It’s helpful to realize that we’re all part of an ecosystem which involves far more than just the human race. It’s easy to forget that nature surrounds us if we’re distracted by everything happening in the world, and some people just don’t have any interest in taking the time to listen to the quiet sounds of wildlife, especially within or close to urban areas. Pixar’s latest slam dunk centers on one person who does regularly take the time to commune with nature and her ardent fight to make sure that the community of animals she’s grown to treasure isn’t erased for the sake of putting in a new highway.
Mabel (Piper Curda) came to appreciate the water by her grandmother’s home after spending formative years with her, and, after her death, the spunky nineteen-year-old spends more time protesting the actions of Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) than attending classes at Beaverton University. When her latest effort to stop Jerry from eviscerating a habitat that means so much to her fails, Mabel discovers another way to effect change, “hopping” into a robot beaver so that she can meet and speak to the animals herself and convince them to take back what’s theirs.
Hoppers comes from director Daniel Chong, a longtime Pixar animator, and writer Jesse Andrews, whose past credits include Luca and adapting his own book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl for the screen. This film fits perfectly in the Pixar catalog, relatable for both children and adults, putting animals and humans on the same playing field for a cross-species adventure that requires just a bit of sci-fi setup to make sense. That portion of the film, which has Mabel discovering that her professor Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy) has developed this technology, is remarkably brief, saving precious screen time for Mabel to inhabit the beaver body and see life through the eyes of an animal.
As the real world becomes increasingly fractured and calls for climate change prevention are repeatedly ignored, it’s affirming to see a film like this that, through its plucky protagonist, champions ecological understanding and preservation. Nothing about this film, however, feels preachy, especially with Jerry as a foil for Mabel who would rather shorten commutes by a mere four minutes than consider how that very shortcut could be drastically affecting the native population of a particular area. His methods are transparently self-serving and destructive, which, unfortunately, isn’t much of a stretch from schemes undertaken by actual politicians and developers to achieve their aims at any cost.
With Zootopia 2 smashing box-office records and offering up winning anthropomorphic humor, it’s a perfect time for this film to arrive. It also leans heavily on its animated animal concepts, but in a different way. It positions King George (Bobby Moynihan) as a beaver who commands the respect and devotion of all the animals he has brought to a large pond but who simultaneously couldn’t be more benevolent, admittedly unprepared for the sinister motives of others but a beacon of hope for how leadership could look. There is also a council with monarch representatives from a handful of species whose brief appearances are quite worthwhile and entertaining, along with the many familiar voices behind them.
Curda, who has a strong history with the Disney Channel, makes Mabel believably passionate and persistent, and it’s truly fun to watch her try to act like an animal, which she still finds much easier than getting along with most of the humans in her life. Moynihan and Hamm play perfectly off her, and there are many other fun voices to recognize in the cast. Like so much that Pixar has put out in the past, Hoppers is a genuine joy, speaking to all ages with its message of acceptance and understanding, weaving humor and creativity into an engaging story where perseverance and good nature do manage to win out.
Movie Rating: 8/10
