Hoppers is the brand new original film from Pixar, providing fans with something that takes a bit more getting used to than most but quickly proves to be funny, cute, heartfelt, and chaotic.
It’s a film with a premise that itself acknowledges is similar to Avatar, in that it involves a human entering the body of an animal, maintaining a similarly yet important animal preservation message that drives the film’s plot. It’s a message that many adults may say is on the nose in its delivery, as dialogue is fairly straight forward when it needs to be, but ultimately is a message that is executed in perhaps one of the most unique ways Pixar has ever done, and delivers well on its message for kids and adults. The story centers on protecting a specific everglade that connects our main character Mabel, to her childhood and lost grandmother, as well as the tropes and comedy of the animal kingdom coming together to deal with the issue of getting run out of their homes by human renovation. Hoppers may not be the Pixar masterpiece of the early 2000s that reshaped animation, but it is however massively fun at every turn, a chaotic tale whose charm and fresh storytelling approach make it an undeniable success.
The story follows Mabel, as the main character, primarily in a robotic beaver body that she uses to enter the animal kingdom and save the everglade. Her motivation is rooted in the true importance of the film, tying her and her grandmother’s bond with nature and her lasting memories to the importance of persevering the animals of the woods outside of the city. Mabel’s mission becomes protecting the everglade from a highway project built by the human antagonist Mayor Jimmy, and as she grows older and enters college she focuses solely on this goal, and nothing else. It’s a story that while extremely hectic at every turn with many different plot points, at its core, is a message of preventing human development from destroying the ecosystem that makes up the animals’ homes. As Mabel enters the animal world she discovers there is politics both in the human world and animal world, as the animals seem at first, oblivious to the harm the humans are causing to their land. Mabel meets King George, a fellow beaver and leader of the mammals and together they begin organizing a resistance against industrialization. The resistance eventually leads to a whole slew of problems as Mabel and George must bounce back and forth between protecting the humans and the animals as everyone seems to be pitted against each other through the chaos. This creates a classic animals vs humans environmental conflict that has much more nuance than the common trope while still remaining light and comedic throughout.
The strongest and freshest aspect of Hoppers is that it takes it down a different path from much of the recent Pixar films, while the premise is ordinary, the film feels much more chaotic than normal with storytelling origination that feels unhinged at points, it’s a trait that could have been a colossal fail but was the complete opposite. The plot itself as discussed is simple with a clear message, but the ability to make it so the progression of the plot is not fully streamlined, interceding with comedic breaks, complex character connections and plot decisions, work heavily in the film’s favor.
A fast-paced and chaotic film that focuses on comedy and making the audience feel good rather than overly emotional is certainly a step in a different direction for the Company, but one that for me is met with great success and effectiveness for its audiences. In addition, the animal language barrier concept is done to perfection with the use of sounds and the changing of their eye shape. It’s both an adorable way of reflecting the communication as well as a clever way to show human and animal interaction. Mabel’s translation from human character and emotion into the body of the beaver and still show the same expressions in animal form is extremely well made and a testament to the attentiveness of the animators to make the transition she makes feel how it was supposed to. The audience never loses track of who Mabel is in her core, how she was established in the first act, despite how she appears on screen from the expression and emotion the character portrays. Hoppers is a film designed around joy, comedy, branches of emotion not as commonly tapped into from Pixar, and well-made expressive adaptation, making the film feel like the breath of fresh new air audiences needed from the film.
The only real issue the film presents is the lack of stakes as it entered its final sequences, a concept that was defined and praised in the early 2000s Pixar films near the top of the company’s rating. There is a present conflict in Hoppers, but it never feels quite as emotional and threatening enough to have the large impact on its audiences as other films do. It’s a tension that exists but is not nearly as affecting as it should be and is perhaps the only real reason holding Hoppers back from being considered a masterpiece of a new animated original.
With that, although Hoppers may not be the Pixar film that once again reshapes the animation landscape, it succeeds spectacularly at delivering sheer fun, its chaotic yet charming story leaving you feeling better about yourself and others than when you first walked into the theater. Its environmental message, high-energy comedy, and expressive characters make it a refreshing new direction for Pixar, and the best film of the year so far, earning an 85/100 from the TwilightRoom.
Twilight Room Score: 85.1 / 100
