Baymax, the adorable spongy medical robot that charmed cinema goers in Big Hero 6 back in 2015, appears to be equally irresistible on the small screen. Baymax! — the set of six shorts that popped up on Disney Plus on Wednesday — has impressed critics with a 100% fresh rating on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
Granted, that is only currently based on six critic reviews, but they’re so positive that it’s hard to dispute that Disney likely has another hit on its hands. Even if it’s one that’s somewhat short-lived, given each of the six episodes is around seven minutes long.
“Baymax's oversized body matches its super-sized ‘heart’ as it wobbles around town answering those in need who aren't asking for help,” writes IGN’s Matt Fowler. “This six-episode run is quick, quirky, and guaranteed to charm.”
Decider is equally positive, pleasantly surprised that such a short family-friendly show can deliver “quite a number of laugh-out-loud moments.” The verdict is that this is definitely worth streaming. “Baymax! dedicates each episode to all healthcare heroes, and they should be happy that such an informative, funny series is made in their honor,” the review ends.
Equally glowing praise is offered by Fat Guys at the Movies (“a sweet reminder that Disney has a rich history of short family-friendly cartoons”), But Why Tho? (“a salve for increasingly darker times”) and Mama’s Geeky (“a special one that delivers on the moments of laughter, but also on the emotional ones”).
With that in mind, it’s somewhat surprising that the audience score is a considerably more divided 59% fresh. But having dipped into the handful of one-star reviews, it appears that Disney has provoked a bit of culture-war backlash, with one bemoaning the largely female cast and another upset at the nods towards LGBT representation. Republican North Carolina Congressman Dan Bishop called the scene "woke nonsense" on Twitter, as reported by Newsweek.
This is how PopSugar describes the scene: "While at the store, Baymax seeks advice from several shoppers, among them a transmasculine or genderqueer-presenting character (it's not explicitly stated) who is also wearing a T-shirt bearing the colors of the trans pride flag." The site praises the brief scene as an "important moment for trans representation."
Suffice it to say that 11 out of the 17 written Rotten Tomatoes reviews are four stars or higher.
Ultimately, it’s probably worth deciding for yourself, as the whole six-episode run can be consumed in less than an hour. So you won’t have invested much time even if you ultimately decide that Baymax is better as a peripheral character, rather than the main focus.
Next: Check out the one Netflix show you need to binge watch this month, which is coming back for season 4. Plus, here’s why I decided to keep Disney Plus (and the reason is not Marvel or Star Wars). Also, take a look at This 19-year-old comedy that's just cracked the Netflix top 10 — but is it any good?
