Op-Ed: Why “Big Hero 6” is the Movie Your Family Should See This Weekend

Disclaimer: the views expressed in Thesis Magazine opinion pieces are those of the author and should not be seen to represent the publication as a whole.

You may be wondering how movie recommendations have anything to do with education, which is, after all, the subject of this publication. And certainly, when I went to see Big Hero 6 earlier this week, I wasn’t expecting to see anything at all related to the classroom and learning – I knew very little about the film ahead of time. So I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the importance of education was a major theme.

In the first fifteen minutes or so of the movie, the protagonist – a 14-year-old prodigy named Hiro – has no plans to continue his education past high school, since he believes school is boring. But his older brother Tadashi, a robotics student, has other plans. He takes Hiro to his lab at the university and shows him the groundbreaking – and frankly pretty awesome – projects that he and his friends are working on. He proves to Hiro that science and engineering can be cool. Hiro then spends the rest of the movie following in his brother’s footsteps, using his engineering talents to transform his friends into a team of superheroes.

Tadashi’s message to Hiro – and indeed, the message of the movie – is an important one. Children should be reminded that science and engineering really can be cool. And more importantly, as Tadashi said to Hiro, children must be reminded to “use that big brain.” All students have the potential to do well, if they believe that they can and put forth the effort to make it happen. This movie can help to remind your children of their potential for greatness, and it can serve as a conversation-starter if you want to remind them of that potential.

Of course, Big Hero 6 is more than just an extended advertisement for STEM education – it’s also an excellent movie in its own right. The plot was well-constructed and not entirely predictable, and there were several genuinely heartwrenching moments amid the superheroes-of-science montages. And with a PG rating, it’s a movie the whole family can enjoy. If you’re looking for something to see this holiday weekend, I would certainly recommend this film.

Feature image courtesy of Disney.com.