There’s no question that Pixar has been in a tumultuous period over the last 10 years. Box office bombs, straight-to-streaming releases, more sequels than I dare to think about, and a string of originals that have failed to resonate with general audiences like the bangers of the past. Even financially successful films like Elemental were sadly quite forgettable. Honestly, if I asked you right now, could you name one character from Elemental? I don’t think so.
So, when I walked through the doors of my Hoppers screening on a drizzly Sunday morning, I was naturally nervous. I was ready for another mid-tier adventure that would most likely be forgotten about by the time I was on the train home. And you know what? I was pleasantly surprised.
Hoppers tells the story of Mable Tanaka (Piper Curda), a university student with a deep-rooted (bordering on obsessive) passion for protecting the Beaverton Glade from Mayor Jerry (Jon Hamm) and a new highway being built on the land of this natural habitat. After a series of antics, Mable’s mind is transported into a robot beaver, granting her the ability to communicate with fellow beaver King George (Bobby Moynihan) complete with a tiny little crown, as well as a slew of other cute critters populated by a star-studded voice cast with the likes of Meryl Streep, Dave Franco, Kathy Najimy and, for the UK release, Amanda Holden and Alan Carr.
The film is very aware of its strange premise, even referencing its similarity to a fellow Disney franchise populated by 10-foot blue people. However, the film is proud of its story and its characters, and treats them with a respect that is undeniable. There’s a great heart at the core of this film, with every character’s point of view clearly justified and explained.
In addition to this, the film is genuinely very funny, making both adults and kids at my screening laugh out loud throughout its runtime. Does it at times lean into a cringe, 2010s sense of humour? Yes, with a few “Yeah… that just happened” jokes peppered amongst stronger ones. But even those moments, in the context they’re used, are still funny and garnered a laugh. One thing I feel I must note is that even though this film is designed for audiences of all ages, it is at times brutal, creepy, and even a bit scary.
The film’s art style follows in a similar lineage to recent characters, with less realistic human designs, opting instead for a more hyper-stylised, hyper-expressive look that, once you get used to it, works well for this crazy story. What I particularly love is the continual shift between anthropomorphic (attributing human features to something non-human) and non-anthropomorphic (depicting something as it is in real life) for our furry leads. Such a simple design decision works wonders in helping us place where we are in the story and how the tech is working at that point in the film. It’s neat, it’s simple, and it will most likely be studied in Film Studies animation classes for years to come. Also, the non-anthropomorphic beavers are really bloody cute. I could listen to their little squeaks all day!
Hoppers, on paper, shouldn’t work. But when you look past the high-tech dam builders, at the heart of the film is a message that is deeply important for us all to remember in the world we currently live in. At a time when the world is divided, a film like this couldn’t be more important. While this film centres around the natural world and our dismissive treatment of it, we should all learn something from King George’s teachings and focus more on hearing other people’s opinions, working together, and overall making the world a better place. After all, to borrow from yet another Disney franchise, we’re all in this together.
High stakes and heartbreaking, Hoppers is Pixar as it should be. After a few years of rocky releases, this feels like Pixar is almost back to true form. While not quite at the same level as some of their early releases, Hoppers is a dam (see what I did there) good time. Goofy, fun, heartbreaking, and polemic. What more could you want from your robot beaver movie?
★★★★
In UK cinemas on March 6th / Piper Curda, Meryl Streep, Bobby Moynihan, Dave Franco, Jon Hamm / Dir: Daniel Chong / Pixar, Disney / U
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