Director: Daniel Chong
Writers: Daniel Chong, Jesse Andrews
Stars: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm
Synopsis: A 19-year-old animal lover uses technology that places her consciousness into a robotic beaver to uncover mysteries within the animal world beyond her imagination.
Within the recent years of Pixar’s output, the famed animation company hasn’t been “washed” per se, more so in a lull, post the doldrums of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their string of theatrical releases post their three straight-to-Disney+ films have ranged from complete creative and financial misfires like Lightyear to sequel mega hits and struggling new originals like Inside Out 2 and Elio, respectively. While none of their films (besides Lightyear) have been poor in quality, they’ve often missed the spark that made Pixar films so distinct in the first place and have remained in a somewhat average state, which is why a film like Hoppers is so important within its placement in the Pixar catalog. Director Daniel Chong of Cartoon Network fame brings an absurdist charm of heart and humor to the 3D-animated medium that is completely unique to the landscape of Pixar in ways, adding a new flavor to their films that is sorely needed. The film blends an unhinged nature of shock and infectious energy that might throw some off, but Hoppers’ delightful quirks and strong message of unity amongst nature add up to a truly delightful experience and one of the best Pixar films of the current decade.
Hoppers starts its clever premise from the view of our lead, Mabel (Piper Curda), at a young age. Mabel has always longed for nature and protecting the animals of her community to the point of attempting to steal class pets and free them into the wild. She feels her aspirations and care never felt by anyone until she forms a special bond with her grandmother Tanaka (Karen Huie). The two shared a love for animals and the plights of protecting the environment by any means necessary, learning to be at peace with the elements of the world, on top of a glade where they would go to sit and view the world’s beauty each day.
Now in the present day, Mabel is an energetic 19-year-old college student, wanting to make her grandma proud after her unfortunate passing, but protecting their sacred glade from local mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm), who is driving animals away from there to complete the construction of a brand new highway for the city of Beaverton. Mabel is stumped on how to stop her plans until she discovers her professor, Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy), is testing out an experiment she just finalized, where humans can now “hop” their consciousness into incredibly realistic robot animals, allowing the species to connect with one another. Mabel goes rogue with the tech and transfers her mind into a robotic beaver in order to find more beavers and animals alike to help her stop Jerry’s plans, but along her journey, she makes insane discoveries about the animal world that are beyond her wildest dreams.
Hoppers’ log line is just as absurd as the experience of watching the film’s zaniness unfold, but the inherent wild nature of the story is exactly what makes it stand out amongst other Pixar originals. Films like Elio and Elemental had otherworldly premises but lacked a truly compelling hook that made their more compelling angles extremely predictable as their stories unfolded. For some, Hoppers will have the opposite problem of being a bit too unhinged, but that’s what’s so great about it. Chong and writer Jesse Andrews craft such a delightfully unpredictable story that’s intriguing to explore across so many multiple avenues that the bounds of Hoppers’ humor and chaotic energy are distinct in all of the best ways.
When the story further introduces the world of these and the character of King George (Bobby Moynihan) the humor starts flying a mile per minute with its goofy idiosyncrasies, dark jokes, and conversational humor making it the hardest I’ve laughed at an animated feature in years (always appreciate an Avatar joke), aligning perfectly with the humor of Chong’s Cartoon Network series We Bare Bears, but what ends up even more creative is the use of the hopping technology itself. In many ways, the heightened sci-fi feels like a mix of Back to the Future and Studio Ghibli, and as the hopping between multiple humans and different species of animals escalates, it leads to some of the most wildly deranged series and third acts ever conceived for a Pixar movie, and it only makes Hoppers more of a blast.
This isn’t to say that Hoppers doesn’t have its fair share of emotional and poignant highs, too, as the film blends its quieter themes and absurd plotbeats beautifully. The film’s connection to themes of preserving our environment and unity amidst our differences is present throughout many films, but the characterization of Mabel, specifically how she feels helpless in multiple sections of the film, is the driving force. Mabel is insanely lively throughout the film, going to great lengths to save the glade, no matter how far things escalate, and she feels the need to do so because a lot of the time it feels like she’s the only one who cares about changing the world for the better.
I love how much the film delves into not only the complexities of how much you can do to change things within your certain role in the world, but the overarching theme of how nature being what can connect us even through the worst of human conflict as people and animals alike even characters that completely oppose each other like Mabel and Jerry find their own connections by the end. It’s not groundbreaking material, but it represents an emotional core that will resonate with adults and children alike, and Piper Curda’s spirited vocal performance only further elevates that.
Even the film’s animation, despite not being too different from the modern norm, has its own edge to stand out amongst the crowd. Pixar is well renowned for the quality of their film visuals and that remains no different here; the art style lends itself will to louder and wackier moments and touching emotional beats alike and it style showcases that it isn’t afraid that things don’t look nearly as realistic as the animation within other pixar films and it lends itself well to the tonal indications of this world.
Hoppers fits alongside Turning Red in the Pixar oeuvre, while taking a bigger swing in both style and tone that will inevitably not meld with all viewers, but Hoppers is a welcome change of direction in nearly every avenue for the studio. It’s a weird, chaotic comedy blending emotional nuance and lovely craziness that features the studio at the most creative level they’ve been from a writing perspective. Hoppers is one of the best Pixar films released in the 2020s, and the type of innovative energy that the studio needs more of. A pure delight through and through.
