A flying shark being carried by seagulls, beavers typing out emojis in text-to-speech mode and groundbreaking science.
“Hoppers”, released on March 8th in the U.S. and Canada by Pixar, crams all of the above into a fast-paced, humorous animation movie for families.
Director Daniel Chong, who created “We Bare Bears” for the Cartoon Network, decided to move forward with a new animation style featuring chunkier and rounder characters, softer fur and exaggerated fabric textures.
But does the film’s new animation style add to the movie’s appeal?
Absolutely.
Chong deliberately stepped back from hyper-realistic animation, leaning instead into a vibrant and playful style that brings out bolder colors. The new animation style gave the characters more playful and exaggerated expressions, matching the film’s lighthearted tone. The entire film’s aesthetic feel magical, like a storybook brought to life.
“Hoppers” follows the journey of Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda), a passionate 19-year-old who discovered her love for nature by spending time in a glade with her grandmother. However, her beloved sanctuary faces imminent destruction when Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) announces sudden plans to bulldoze the area for a massive new highway.
Mabel takes drastic measures by using untested ‘hopping’ technology developed by her professor, Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy). By transferring her consciousness into a robotic beaver, she infiltrates the local wildlife to rally the animals in order to save her childhood haven. The majority of the scenes are focused on Mabel working her way up nature’s hierarchy to rally the animals.
Piper Curda, who voiced Tanaka, brings her signature youthful energy from her television roots to the big screen with this dynamic voice role. Meanwhile, Jon Hamm, widely known for playing charismatic yet morally complex figures on the hit drama “Mad Men,” plays the ambitious and smooth-talking antagonist, Mayor Jerry Generazzo. Both of these actors play captivating and well-suited roles that help the film come to life.
Additionally, Bobby Moynihan, an actor and writer known for “Saturday Night Live,” plays Tanaka’s best friend — King George; the relationship between the human-turned-beaver Mabel and the mammal monarch King George evolves throughout the movie. Although George always enjoyed leading the pond, he maintains his optimistic and laid-back personality, which is the polar opposite of Mabel’s combative and rebellious nature. However, they learn to appreciate qualities about each other through the film and become great friends.
According to Box Office Pro, “Hoppers” has grossed over $242 million globally so far, remaining No. 1 at the box office in its third weekend. “Hoppers” has also been highly successful critically, currently holding a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
While the new film’s premise was intriguing, I was left confused about who the film’s main antagonist was. Unlike older Pixar classics that clearly defined their villains or left audiences in shock with a dramatic twist, “Hoppers” blurs the lines of its central conflict. At first, it seems like the city’s Mayor is the main villain, but then the antagonist shifts to a new egotistical butterfly king in the pond.
According to Palo Alto High School sophomore Kabir Dhand-Kalluri, he liked the movie’s resemblance to ‘Avatar.’
“My family and I laughed a lot during the movie,” Dhand-Kalluri said. “It [the movie] had a great storyline of everyone working together to protect the environment and saving the glade. Also, the hopping technology definitely reminded me a lot of ‘Avatar’, which I thought was pretty cool.”
Despite its less traditional conflict, “Hoppers” is well executed and brings comedy, emotion and a genuine appreciation for animal lovers.
“Hoppers”
1 hour, 45 minutes
Rated PG
Directed by Daniel Chong
Starring Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm
