My first review of today’s show is for Hoppers, the newest animated film from Pixar which centres on 19-year-old biology student and animal activist Mabel Tanaka, a resident of Beaverton who discovers that her professor has been developing a means of transferring human consciousness into robotic animal technology for up-close observation. When Mabel uses the Hoppers program to become a beaver, she sees it as an opportunity to rally the species and other animals into disrupting the plans of Mayor Jerry Generazzo to construct a freeway over the local glade, an opportunity that soon becomes more complicated as she integrates into the beaver colony and becomes an advisor to their King George. 2026 marks the 40th anniversary Pixar’s founding, and while plenty has already been said about the studio’s much more mixed output in quality following the 2000s (both in terms of their reliance on sequels following Cars 2 and their more recent original narratives such as Onward and Elemental) that doesn’t diminish the efforts of the many talented artists and animators that work there. Though Pixar has already dabbled in films centred on funny animals with A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo as well as science fiction with Wall-E, the madcap premise as well as Chong’s pedigree has given their latest offering a lot more attention pre-release than Elio received last year. And Hoppers is a film that’s well worth being an eager beaver to go out and see, as it’s one of Pixar’s best films in years.
Super Screenplay
The greatest narrative strength that Hoppers has nestled in the fur of its screenplay is how it doesn’t simplify its central conflict into black and white right and wrongs. Though it wears its environmentalist themes loud and proud, it’s smart enough to make Mabel’s dedication to her activism sympathetic on account of her family connection to the glade, but flawed through how much it’s consumed her life and the oppositional and obstructive way she goes about making her voice heard. Likewise, while Jerry’s plans for the freeway are largely out of the convenience of saving his citizens four minutes of driving, his intentions aren’t inherently malicious, but merely short sighted and he’s given enough personality to make him more than a one-dimensional capitalist antagonist. It burrows the central themes of community and cooperation for the greater good are so naturally into the story, and they work in tandem with the relationships Mabel forms with King George and the other respective leaders of the animal kingdoms, with the former being spurred on by her kindness and passion while the latter group take her extremism a bit too far.
Brilliant Performances
The entire voice cast bring their A-game to their performances. Piper Curda is such an effortlessly engaging lead as Mabel, with a natural energy to her vocal delivery that’s just as adept at sounding empathetic as she is being hyperactive and elated when adjusting to her new beaver form. The comic timing across the board is top-notch and really adds to the more unexpectedly deranged jokes the film has to offer, whether it be from Bobby Moynihan as King George, Jon Hamm as Jerry and a whole host of fun supporting turns including from Kathy Najimy, Meryl Streep and especially Dave Franco.
High-Quality Animation
As is to be expected, the animation quality is the usual high standard for Pixar, with their talent for photorealistic environments and lifelike texture being made the most of through the stunning scenery in and around Beaverton and the attention to detail taken in rendering the fur, scales and appendages of its animal cast and how they move and interact with the glade. At the same time, it also embraces the medium’s cartooniness through the plethora of exaggerated, 2D-esque expressions throughout that owe a debt to the likes of Looney Tunes and even Sony with Spider-Verse and KPop Demon Hunters, which add to the zany charm and energy alongside some madcap setpieces (one of which features a hysterical reference to a classic film featuring an apex predator), backed by a strong score by Mark Mothersbaugh.
Overall
Overall, Hoppers is an absolute delight for all ages which approaches it high-concept premise with the same level as energy as a beaver putting together a dam, with endearing characters, an intelligent exploration of potent themes and an infectious amount of heart and passion, making it Pixar’s best film since Soul.
4/5 stars
The Hoppers movie review was created by Joe Warne, a member of the Sedgemoor fm team since 2017.
Joe specialises in providing weekly reviews of the latest film releases at 6.30pm each Monday evening as part of the Sedgemoor Life Show. Tune in each Monday for more movie reviews