Opening in theaters on March 6 is ‘Hoppers,’ directed by Daniel Chong and starring Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Dave Franco, Kathy Najimy, Eduardo Franco, Vanessa Bayer, and Meryl Streep.
DZ1BT5xvdfCstd2yeeaem5Related Article: Every Pixar Animated Movie Ranked From Worst to Best including ‘Elio’
Initial Thoughts
Pixar has had a rough go of it for a few years, with the legendary Disney-owned animation studio not only still suffering from the box office aftermath of COVID but also dealing with some quality control issues. Yet the new Pixar original feature, ‘Hoppers,’ feels like the most fun the studio has had in a long time.
Dizzyingly paced (sometimes too much so), full of heart and warmth, often laugh-out-loud funny, and gorgeous to look at, ‘Hoppers’ doesn’t always work and is a little too long and frenetic, but it’s still a joyful entry from this fabled company and a visual treat. It feels in a way like Pixar getting a little weirder and crazier, but still retaining its signature style.
Story and Direction
Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) is a 19-year-old animal lover who is constantly getting in trouble for freeing animals from her college, Beaverton University. She’s also trying to get signatures on a petition to stop the construction of a new freeway spearheaded by Beaverton mayor Jerry Generazzo. The final portion of the beltway is slated to plow right through a serene, peaceful, wildlife-filled glade and pond where Mabel has gone for years – until recently with her late grandmother – to find calm and tranquility as the world fills her with rage and despair.
When Mabel learns that her college professor (Kathy Najimy) has created a technology that allows human minds to ‘hop’ into robotic animals, she seizes the opportunity by hopping into a robot beaver and heading for the glade, where she is able to communicate with the other animals – including the well-meaning but naïve beaver ruler, King George (Bobby Moynihan) and rally them to fight back against the mayor and his plan. But even as Mabel and George learn to trust each other, other species of animals are plotting a far more ruthless way to deal with the human threat to their habitat.
‘Hoppers’ packs a lot into its 105-minute runtime – almost too much at some points. Its moments of quiet reflection and beauty (most of them in flashbacks to Mabel and her grandmother sitting in the glade) are often left in the dust by the frenetic, busy-busy style of modern animation that seemingly dominates even a stylistic giant like Pixar. But much of it is also quite hilarious as well – particularly in Mabel’s interactions with the other animals and the dynamics between the various species – and that hectic pace also helps the film move along at a steady clip that rarely drags.
It’s also, in the end, quite poignant. There is an obvious environmental message here, but more importantly, there is a running theme of intelligent, empathetic beings of all kinds – whether they’re humans or animals – learning to have faith in and cooperate with each other, even if their goals are vastly different at first. Mayor Jerry is not necessarily the bad guy here (although to be sure, there is also a megalomaniacal villain who amounts to little more than a brat throwing a major tantrum), anymore than Mabel is a perfect heroine. Seeing things through other’s eyes, suggests ‘Hoppers,’ allows us to better understand each other and find ways to work together.
All this is set amidst top-shelf Pixar designs and animation, which bring the animals (real and robotic), the humans, and the setting to three-dimensional, textured, wonderfully detailed life. Yes, the film can be overstuffed (particularly during the third act, which throws a lot at the viewer), but this is a world that viewers of all ages will enjoy spending time in.
Cast and Performances
Director Daniel Chong balances lesser-known voices and comedic actors here with the presence of luminaries like Meryl Streep and Jon Hamm. Streep’s work amounts to not much more than an extended cameo, while Hamm does his slick best as the ambitious yet not entirely heartless mayor of Beaverton. Also notable are Dave Franco as Titus, the future (and bad-tempered) Insect King, and Kathy Najimy as the kindly Dr. Sam.
Yet it’s Piper Curda and Bobby Moynihan who carry most of the film as Mabel and King George, respectively, and their voices display charisma, comic timing, and plenty of warmth. As a character, Mabel is perhaps unevenly drawn (no pun intended), not quite negotiating her traits of compassion and anger, but Curda still gives her personality, energy and empathy. Moynihan does the same with George, as the beaver evolves from somewhat of a guileless figurehead into a staunch, courageous defender of his world.
Final Thoughts
As ‘Hoppers’ races toward its conclusion, there’s that sense we mentioned that the filmmakers are throwing everything they can think of into the story – almost losing control of it in the process. But luckily it all comes together in an ending that’s sweet, relevant, and important. And what comes in the previous 95 minutes or so offers a lot to relish as well.
Most importantly, ‘Hoppers’ shows that Pixar itself is still capable of generating new, original animated stories – especially in an era where corporations like Disney are more and more reliant on revisiting proven IP (Pixar’s next release, after all, is ‘Toy Story 5’). Whatever its flaws, ‘Hoppers’ is wildly imaginative, emotionally rich, and thematically powerful – and we’re glad that Pixar can still deliver that.
‘Hoppers’ receives a score of 80 out of 100.
What is the plot of ‘Hoppers’?
Animal lover Mabel uses a new technology to ‘hop’ her consciousness into a life-like robotic beaver and communicate directly with animals. Once in the animal world, Mabel rallies species of all kinds to face smooth-talking local mayor Jerry Generazzo, whose planned freeway may destroy their habitat.
Who is in the cast of ‘Hoppers’?
- Piper Curda as Mabel Tanaka
- Bobby Moynihan as King George
- Jon Hamm as Mayor Jerry Generazzo
- Kathy Najimy as Dr. Sam
- Dave Franco as Titus the Insect King
- Eduardo Franco as Loaf
- Aparna Nancherla as Nisha
- Sam Richardson as Conner
- Melissa Villaseñor as Ellen
- Meryl Streep as Insect Queen
- Karen Huie as Grandma Tanaka
- Vanessa Bayer as Diane
Other Movies Similar to ‘Hoppers’:
- ‘Toy Story’ (1995)
- ‘Toy Story 2‘ (1999)
- ‘Finding Nemo‘ (2003)
- ‘The Incredibles‘ (2004)
- ‘Cars‘ (2006)
- ‘Toy Story 3‘ (2010)
- ‘Cars 2‘ (2011)
- ‘Monsters University‘ (2013)
- ‘Inside Out‘ (2015)
- ‘Finding Dory‘ (2016)
- ‘Cars 3‘ (2017)
- ‘Incredibles 2‘ (2018)
- ‘Toy Story 4‘ (2019)
- ‘Turning Red’ (2022)
- ‘Lightyear‘ (2022)
- ‘Elemental’ (2023)
- ‘Inside Out 2’ (2024)
- ‘Elio’ (2025)
- ‘Hoppers‘ (2026)
