San Fransokyo (portmanteau on San Francisco and Tokyo) is the fictional city in which the 2014 Disney animated feature film Big Hero 6 takes place and is the home of the titular heroes. San Fransokyo is an alternate history San Francisco, created after the 1906 earthquake.[1]
The layout of the city is a high-tech hybrid of artistic and technological architecture and a fusion of both San Francisco, California and Tokyo, Japan. Built on the coast of the Pacific Ocean (presumably in California), the city is designed to withstand the risk of further earthquakes. The city is also a center for vast cultures besides the dominant Eastern and Western themes. However, behind the bright aesthetic is the underworld of illegal bot-fighting, commonly located in the dark, grungy alleys of the city. A large quantity of the buildings and technology in the city were constructed by Alistair Krei and his company, Krei Tech.
Animators added an extra spin to the Painted Lady houses of San Francisco by adding Japanese touches to them, such as the Japanese like roof tops, koinoibori flags, Japanese lanterns, signature cats etc.
Akuma Island: A former base for Project Silent Sparrow, now an abandoned island off the coast of San Fransokyo.
Krei Tech Industries: The headquarters of tech-guru and the richest man in the city, Alistar Krei.
Yokai's Warehouse: The secluded, ominous lair of the masked villain, Yokai.
Trading Post: An area near the bay of San Fransokyo.
Good Luck Alley: A dark alley notorious for homing San Fransokyo's criminals, such as Yama. It is named after the minimal chances of people getting out of the alley, alive.
San Fransokyo Bridge: Based on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the San Fransokyo Bridge is a hybrid-design of the original bridge along with a design of some of Japan's spirit bridges.
Noodle Burger: A popular fast food restaurant that Fred frequents.
San Fransokyo Musueum of Art: A museum hosting predominantly Japanese artwork.
San Fransokyo Police Station: Headquarters of San Fransokyo's police force.
Go Go's Apartment: Located in a sketchy neighbourhood, Go Go lives in a red bricked three floor apartment building. Honey Lemon moved in with Go Go after she accidentally froze her own apartment with an experimental formula for instant ice (and her roommate Regina).
The name and layout of the city is a mix between real-life cities San Francisco and Tokyo.
According to Scott Watanabe, San Fransokyo is set in an alternate future where after the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco was rebuilt by Japanese immigrants using techniques that allowed movement and flexibility in a seismic event. After the city was finished being rebuilt, it was renamed San Fransokyo due to it being a city with Japanese and American architecture combined.[1]
Some promotional posters have featured the city's newspaper San Fransokyo Times with the date 2150 on it, suggesting that the city and the film is set near the year 2150. Other background elements in the film, such as a banner for the 95th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, would suggest that the film takes place around 2032. Despite these futuristic elements, San Fransokyo still possesses a fair amount of modern-looking vehicles and structures.
In Zootopia, Chief Bogo's office has a wall calendar with a picture of San Fransokyo.
Japantown in San Francisco served as a major inspiration for the artists designing San Fransokyo.[2]
