Rethinking Multiculturalism in Animated Film: a case study of the Big Hero 6

Abstract

In the contemporary animated industry, multiculturalism has been embraced and practiced. Despite progress with the sensitivity of diversity, the North American animation industry still has the tendency to oversimplify racial struggles and veil identity politics present in current global society. This research explores multiculturalism in animated films, focusing on how it is represented and why it matters in shaping cultural perceptions. It becomes clear that this representation shapes cultural understanding, reinforces or challenges stereotypes, and even influences how individuals perceive themselves and others across different cultures. While contemporary animation projects embrace multiculturalism as a way to reach a global audience, racial struggles and identity politics are often oversimplified or obscured. Through a semiotic analysis, this essay will examine the film Big Hero 6, to decode cultural symbols, character portrayals, and visual elements. This study found that although Big Hero 6 integrates multiculturalism more successfully than other films by naturally blending cultural elements, the seamless cohesion of cultures actually results in a superficial representation of multiculturalism. However, as argued, this film still relies on stereotypes and cultural shorthand to appeal to a wider audience. This research underscores the importance of mindful representation and critiques how, despite growing efforts toward inclusiveness, animated films can still perpetuate simplistic cultural narratives.