You probably don't recognize the name Scott Lobdell, but if you were a fan of X-men comics in the 90s then you know he was the longtime writer of mutant adventures for Marvel Comics. He's also a terrible writer, in my opinion, but he had occasional flashes of brilliance. One of those was a silly little comic book series featuring a Japanese cast title Big Hero 6. Not many remember it, and it's certainly not at the top of Marvel's list of big name properties, but they may be headed to a theater near you real soon, courtesy of Walt Disney Animation.
We'd heard rumors that Marvel and Pixar could be teaming up on an animated film at some point, but it looks like it'll be Disney Animation that takes on the job first. The report first surfaced over at It's On the Grid, and then was backed up by Blue Sky Disney. Even better? The film will be directed by Don Hall, who did such a bang up job on last year's Winnie the Pooh.
So who are Big Hero 6? They're a quirky and fun combination of Japanese movie stereotypes all rolled into one. Their members include the Silver Samurai, Sunfire, GoGo Tomago, Honey Lemon, Hiro Takachiho, Fred, and Baymax. Hiro is a boy genius with a robotic guardian, while Fred can transform into giant Godzilla-type creature. They became semi-popular after their appearance in the Alpha Flight comic, leading to a great limited series written by Lobdell. He didn't create the characters, but he made them fresh and funny and unlike any other hero team out there.
The film is expected to arrive some time in 2014, but there is one problem. Sunfire is basically an X-men, which means he would fall under the rights held by 20th Century Fox. The same goes for the Silver Samurai, who we know will be appearing in Hugh Jackman's The Wolverine. So that means some changes are going to have to be made. Still, this is great news, and promises we'll see more of Marvel and Disney putting their unique relationship to good use.
