Hoppers is Pixar’s latest original animated feature, and put very simply, it’s lovely. Pixar’s original movies have gotten mixed reviews as of late, but I’ve found them to be great. Soul, Onward, Turning Red, and Elemental were all movies I greatly enjoyed but I felt like they were a bit more mature than their predecessors such as Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. Hoppers is a return to form that brings the ludicrousness back to Pixar. There are moments in this film that are a riot to watch due purely to their absurdity. Hoppers has been unavoidable on social media, the Lizard meme has been all over my for you page.
Hoppers focuses on a young girl named Mabel who is a bit of an outcast and obsessed with nature conservation. She, like many of Pixar’s protagonists, is dealing with the loss of a loved one, specifically her grandmother, who instilled in her a love for nature and wildlife. Mabel is so focused on shutting down the construction of a new highway, the latest political tool of her nemesis Mayor Jerry, that would destroy her favorite spot, the Glade, that she has started to fall behind in college and some of her relationships have started to strain.
Mabel discovers that her one way to save the Glade is to find a beaver who can reconstruct the dam that used to be there. While on her mission to find a beaver she ends up following one she believes to be kidnapped, or rather beaver-napped, back to the laboratory of her college where she discovers that her college professor has been conducting a secret study that allows humans to “Hop” into a lifelike robots of different animals. Mabel hops into the robot beaver and goes to find the other beavers to save the Glade. This leads Mabel on a journey into the animal kingdom and its hierarchy and threatens the life of Mayor Jerry. I really don’t want to spoil any more of this because its plot will genuinely keep you guessing. There are so many fun twists and turns that I want to leave for you to experience for yourself.
During Mabel’s trip to the animal kingdom she meets a large cast of lovable characters, who are all so fun and unique. Its ensemble is one of my favorites since Toy Story. One of the main supporting characters is the current mammal king, George the Beaver. George is a character who many will likely write off as a naive goofball but I found to be quite profound. Multiple times throughout the film he defends people’s inherent good nature and proves that he’s more than willing to give people a second chance. Other stand outs from the supporting cast include Loaf the Beaver, Conner the lab assistant, Mayor Jerry, Tom Lizard the Lizard, and the different kings and queens of the animal council.
Ultimately, the film is about nature conservation and respecting wildlife. At times it feels like a spiritual prequel to Wall-E. The city the film is set in is building a “Belt Way” road to “connect the city to itself.” It is a wholly unnecessary and stupid waste of resources but the city and its residents are in full support of it. Wall-E is set in a far away future where the earth is littered with trash and abandoned. Obviously these two things are a huge distance from one another in reality. Thematically, however, the two feel very closely related.
The voice cast of Hoppers is one of Pixar’s strongest to date. Piper Curda as Mabel, Jon Hamm as Mayor Jerry, Bobby Moynihan as King George, and Dave Franco as Insect King are the stand outs but every single voice actor gives a truly top notch performance. There’s even a small but pivotal role played by the one and only Meryl Streep.
All of the great things in the movie were brought together by writer and director Daniel Chong, creator Cartoon Network We Bare Bears. What I’ve watched of that show and learned of his style has definitely carries over to this movie. His at times absurd and goofy writing is heavily present in Hoppers, along with the characters who are often working hard to problem solve despite not knowing how. I’m hoping to see Chong direct more Pixar films in the future.
Pixar films have always been known for referencing old films and leaving easter eggs of new ones littered through their filmography. But this one may be the most jam packed with references, and also might be the first film to fully acknowledge the Pixar theory, which is a popular fan theory that all of the Pixar films take place in the same universe. Until Hoppers this has been more of a tin foil hat theory but then the ending of Hoppers drops a huge easter egg that shows several recognizable things from their other films. Do I believe this is a full confirmation of this theory? No, not really, but it’s a very well-constructed nod to fans.
This is the first time in a while I haven’t been able to stop talking about a movie. Almost everyone I’ve crossed paths with since seeing this has heard at least a little bit about how much fun I had with this movie. I had trouble pinpointing exactly what made it stand out so strongly to me, until my girlfriend and I were discussing it on our way home she told me that Mabel, the protagonist, reminds her of me because she get mad the same way I do. Mabel is one of those protagonists who assumes that she is the only person who cares and wants to take it upon herself to solve the problem and I love her for it. I think that what really sold me on Hoppers was Mabel and her motivations. She does everything she can even if it’s misguided to try and solve the problem. She spends time learning how to trust people. So if you feel like a lot of the time things are out of control and you’re the only one who cares this movie will hopefully hit the same notes for you. Beyond all that if you’re just looking to sit down in a movie theater and have a great time, Hoppers is the movie for you.