. First of all, like Frozen (2013) and Zootopia, the villain is someone the main character trusted, only to find out they're actually heartless. Secondly, for a lot of people expecting Yokai would be Tadashi, it comes as a surprise realizing that Tadashi truly is gone forever — with no hidden reveals or Not Quite Dead scene to save him. So when Callaghan cruelly says to Hiro that his brother's death while trying to rescue him was his own fault, it's hard to fault Hiro for the scene that follows.
  • What makes it even sadder is, to an extent, Callaghan may be right. While he could still be held accountable for Tadashi's death, Tadashi did go into the fire on his own accord. Realizing that would be a crushing blow to both Hiro and the audience.
    • The kicker? Tadashi did go in by his own choice... because he had no plausible way or reason to think Callaghan would not be in danger. He went in with the best of intentions, and all he achieved was get himself killed all for nothing, as the person he meant to save first appears to have died anyway, and then turns out to have never needed saving in the first place.
  • To cap it off, it's saddening to see how far gone Hiro is at this point, and how consumed by rage and revenge he is. "Is this what Tadashi would have wanted" indeed.
  • Baymax reverting back to normal when Honey reinserts his chip. He examines the terror on the face of Hiro's friends. He murmurs solemnly that he violated his healthcare protocol and apologizes for the distress.
    • The word choice, animation, and slight inflections make it clear that Baymax is horrified at what just happened, even while maintaining his detached and slightly monotone voice.
• Keep this in mind: Tadashi dies trying to save someone else. That's the kind of person he was.
  • Tadashi's death will choke you up. He tells Hiro that someone has to help Callaghan, who he has every reason to believe is in immediate danger from the fire. He runs inside, and as Hiro waits...an explosion of fire erupts from the building, blowing Hiro off his feet. Then all you see is a lingering shot of Tadashi's hat as Hiro cries out for him in the background.
    • It gets worse after The Reveal; he died for nothing.
    • It doesn't even need the reveal. Between The Reveal and the day of the fair, everyone honestly thinks the person he wanted to save died despite his efforts... making it a senseless sacrifice no matter what.
• Bordering on Fridge Horror, despite the script changes of Tadashi's death changing from murder to accident, depending on one's interpretation, there is a possibility Callaghan deliberately murdered Tadashi to eliminate any witnesses to his theft and escape, and for being in the way of his conquest of revenge before staging it to look like the fire killed them both. So, when Callaghan impatiently claims it was Tadashi's mistake, he could have meant it was Tadashi's mistake to stumble upon and intervene with Callaghan's personal agenda, and it was what forced Callaghan to kill Tadashi.
• Baymax's quiet disbelief when he learns his creator is dead. He tells Hiro he doesn't understand, because he already scanned Tadashi, who was in excellent health, and with proper diet and exercise should have lived a long life. Hiro sadly agrees "Yeah, should have."
  • If you think about it, Tadashi being Baymax's creator also, in a way, means Tadashi was his father.
• "Will terminating Professor Callaghan improve your emotional state?"
  • Baymax doesn't let up either (which is harsh, but necessary to make Hiro confront his feelings).
    Baymax: Are you going to remove my healthcare chip?
    Hiro: Yes. Open!
    Baymax: My purpose is to heal the sick and injured.
    Hiro: (getting impatient) Baymax, open your access port.
    Baymax: Do you want me to terminate Professor Callaghan?
    Hiro: (really getting impatient, up to the point of trying to physically pull the access port out) Just open.
    Baymax: Will terminating Professor Callaghan improve your emotional state?
    Hiro: Yes! Uh, no! I don't know! Open your access port!
    Baymax: Is this what Tadashi wanted?
    Hiro: It doesn't matter!
    Baymax: Tadashi programmed me to aid and—
    Hiro: TADASHI'S GONE! (breaks down sobbing) Tadashi's... gone.
  • Listen to the way he says it the second time. Hiro's not actually angry or vengeful at that moment, nor is he just crying either. He's just tired. Tired of hearing the exact same words being spoken to him so many times, probably dozens and dozens of times by his friends, that they just feel empty. It's at this moment where Hiro, regardless of all his intellect and having graduated high school at 13, is still very much an orphaned kid.
  • Also, listen to Baymax's tone as he speaks in the scene. While he is being stern with Hiro, he is still being friendly and sounds completely gentle. He doesn't want Hiro to be in pain, therefore he doesn't want to be hard on him, but this time, he has to.
  • The music during this scene... it gets louder and more dramatic as the scene goes on, but when Hiro finally shouts "Tadashi's GONE!" the sound just stops. It's the kind of moment where an entirely packed theater goes completely silent.
  • The whole montage of Tadashi building Baymax is emotional, but the real kick is when he finally gets Baymax to work. With his excitement calmed, all he can say is, "Wait 'til my brother sees you." He's just made the single biggest breakthrough of his life, and all he wants to do is share it with his little brother. THIS is the single most emotional moment in the entire movie.
  • After watching the videos, Hiro quietly says "I guess I'm not like my brother." He really did look up to Tadashi.
• Baymax pulling a Heroic Sacrifice and making sure Hiro properly deactivates him so that he and Abigail get out of the portal safely. Not only did Hiro lose his brother earlier on, he's now lost his best companion.
  Baymax: You are my patient. Your health is my only concern. Are you satisfied with your care?
  • It becomes Fridge Tearjerker when you realize Baymax, knowing he can't make it back to the portal, basically asks Hiro to euthanize him rather than face the slower gradual shutdown thanks to his battery running out.
  • Hiro's response is gut-wrenching thanks to Ryan Potter's performance; he's about two seconds away from completely breaking down. It's made even worse by how he tells Baymax he can't lose him, too, showing how much he's grown to care for him. There's nothing about the exchange that isn't heartbreaking.
    • The way Hiro embraces Baymax during this scene is one of the most emotionally powerful moments in the entire Disney Animated Canon, right up there with the entire climaxes of Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen.
    • Props have to be given to the animators for this moment. Hiro's expression as he's clinging to Baymax in tears is just so jarringly real.
    • "Hiro... I will always be with you." Someone had the audacity to make an edit of that where, after that line, Baymax briefly turns into Tadashi, making the whole scene even worse. Watch it here.
  • There is a shot right after Baymax uses his rocket fist to send Abigail and Hiro out of the portal of the robot falling into the void. It is hauntingly sad, because Baymax is now utterly helpless inside another dimension with no way out. Good thing he left Hiro with his memory chip just before sending him and Abigail on their way, allowing Hiro to build a new Baymax and put the old one's mind inside him.
  • There is also a shot just before they collide with the building chunk where we see Baymax wrapping around Hiro and looking at him. Hiro is confused, since he hadn't noticed the building and so hadn't given him any order to move. Hiro has the same kind of expression as when Tadashi rushed into the building, while Baymax has the same kind of tranquil resolve that Tadashi did.
  • This breakdown of the aftermath, saying that the team basically lost Tadashi all over again. Which makes it all the more satisfying when Baymax is rebuilt.
  • The team in the 'Missing Man' formation atop the building after defeating Callaghan.
• The look on Callaghan's face when he's getting arrested and he watches Abigail being wheeled away in the ambulance. He knows she's safe now, but he may never actually get to see her again since he attempted to murder his own students (and actually caused the death of one of them), destroyed public property, and stole government technology.
  • Also, she's probably going to find out what he did and became out of his drive for revenge, and he's likely dreading it.
    • Even worse, notice his surprise when Baymax says he detects her life signs. He never even thought she could have survived. All that time he spent working on or thinking about avenging his daughter, he could have been saving her.
• The team's panicked reactions to Hiro trying to kill Callaghan. Everyone screams and fights desperately to stop Baymax, and Honey Lemon's expression when she manages to halt the fight is heartbreaking. Very briefly, you can see Fred clearly a bit scared of Baymax after he helps Fred to his feet. It's a good thing Gogo is so quick to intervene.
  Wasabi: "What you just did, we never signed up for."
• Villain or not, heartless or not, you can't help feel sorry for Callaghan. This whole thing started because he had to watch his daughter seemingly die in front of him.
  Krei: I can give you anything you want!
  (Beat)
  Yokai/Callaghan: I. Want. My daughter. BACK!
• Hiro's breakdown before seeing the video of Tadashi. He cries out, slamming his fists on Baymax's chest before crumpling. Bonus points for Ryan Potter pulling a He Really Can Act.
  Hiro: TADASHI IS GONE!
  • And before that when Hiro tries to take out Baymax's healthcare chip again, only for his chip case to be locked, and viciously tries to get it open.
  • This becomes an Ironic Echo later when Callaghan confronts Krei.
    "ABIGAIL IS GONE!"
• Following Tadashi's death, Cass enters Hiro's room to give him breakfast. As she does so, she puts down the plate of breakfast food and picks up a plate that seems to have been the previous night's dinner, completely untouched. Was Hiro so depressed that he wasn't eating?
• Happy tears during the ending. "Ow?" (Beat) "I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion... Hello, Hiro." Cue hug and a HUGE sigh of relief for the audience.
• Callaghan's present-day character arc is just as heartwrenching as his backstory. Whatever issues he had due to Project Silent Sparrow, he does start off as a good man helping a future generation of scientists build things that will help the world. But, at the expo, he both comes face to face once again with Krei, and sees a potential outlet for his repressed rage in the Microbots. So, without going crazy or breaking down, he comes to a horrible decision, and holds to it, damn the consequences. Then, when all is said and done and Abigail is shown to be alive, he's left to realize that his stint as Yokai and all the horrible things that entailed were for nothing. Uh. Wow.
  • Actually... if he never became a supervillain, and did all the evil things he does, Hiro and Baymax would have never become superheroes, and never would have been given the opportunity to rescue her.
• Also counts as Heartwarming: when the team is on the rooftop after the portal collapses, they leave a gap in their formation where Baymax should have been standing, almost like a missing man formation.
• Hiro's whole life is one big tearjerker. He lost his parents when he was very young, prompting him and his brother to live with their aunt. He's smart, but being bullied for it made him insecure, using arrogance to hide it. The only person he's close with is his good-looking brother, making his insecurities even worse. By the time of the movie, Hiro is a nervous Shrinking Violet with huge flaws in his personality.
  • It gets worse after the movie. He's experienced two rather traumatic losses. If there is a sequel to this movie, it better include Hiro getting some confidence and feeling better about himself!
    • This gifset sums it all up. And keeps the tears flowing.
• Aunt Cass's "Last hug!" quirk only shows up after the showcase.
  • The sheer jubilation on Aunt Cass's face after seeing Hiro outside and (apparently) enrolling in college; it shows how much patience, worry and frustration she must have gone through in the weeks afterwards.
  • Spare a thought for Aunt Cass. She's lost her sibling, her sibling-in-law, and now her nephew.
  • And yet, apart from the "Last hug!" thing, Cass shows very few signs of any trauma. Someone give that lady a hug; she deserves one.
• There is a Freeze-Frame Bonus tear jerker during Aunt Cass' rant after picking up Tadashi and Hiro from jail. Once she loses track of her point, she takes on a sad, thoughtful expression. You can see her contemplating, "Is all this my fault? Because I wasn't good enough as a parent?"
• Hiro refusing to speak to anyone in the aftermath of Tadashi's death.

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