'Big Hero 6' kicks off new-look Tokyo film festival

Hello Kitty and Doraemon anime characters showed off on the red carpet on Thursday (the 23rd) as Disney's Big Hero 6 headed a new-look Tokyo Film festival that nods hard at Japan's love of animation.

The 27th Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs from the 23rd to 31st this month, will feature special events to accompany the main festival, such as a 'cosplay summit' and a Japanese food fair which aims to promote the country's cultural and content industries.

Set in San Fransokyo, a mash-up of San Francisco and Tokyo, Big Hero 6 is Disney Animation's next big feature after last year's Frozen, focusing on the bond between 14-year-old Hiro Hamada and the inflatable robot Baymax as they and their companions take on a Kabuki-masked villain who has stolen Hiru's microbot technology.

Big Hero 6 is only the second animated film to open the Tokyo festival and is also the first Walt Disney animation to do so.

by Kevin Andrews

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