Big Hero 6 is such a great movie! Transport your guests to Sanfrantokyo for a fun and memorable evening. Get all the resources to create a Big Hero 6 dinner & movie night for your family and friends!
Big Hero 6 Movie Night
Walt Disney released Big Hero 6, a computer animated superhero film, in 2014. The futuristic plot is set in San Fransokyo, a city that fuses San Francisco and Tokyo. The main character, Hiro, is a robotics prodigy who teams up with Baymax, a robot whose sole purpose is to take care of people. The plot is tech focused, action-packed, and carries messages of mercy and compassion. The story is based on Marvel comic characters and was the first film by Disney to feature Marvel characters.
The Tablescape
Meals prepared in traditional Japanese style are served on low tables set up on the floor. We enjoyed our meal in the family room around our coffee table.
We used pillows in Shibori-inspired fabric as seating cushions. The term shibori is the Japanese word 絞り, which translates as to wring or squeeze. Shibori is considered to be one of the oldest indigo dye techniques in Japan and dates back to the 8th century.
We carried the Shibori theme onto our table with a Shibori dyed table runner that Anna created using wooden blocks and indigo dye.
Our place settings featured our simple everyday white dishes with chopsticks, a pink flower, and hand-dyed napkins in blue and white.
Cherry blossoms, also known as Sakura, are a symbolic flower of the spring. Their life is very short and once their beauty peaks after about two weeks their blossoms begin to fall. They symbolize rebirth as well as the fleeting nature of life and serve as a reminder to live to the fullest.
During this season in Japan, people like to have cherry blossom parties with friends and family. The custom of eating and drinking underneath the cherry blossoms is called hanami. Though we couldn’t find fresh cherry blossoms we wanted to embrace this tradition by using cherry blossoms on our table. These beautiful and very realistic cherry blossom stems can be purchased here.
The menu
The Japanese eat healthy and delicious foods emphasizing variety and beautiful presentation. Often, a typical Japanese meal will consist of a soup, 3 side dishes, and a main dish. The use of chopsticks tends to slow the eating process which encourages a more leisurely and enjoyable meal.
There are seven pillars of a typical Japanese meal which include:
- Rice
- Noodles
- Vegetables
- Soy
- Fish
- Green tea
- Fruits
We enjoyed the process of planning a menu that included the seven pillars, though we did not include any fish. The result was a delicious, fresh tasting, and enjoyable meal. You can link to our recipes below.
Green Tea
Drinking green tea 緑茶 is a part of Japanese culture. It is served with almost every meal in Japan. This beautiful tea set was given to me by my husband before our children were born. It was a delight to get it out and use it with our family for this special meal.
Vegetable Sushi
Several years ago my friend Teresa taught me to make sushi. It is fresh, delicious, healthy and surprisingly easy to make. Our family likes using avocado, carrots and cucumbers but there are a variety of delicious ingredients that can be used in this recipe. Click here to get our recipe, see our step-by-step tutorial for making your own sushi. We also have a delicious dipping sauce recipe that we highly recommend.
Soba bowls with shiitake, asparagus and tofu
These bowls were simple yet delicious! They were also fun to eat with chopsticks. Slurping noodles is considered rude in the U.S. but is acceptable in Japan. Our boys thought this was quite fun. Click here for our recipe. If you prefer different proteins or veggies this recipe is quite versatile.
Trio of Desserts
Desserts in Japan are typically enjoyed on special occasions, not every day. Many Japanese desserts also contain healthy ingredients and are considered low in sugar and low fat. Because our family loves to sample as many foods as possible when we’re studying another culture, we chose to create a trio of desserts.
Strawberry Kakigori served with fruit
Kakigōri (かき氷) is a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavored with syrup and condensed milk. We were first introduced to Kakigōri at the Japan pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase. It’s light and refreshing and comes in several flavors. We used the recipe from The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook by Ashley Craft for this dish.
Japanese Candy
We have an Asian market in our neighborhood that has a wonderful selection of treats. We chose to sample Green Tea Mochi Candy, Mango Mochi Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Strawberry Pocky Sticks.
Baymax Cupcakes
Even though there is nothing Japanese about these cupcakes, we had so much fun including them on our menu! This idea came from Disney Family and you can link to their tutorial here. You can use any cake recipe and frosting, but we LOVE using our chocolate cupcake recipe. It is extremely moist and rich, yet light as a feather.
Fun Activities
Our family is in the process of traveling around the world through Disney movies. Big Hero 6 is our eighth stop! To see our other destinations click here.
Our family enjoys learning about the culture and geography of each destination in our Around the World with Disney Movies series and this was no exception. We are experiential learners and love immersing ourselves through listening, reading, and hands-on activities! Below are some resources that we recommend.
Music
Learn about music of Japan with The Music Podcast for Kids
Listen to Japanese Koto Music from Soul Candle
Watch a video about musical instruments of Japan overview video from Empire of Truth
Art
Visit the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum virtually.
Learn to paint Koi Fish Watercolor with this tutorial from Jess Engle
This Cherry Blossom Painting Project from Alpha Mom is great for younger kids.
The Great Wave Art Project from Deep Space Sparkle is beautiful!
Hands-on Activities
Make origami using this Origami Lotus Flower Tutorial from Ask Japanese or Easy Origami by John Montroll {great for beginners}
Try Shibori dying with this kit
Cook some Japanese recipes with your family with Japanese Cooking Made Simple by Salinas Press
Japanese Culture & Geography
Children’s Introduction to Japan video
Virtual Trip to Japan from Local Passport Family
All About Japan from National Geographic Kids
Recommended Books
- Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say
- I Live in Tokyo by Mari Takabayashi
- Today and Today by Kobayashi Issa
- The Funny Little Woman by Arlene Mosel & Blair Lent
- A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno
- The Way We Do It in Japan by Geneva Cobb Iijima
- Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
For more inspiration check out our
Pinterest boards.
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Such a cute idea! My husband would love this haha! He always says how Big Hero 6 is such an underrated movie.
Thanks! It is a fun and underrated movie We had so much fun learning about Japan.