Movie Review: Hoppers
Growing up in the golden era of Pixar, a standard was set for what made a great Pixar movie. The movies had to feature unique characters and stunning animation. It balanced its tones perfectly, making fun movies and at times hilarious, while also being dramatic and at times intense. It had thematic and story elements that appealed to both kids and adults. A great Pixar movie wasn’t just a kid’s movie; it was a movie for everyone.
Watching Hoppers, Pixar’s latest film, it had all the makings of a classic Pixar film. It is a film parents can take their kids to, and they both will enjoy it. The animation is lively and fun, and the characters are unique. Its core messaging is important and timely, and it is also Pixar’s funniest movie to date, with scenes that had me cackling out loud.
Hoppers opens with a low-level heist scene of sorts. We meet Mabel, a young girl who loves nature and animals. In this opening scene, she attempts to free all the pet animals in her elementary school by putting them in her backpack and finding the nearest exit. This attempt fails, and Mabel gets in trouble with the school. It’s an exciting and amusing sequence that sets the tone for the film. We are also introduced to Mabel’s grandmother (voiced by Karen Huie) in this opening, who has a special connection with Mabel and teaches her more about nature and the animals that reside in the forest near her house.
Jump to years later. Mabel (Pipe Curda) is now 19, and her grandmother has passed. She is still a strong activist in keeping the preservation of the forest and maintaining the animal population in her town of Beaverton, which comes at the expense of her education. When Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) wants to build a highway extension in the area where Mabel and her grandmother bonded, now abandoned by the animals, she tries everything in her power to stop the construction. She discovers her college professor Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimi) has invented a technology that places her consciousness into a robotic beaver and allows her to talk to animals, Mabel uses it go into the forest and befriend the animals so that they will once again populate the area where the highway is being built, halting the construction and rebuilding the place her and her grandmother bonded the most.
Hoppers has non-stop energy from the opening scene to its end. Director Daniel Chong never lets up and always keeps the film light, fun, chaotic, and hilarious. There are some well-constructed action sequences, most notably a highway chase involving Mabel, the mayor, and her animal friends getting chased by a giant shark flying in the air with the help of several birds. Sounds insane (it is), but it is a creative and exciting sequence. The animation is bursting with style and energy, with expressive faces and movements from both humans and animals.
Hoppers’ timely messaging about environmentalism is important. The most poignant message dives into controlling your anger and learning to communicate frustration rather than holding it in and making the situation worse. Mabel has this issue constantly throughout the film, but it’s a theme that can resonate with both kids and adults, an essential piece to a great Pixar movie. These themes are coupled with uproarious comedy. Whether it’s a quick line or a piece of physical comedy, I found myself with a consistent smile on my face and cracking up often. This is easily the funniest movie Pixar has ever made.
Hoppers doesn’t hit super hard on the emotional front, but it makes up for it with its pacing, energy, and comedy. But otherwise, this has everything we want from a great Pixar movie: inventive animation, strong themes, and a great story.
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