September 1st, 2019 
Greg Ehrbar 
Few things are more gratifying for those who enjoy animation than to discover that the people behind the characters are just as engaged as the people watching at home. With Ryan Potter and Scott Adsit of Big Hero 6: The Series the passion for their characters, their intimate knowledge of each storyline, and the shared chemistry between them was entirely genuine. It wasn’t just lip service that being the voices of Hiro and Baymax means a lot to them.
Scott and Ryan don’t see each other all the time because the voices are usually recorded separately. But they look forward to events such as the recent D23 Expo in Anaheim, California so they can pick up where they left off. Even though they do their lines alone, the two think as one because they know their characters and each other’s instincts so well. This became obvious as Scott and Ryan joined in with their own questions—and clever quips—for each other during the interview.
SCOTT ADSIT:So Ryan–in the series, is Hiro aging a little? Is he getting wiser?
RYAN POTTER:He‘s not getting wiser! He’s definitely hitting puberty. I didn’t want to do the exact same voice from the film in the series, because I felt a fair amount of time had passed. So I tried to age him up a little bit, but I try and maintain that youthful tone and the level of optimism that exists in his voice. I would say that’s the primary thing that’s changed—just trying to show a passing of time. It took them half a season to get him to college. He’ll be going into sophomore year coming up.
ADSIT:For Baymax, I think his timing may be a little different because you have to pack the jokes into a half-hour, so I think he’s maybe a little more savvy about timing! [laughs]Also he’s exploring new avenues of caregiving, which includes psychotherapy.
POTTER: A lot more mental health.
ADSIT: Yeah.
POTTER: And a lot more emotional health, as opposed to just the physical.
ADSIT: Yeah, and he can learn—although you don’t always see the evidence of it—I think he’s becoming a little more cuddly with you guys, because he’s more part of the team.
POTTER: He’s definitely more self-aware than he was in the film. I think his level of understanding, not just of his job but of the outside world, has grown because of all the adventures they’ve gone on. That’s always cool to see.
ADSIT: I think also as much as he can he feels more joy in being with you because he’s grown. He feels more involved.
POTTER: And feels more in general, too. That level of empathy has grown.
ADSIT: Or at least his subprocesses are approximating human emotion better.
[they laugh]
BH6 Voice Cast at D23 – Brooks Wheelan (Fred), Ryan Potter (Hiro), Jamie Chung (Go Go) and Scott Adsit (Baymax)
ANIMATION SCOOP: Baymax’s voice is a deceptively simple thing to do, kind of like those prescription medicine ads on TV. But it’s very subtle and nuanced, required a deft touch in bending the words in just such a way to convey humor or emotion. How do you do it?
ADSIT: Well, I always describe it as a tightrope of trying not to fall on either side of that rope which is too emotional or too robotic. It’s always kind of leaning both ways, maintaining the balance by leaning too far one way, and leaning the other way to compensate.
POTTER: How wide is that tightrope?
ADSIT: Oh, it’s like eight feet wide.
[huge laugh]
ADSIT: The timing just comes from knowing who Baymax is, what his purpose is, and combining that with whatever I’ve learned at Second City, being on stage and my own timing.
SCOOP: What are some of the monsters and villains that stand out to you?
POTTER: Globby.
ADSIT: Yeah, Globby [voice of Andy Richter].
POTTER: I think we’ve seen this type of character before but never in this way. He has his own arc, which is really interesting.
ADSIT: Noodle Burger Boy!
POTTER: Aw, he’s so good! He’s sogood! Oh, and I think one of my favorite episodes to this day is the cookoff between Aunt Cass [Maya Rudolph] and Momakase [Naoko Mori]in the giant “cook until doom” scenario!
[laughter]
ADSIT: AndMaya’s so great.
ADSIT: There’s a lot of science fiction that uses science as an evil tool that has to be overcome. We have that element but it’s always overcome by science as well, with the proper application.
POTTER: And the lesson essentially is learned because you can very clearly see the destruction caused by these supervillains and bio-enhanced villains. Season two will deal with more of the biology and chemistry aspects of the science world when it comes to our villains.
ADSIT: I think our category is “body horror.”
[laughter]
SCOOP: Scott, you’re not only a writer, but you’ve also played one on TV [as Pete on 30 Rock]. Does it ever strike you that some of the scripts written for shows like this can be more intense, complex and even funnier than those written for adults?
ADSIT: Yeah, I guess the demographic [for Big Hero 6: The Series] is supposed to be kids, but the characters and situations are as enjoyable as Endgame—that’s not geared toward children but it’s essentially the same kind of storytelling. I think this can be enjoyed by any age. I haven’t seen the [Big Hero 6] movie in years but I know that I cry four times when I see it–four specific moments when I start crying, and that carries over into the television show. I think it’s very easy to dismiss this as something that’s “just for kids” because of where it airs, or because of…
POTTER: … its hand-drawn nature
ADSIT: Yeah. You can categorize things. I think the characters are good enough and rich enough and have so much to explore that anyone can enjoy this entertainment.
SCOOP: With the new season picking up on September third, is there anything you can share that you’re excited about?
ADSIT: My friend Horatio Sanz [a Saturday Night Livealumnus] will be on the show. I’m excited about that. Without giving too much away, he’ll play a Mexican wrestler.
POTTER: There are always surprises, but the show has done a really good job of misdirection, and putting faith in these “philanthropists” and “heroes,” sometimes showing that human beings don’t necessarily always have the best intentions—whether they are human or not.
ADSIT: There are also shorts we’ve made, in different animation styles.
POTTER: The Noodle Burger Boy short has aired [featuring Lucas Neff]. That one is my favorite.
SCOOP: One of the great things about this series is that it has fulfilled so much potential that the movie provided because the premise lent itself to more adventures. Was it always planned that way, for the movie to be a series?
ADSIT: I never heard anything about a series until we had won the Academy Award.
POTTER: I think the Academy Award kind of solidified that people kind of liked this film. People would like to see more of these characters.
ADSIT: Also I don’t know if many people know this, but we are the number four Disney animated film of all time.*
SCOOP: It’s possible that some people may not think of that.
ADSIT: No, the average person doesn’t think of us at all…
[laughter]
POTTER: I think they think of you! I think Baymax has a place in every household across American by this point.
SCOOP: And you see little kids carrying their plushes.
ADSIT: That’s true. And people dressing up like Baymax too, walking around in big inflatable costumes with fans that keep it inflated inside.
SCOOP: Ryan, where would you like to see the series lean more in the future, toward superheroes or sci-fi?
POTTER: I like where it’s at, because it reminds me of a younger version of The Twilight Zonewithout the horror aspect. We’ve had a few episodes that get kind of dark but for the most part, it is about the unknown, trying to push boundaries and pushing the needle forward for science. Honestly, if any show that has that message, I’m a fan.
Big Hero 6: The Series returns with the episode “Write Turn Here” on Disney Channel this Tuesday, September 3rd at 3:30 p.m. EST.
[*According to Box Office Mojo, Big Hero 6 is the fourth all-time highest U.S. grossing Walt Disney Feature Animation release, after Frozen, Zootopiaand Moana. Worldwide, Big Hero 6is the third-highest behind Frozen and Zootopia.]
Special thanks to Brandon Zachary for contributing to this interview.
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