Nick’s relationship with Diann isn't about grand gestures; it’s about presence . While Liam runs away from the weirdness, Nick runs toward it. He is the first person to believe her when she says something is wrong with her father. He helps her babysit her own dad.
In a franchise known for its magical realism, Diann’s love life is painfully, beautifully real. And that’s the biggest magic trick of all.
When we think of the Big franchise (the 1988 film Big and its 2018 spiritual sequel TV series Big: The Series ), we often focus on the logistics of a child trapped in an adult’s body. We think of the iconic floor piano, the bunk bed trampoline, or the ethical nightmare of a 12-year-old navigating corporate espionage.
She doesn’t need a man-child to teach her wonder. She needs a man who will handle the insurance claims while she goes to fight a magical arcade machine. Diann Ornelas Pack’s romantic storylines are refreshingly mature. She makes mistakes (Liam), flirts with danger (Charles), and ultimately chooses the steady, awkward, loyal partner (Nick). She is not a damsel waiting to be saved by magic. She is a young woman using romance to define who she isn’t .
But at the core of the narrative—specifically in the underrated Disney+ series Big: The Series —is a character who grounds the chaos: . While the original film focused on Josh Baskin’s (Tom Hanks) romance with Susan Lawrence, the series shifts its gaze to the next generation, giving us a layered, messy, and deeply relatable romantic arc for Diann.