Wild, Wacky and Warm: ‘Hoppers’ is a Big-Hearted Eco-Adventure for the Whole Family

By Jackson TOYON

“Why doesn’t anyone care!?” It’s a question full of hurt that countless frustrated and demoralized people across history have shouted to themselves or others. Director Daniel Chong – the mind behind the charming Cartoon Network show ‘We Bare Bears’ – has joined forces with Pixar Studios to bring a new animal-focused story about environmentalism, coexistence (despite our differences) and the sometimes lonely struggle of activism for something that is deeply cared about. Theatrical trailers didn’t do this “Hoppers” many favors but on its own merits, it feels like Pixar is regaining its footing after a stretch of films that don’t always live up to their 2000s “golden age.”

In the city of Beaverton, young Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) is ferociously devoted to animals and is constantly getting into trouble at school for trying to free the class pets. Mabel shares a particularly sentimental bond with a local forest glade where she spent countless hours with her beloved grandmother, later vowing to watch over it when her grandmother passes away. 

Years later, Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) sets plans in motion to develop the glade into a new freeway after the animals seemingly abandon it. Enraged, Mabel fiercely protests this move but ultimately goes completely ignored. After falling behind in her studies due to her activism, a visit to her biology professor Dr. Samantha Fairfax (Kathy Najimy) reveals a secret project – a new technology called the “Hoppers” program, which allows the user to temporarily transfer their consciousness into the body of a robotic animal to allow for better animal research. Seeing her chance to save the glade, Mabel hijacks a hopping unit and uploads herself into the body of a beaver. Meeting such oddball characters as the beaver monarch King George (Bobby Moynihan), she must learn important lessons about the ways of nature and having empathy for those who think differently than she does.

“Hoppers” has a delightfully unhinged and absurd nature about it, which is in line with the director’s previous work and gives it its own identity compared to some other eco-minded animated films. While the plot is not the most revolutionary story in the studio’s history, there are so many weird and amusing shenanigans that it still has a way of not feeling preachy and keeping the audience guessing about where things will go. It ends up as a funny hybrid between “Avatar’”and Dreamworks’ 2006 movie “Over the Hedge,” which makes for a more entertaining combination than expected while still leaving plenty of room for genuine poignancy and emotional beats in a healthy balance.

The film also comes equipped with a memorable voice cast – Piper Curda is darling, and Bobby Moynihan’s endearing King George serves as much of the film’s emotional core. Mabel, with her Joan of Arc spirit, harbors a staunch cynicism toward Mayor Generazzo for whom she carries a personal vendetta – but her determination to intervene in the animal world to achieve her goals clashes with King George’s unfailing belief in the good within everyone. Unlike many critter-centric animated films, old George is even adamant about humans deserving a place in nature despite our actions, which is an interesting and refreshing change for an animated movie to have.

“Hoppers” is one of the better Pixar originals in recent years. It may not fully reach the heights of some of their “golden age” films, but it also doesn’t have much to envy from those films either. The choice to hire a director from outside the studio contributes to this and it is my hope that it is chosen more in the future. The movie is heartfelt, brimming with life, unashamedly bananas and just as beautifully animated as one expects from Pixar. My only personal sticking point is that Mabel, who has one of the cutest human character designs Pixar has created in a long time, is depicted in the form of a beaver for most of the runtime – which is not a bad sticking point to have! This is a good one for families to see – and then perhaps enjoy some time outside at a park. 

Rated PG.