Understanding the 4 Meanings of Big Hero 6

For our unit Contextualising Practice, as to understand narrative, we were asked to watch something recent from our subject area (Animation/Film/Photography), and so I chose to watch the animated film Disney's Big Hero 6, a personal favourite of mine that was only released 9 months ago in the UK. We were then told to write up the 4 different meanings of the film, as presented by Bordwell and Thompson in The Significance of Film Form.

Referential Meaning:
In the near future, a boy befriends his late brother's robot to get justice for his killer. After a series of super heroic adventures with his brother's friends they manage to capture the man responsible for his brother's death.

Explicit Meaning:
A boy mourns the loss o his brother and seeks revenge for his death. He soon finds that his brother is still with him in his heart, his friends and the robot he left behind, as well as realising that revenge is not the justice his brother would want.

Implicit Meaning:
An adolescent is forced to face the adult world after the loss of his brother. Throught the help of his peers he is able to mourn his loss as well as face the demands of growing up.

Symptomatic Meaning:
In a Society where the impossible seems possible, the importance of family and friends is still the staple of human values and relationships. This beleif is especially storng during times of great loss.