03/20/2026 12:45 am
Plot: In the quiet town of Beaverton, environmentalist Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) grows up living a quiet life with her grandmother. Spending the majority of her childhood at a nearby glade, Mabel gains a true appreciation of nature. However, when Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) threatens to replace the glade with a freeway, Mable begins a desperate campaign to stop construction. With almost zero support from her fellow townspeople, Mabel starts to despair. However, a possible solution to her problem emerges when she accidentally discovers the research of her professor, Dr Sam Fairfax (Kathy Najimy). Alongside her assistant Nisha (Aperna Nancherla), Fairfax has created a technology that allows humans to transfer their consciousness into robot animals to better observe their environment. Mabel jumps at the opportunity, with her sole mission to persuade the local wildlife to rejoin the glade. But can she convince the Mammal King George (Bobby Moynihan) in time?
Review: Pixar has been the dominant name in animation for over three decades. From Toy Story to The Incredibles to Inside Out, the studio has become synonymous with excellence. While there’s been some stumbles in recent years, such as Lightyear and Elio, you can usually rely on Pixar to deliver audiences with something at least entertaining. Although no one will ever mistake Hoppers for being as profound and life affirming as Up, it does possess enough juice to hold your interest for its 104 minute runtime.
What I appreciated most about Hoppers was director Daniel Chong’s small-scale approach. While previous Pixar stories like The Incredibles and WALL-E dealt with the literal fate of the world and were wildly entertaining as a result, there’s something to be said for a small-stakes story. It keeps things relatable. Chong cut his teeth on Pixar movies as an animator, going back all the way to 2008’s Bolt and provides a deft touch to his directorial debut. He’s no Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles), and at times he focuses too much on the cute and cuddly animal shenanigans, rather than the environmental story, but it’s nonetheless a solid first outing.
Chong developed Hoppers’ story alongside screenwriter Jesse Andrews. Andrews clearly harkens to that famous quote from former U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill that “all politics is local.” At its core, Hoppers is a tale of one woman trying to make a difference in her local community with an environmental bent. It’s a simple story about saving a glade and an honest look at how hard it is to get people to care about anything that doesn’t affect them directly. Mabel’s plight is much easier to connect to than, say, the war in Iran. It’s also never heavy-handed, ala Strange World. Unfortunately, the story is often saccharine and one-note, with the feel-good ending all too predictable. Listen I recognize that this is a Pixar movie and I don’t expect things to end like the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones, but I at least expect a modicum of peril, and I never got that. The end result is never in doubt.
Furthermore, the characters come off decidedly common. Mable is the plucky young activist fighting against the powers that be, Jerry is your stereotypical greedy mayor who touts progress, Dr Fairfax is the eccentric scientist in the vein of Doc Brown from Back to the Future, and King George is the likeable, optimistic, and goofy beaver. While charming and often funny (the initial discovery of Hopper technology and how it mimics Avatar is particularly chuckle-inducing, as is the meeting of the Animal Council), I was hoping for more emotional depth. I wanted the gang from Ratatouille, and I got the cast of The Dukes of Hazzard.
Thankfully, the strength of Hoppers is in its voice cast, almost all of whom deliver memorable performances. Mostly known for her Disney Channel roles on A.N.T. Farm and I Didn’t Do It, Piper Curda delivers a feisty and endearing performance. Her impetuous Mabel is likeable and easy to root for. Jon Hamm also delights as the smarmy, greedy local politician. My highest compliment would be that if Hoppers were live action, he could easily play the same character. Comedy and SNL veteran Bobby Moynihan also makes for a lovable, if a bit naïve, King George. He’s the most earnest and empathetic character of the whole cast, and I just wanted to reach through the screen and hug him. Even Meryl Streep makes a strong cameo as the Insect Queen. In fact, the only performance I didn’t care for was the power-hungry insect prince Titus, played by Dave Franco. Franco’s approach was much too grating and shrill. It was also over-the-top, even for an animated film.
One note on the animation as well. Lead animator James W. Brown delivers a brightly rendered palette that I appreciated. The contrasting elements between the industrial and the environmental stood out and were lovely to look at. Having said that, the animation still felt typical of any generic Pixar film. With recent movies like Across the Spider-Verse, KPop Demon Hunters, and even Puss in Boots: The Last Wish pushing the animation envelope to the bleeding edge, I expect more from the studio that brought us Finding Nemo.
Although I appreciated Hoppers at scale for what it was, I couldn’t help but yearn for more. For over 30 years, Pixar has provided audiences with routine Michael Jordan-esque level animated films. So, when a storied production company barely reaches double digits in points (if you’ll excuse the sports metaphor), you notice. While Hoppers’ endeavour may have been to make audiences leap for joy, it never musters above a satisfying bounce.
My rating system:
1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad
2 Straight Garbage
3 Bad
4 Sub Par
5 Average
6 Ok
7 Good
8 Great
9 Excellent
10 A Must See
Masterpiece
Hoppers: 6/10
Posted by Corrye Van Caeseele-Cook
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: animation, Bobby Moynihan, Daniel Chong, Dave Franco, Environment, Hoppers, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Piper Curda, pixar
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