Big Hero 6 topped the weekend box office with 56.2 million in box office sales out dueling Interstellar which came in second at 52.15 million, reports Forbes.
Big Hero 6 is based loosely on a Marvel comic in which the main character is Japanese. Disney turned Hiro Hamada into a bi-racial Asian American supposedly to appeal to US audiences.
In his blog for Racialicious, Sunny Huang is highly critical of the character shift and questions the producers decisions to apparently de-emphasize Hiro’s Asian-ness and make him appear more white. He points to his 10-year old brother who commented he didn’t know Hiro was supposed to be Asian.
In the words of Huang, Disney is guilty of “sidelining half of his (Hiro’s) identity.”
Huang also wonders why in a movie that is supposedly set in city that is a hybrid of Tokyo and San Francisco, there is only one other Asian character.
Have you seen Big Hero 6? We would love to get your take on the film. Please read Huang’s blog in Racialicious and then leave your thoughts below.
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