The ‘Big Hero 6’ Quest To Continue The Marvel End-Credits Scene Tradition

The creative forces behind one of this year’s biggest blockbusters – Big Hero 6 – have spoken to the Geeks Guide To The Galaxy podcast to share how they managed to make their end-credits scene one of the most talked about in the Marvel universe. As reported by Wired, co-directors Don Hall and Chris Williams had previously discussed including a brief, final scene in Big Hero 6, but were concerned about a lack of time and resources. Williams explained that the decision to go ahead was taken at the last minute, after they saw audiences remain seated in the expectation of an end-credits scene during screenings of Guardians of the Galaxy.

“That Monday morning, we basically ran toward each other and we were like, ‘We’ve got a problem.’ Because yes, it’s a Disney film, but everyone knows there’s a Marvel connection. So, what if people sit and wait through the credits, and there’s nothing?”

Hoping to surprise the rest of the crew, Hall and Williams came up with a scene and worked with a small section of those who worked on Big Hero 6 to bring it to fruition under wraps. The scene called for a cameo from the legendary Stan Lee – a regular gag in the Marvel universe – but required some maneuvering to complete, including having Lee record his lines at a secret location. The finished film was then screened for the whole crew at the Big Hero 6 wrap party, with the extra scene in place, and was very well received.

Big Hero 6 is a computer animated superhero comedy film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, inspired by the Marvel Comics superhero team that was first published in 1998. It features the voice talents of Scott Adsit, T.J Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr, and Genesis Rodriguez, and since its North American release on November 7, 2014, has earned over $253.5 million at the box office. Big Hero 6 has also garnered several awards nominations, including one for an Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, and a Golden Globe nod for Best Animated Feature Film.

The ground-breaking movie brings brand new technology to the screen, after filmmakers created software named Hyperion to generate the setting for the film – the fictional San Fransokyo. The new technology allows for more complex lighting within each frame of Big Hero 6. Additionally, software was designed to create different characters for vast crowd scenes, as Andy Hendrickson of Walt Disney Animation Studios explained to VOA News.

“It’s not like before in computer graphics films where we had several different body types, several different head types, and you made 100 different people, and they’re repeated. There are no repeats in this film.”

“No repeats” — apart from, of course, the appearance of Stan Lee and the presence of an end-credits scene. These are now standard Marvel tactics that fans specifically look forward to. On previous occasions, these scenes have given an indication of what can be expected in a sequel to the film in question. Whether this convention applies to Big Hero 6 has yet to be announced.

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