On the first day of New York Comic Con 2014, it was hard to find anyone not talking about the ‘Tomorrowland’/’Big Hero 6’ panel. Not only did they give out some amazing swag such as exclusive posters, meet and greet opportunities, and tickets to a screening of the upcoming Marvel/Disney animated film that night, but there were surprises galore from two of the most highly anticipated movies on the House of Mouse’s production slate right now.
Moderator Chris Hardwick started off the panel by introducing directors Don Hall and Chris Williams with producer Roy Connelly. After showing the crowd a number of awesome clips (including even more adorable Baymax moments such as the healthcare companion trying to fist bump for the first time) and being introduced to cast members Genesis Rodriguez, Jamie Chung, TJ Miller, Ryan Potter, and Scott Adsit, the panel unveiled a brand new sizzle reel for the whole world to see featuring a ton of excellent new footage of Hiro’s life as an underground robot fighter, plus the team interacting with each other and against the film’s kabuki-masked villain. Shortly after the panel (and an interaction between Baymax and Hardwick), the trailer hit the web and we have it for you below:
The second half of the panel was dedicated to the incredibly mysterious ‘Tomorrowland’. This discussion began with director Brad Bird and writer Damon Lindelof recapping the highly secretive nature of their current project, but rather than dance around details for any longer, they just went right into giving us the world premiere of the first teaser trailer for the movie. Afterwards, stars Britt Robinson, Raffey Cassidy, and Hugh Laurie, who received an insane welcome from the NYCC Main Stage crowd, joined the panel.
The three cast members remained vague about their characters. Laurie started by saying, “I can say nothing, but I got involved when Brad and Damon invited me to hear a story. I’ve never heard anyone articulate this idea as a movie or a way to look at the world. These guys are onto something exceptional and uplifting. And I’m not a particularly uplifting person because I’m British.” Robinson continued by revealing that her character is a seventeen-year-old high school student, but couldn’t say more because “you can’t see it but they have whips and I will be lashed if I say something wrong”. Finally, after some help from Lindelof, the youngest panelist Cassidy shared that her character “is extremely optimistic and knows karate”.
Finally, the biggest surprise came when George Clooney appeared at his very first Comic Con ever to unveil yet another exclusive look at ‘Tomorrowland’ since he wasn’t satisfied with the amount of his face in the teaser. The whole time, Clooney was his typical charming self and played to the crowd very well, especially when he mentioned that he apologized to Adam West for his portrayal of Batman and the Bat-nipples on his suit. We’re not sure about how his new wife felt about the appearance, but everyone in the audience surely appreciated the celebrated actor’s presence during his honeymoon, especially since the clip that he brought with him showed us some of the badass gadgets his character Frank Walker has scattered around his house that protect him from creepily smiling robot invaders.
Overall, the entire panel was excellently put together. It was most certainly the talk of the con for a little bit and everyone should be excited for ‘Big Hero 6’ and ‘Tomorrowland’.
