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<\/p>\nFilled with bustling action, a brave moral standing, and an endless parade of cuddly animal heroes, Hoppers is a ‘dam’ great time.<\/p>\n
The Snapshot:\u00a0Pixar comes out swinging with an\u00a0energetic and cuddly\u00a0comedy that pairs big laughs with an earnest message about living alongside nature.<\/p>\n
Hoppers<\/p>\n
9 out of 10<\/p>\n
G, 1hr 44mins. Animated Sci-Fi Family Comedy.<\/p>\n
Directed by Daniel Chong.<\/p>\n
Starring Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Kathy Najimy, Jon Hamm, Dave Franco and Meryl Streep.<\/p>\n
True all ages fun is increasingly hard to find, and hoping for great, original works out of Hollywood is only getting rarer from the major studios. Thankfully, Disney and Pixar\u2019s Hoppers is making the search a little easier.<\/p>\n
Director Daniel Chong (best known for the TV series We Bare Bears) has masterfully directed a frantic masterpiece that is worthy to stand among iconic greats in Pixar\u2019s esteemed catalogue. Filled with bustling action, a brave moral standing, and an endless parade of cuddly animal heroes, Hoppers is a dam\u00a0great time.<\/p>\n
A beaver dam great time, that is.<\/p>\n
The story is a bit unusual, set in the northwestern town of Beaverton, Oregon, where a local University student and nature activist named Mabel (Piper Curda) is in a constant fight with the town\u2019s development-driven mayor (Jon Hamm) over a highway expansion over a local glade and nature preserve.<\/p>\n
Things gets wild, however, when Mabel\u2019s consciousness gets sucked into a beaver robot through a process called \u201choppers\u201d – and suddenly becomes a literal friend of the forest, setting off a chain of events I dare not spoil.<\/p>\n
One of the strongest elements in Hoppers is Jesse Andrews\u2019 terrific screenplay, built on a story structure that has made Pixar\u2019s work stand out among family entertainment for the last 40 years. (Part of this film\u2019s release, co-incidentally, marks the studio\u2019s 40th anniversary this year.)<\/p>\n
Not only has Andrews filled the plot with multiple organic surprises that repeatedly heighten the stakes of Mabel\u2019s quest to save the glade, but the script also balances the peacefulness of nature to – anchor the story – with the frazzled panic of modern human life to develop the humour.<\/p>\n
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Getting these juxtaposing elements to work is done swiftly by Chong, Andrews and the talented voice ensemble bringing it altogether. The actors above are all commendable, but the scene stealer is Bobby Moynihan (of SNL fame) as beaver leader King George.<\/p>\n
Moynihan\u2019s George is smart, sincere, and socially aware that teaches Mabel some core lessons without making it overly obvious to the audience. Still, the film as a whole effectively gets its messages across about what a realistic plan for living in harmony across species actually looks like – and how to go about trying to do the right thing.<\/p>\n
Pixar\u2019s original works have struggled for several years, mainly upended by\u00a0the Covid pandemic\u00a0ruining the box office prospects of multiple great movies, including Soul, Turning Red and Onward.<\/p>\n
Get ready now for Hoppers to take the spotlight both commercially and among repeat viewings for kids – the film is laugh out loud funny and filled with heart. This is the best original film from Pixar since Coco\u00a0almost a decade ago.<\/p>\n