Interview [Written]: Robert Baird, Paul Briggs (“Big Hero 6”)
A /film interview with Robert Baird and Paul Briggs, the team behind the Disney animated movie Big Hero 6.
/Film: I’m curious about the interaction between script and design. Because the Production Designer’s telling us that the idea for Baymax came up when they learned stuff about soft robotics, but yet you guys are working on a story and a script where that’s an integral part of like a lot of the jokes and characterization. Like it almost feels like the chicken and the egg. What came first, how did it develop?
Robert Baird (screenwriter): Right, well…
Paul Briggs (head of story): Yeah, the design goes into it, but then I think once that design comes into it, you still have to instill character into that design.
Baird: Yeah, but I think the idea of soft robotics, like a robot that you can kind of wrap your arms around, came very early in the process. And that informed the script writing or very early on. So the chicken was the soft robotics and the egg was the first attempts at script.
Briggs: But the challenge is, when you’re logically gonna design a health robot, [how do you make sure] he’s not intimidating when he walks in the room? Does he have built into him everything? And that’s part of it. The logical design of it. But just keeping him a healthcare robot through the entire film was a challenge. And always keeping him not a learning robot who was, climbing different things, it was always staying true to that. And that interaction then with Hiro, this 14 year old kid and how those things worked together was difficult. It was a difficult thing to kind of craft and develop.
Right. Yeah, absolutely. Now obviously your job to make the story is of primary importance. That takes about two-thirds of the whole process. But in its first inception, this is [co-director] Don’s [Hall’s] idea. So how does he pick who is going to do what? How do you guys get involved? Because obviously Disney Animation does only a movie every year or so. So if it’s something you’re not passionate about, how does that work?
Briggs: When I came onto Frozen, they asked me to come on Frozen. I was like a Princess movie? And it’s like ‘No, this is a story about siblings.’ And this is one of those projects where you’re like ‘Yeah, I’m on, because it’s like God, comic books, yeah.’ But you do have to find what’s the deeper reason we’re making this movie. And that’s where I think everybody starts to sign on and say ‘Yeah, this is underneath it all. I actually think that’s a great way to build a team. You don’t want people who are videogame fans, you don’t want Princess fans, you don’t want comic book nerds, you want people.
Baird: At that point it’s critical. Like when you’re building a team that’s gonna make one of these movies, you don’t want everybody to be on the same page. You want like ‘Okay, you’re a superhero fan.’ I’m not. Because the movie has to play to superhero fans and to people who aren’t. And but like Paul is saying, but there’s this relationship at the heart of the movie, this Hiro and Baymax. That’s what everybody’s gonna plug into. And that’s I think that’s what keeps everybody… like when everything else isn’t working on the movie and people are crying because it’s so hard, I just look at that guy right there [points at Baymax] and I’m like t’Te movie’s gonna be fine, because we got that guy in it.’
For the rest of the interview, go here.