An archetype for the superhero : substitution and configuration of the personal world in Big Hero 6

This article examines the notions of substitution and archetypes in the film Big Hero 6, in both its narrative and audiovisual dimensions from the perspective of poetic possible worlds, exploring how these two notions shape the personal world of the film’s protagonist, Hiro Hamada. Our research make...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Encinas Cantalapiedra, Arturo, Merino Gómez, Vera, Pérez de la Peña, María, Salgado Rodríguez, Valeria Andreina
Format: article
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
Repository:DDFV. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ddfv.ufv.es:10641/7522
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10641/7522
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Archetype
film analysis
possible worlds
substitution
superhero movies
Communication
Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Yes
yes
Description
Summary:This article examines the notions of substitution and archetypes in the film Big Hero 6, in both its narrative and audiovisual dimensions from the perspective of poetic possible worlds, exploring how these two notions shape the personal world of the film’s protagonist, Hiro Hamada. Our research makes a novel contribution to the field of Superhero Studies, offering an analysis of the audiovisual characteristics of a superhero film and exploring a work within the genre that has not yet received attention from researchers. The research identifies and explains several narrative strategies and their function: the role of the mediating substitute, the mimetic aspect of exemplary storytelling, and the mechanism of preserving the world’s structure through substitution. Camera position, framing and lighting all serve as audiovisual counterparts of these narrative strategies.