Hoppers follows Mabel Tanaka, a young student advocating for a glade that Beaverton's Mayor, Jerry, wants to build a motorway bypass through. When she stumbles across a science project that allows her to become a robot beaver, Mabel uses this 'hopping' technology to incite a wildlife rebellion against the humans.
Does that little blurb for the film above sound a bit crazy? Well, it is. Hoppers is unabashedly a zany, creative tour de force with a concept that just sets out to be fun. From a young age, we see Mabel as someone who loves animals and the natural world; it's the place that grounds her when she gets mad. It's also the place she connects with her grandmother, who teaches her to be peaceful and find calm in this world. Leaping forward to Mabel as a high-energy university student passionately protesting the city destroying this magical place she had growing up, we see Mabel still feels righteous and headstrong about those who endanger nature. This film has an awesome way of presenting the fight for the environment, even showing the viewer how ecosystems are disregarded and destroyed for industrial expansion. The sci-fi component is initially bizarre, but a fun leap into seeing the animal world. The animals have been pushed into one tumultuous environment with the city creeping further and further into their wood. It's here that Mabel meets King George, who sees things a lot more black and white than Mabel does. He believes all creatures are capable of trust, that we all live in one big pond together, and that trust might leak, but it can be mended. While Mabel incites change so that the animals can return home, she is also learning from George that reason and common ground are good places to fight from, too. Watching Mabel set aside her differences with Jerry to stop the Insect King, a megalomaniacal butterfly in the final act, is an important aspect of this story. It shows that two people standing on opposite sides of the divide can find a place to be better if they talk and learn from one another; watching Mabel and Jerry actually work together to clean up the glade by the end of the film was a real emotional sucker punch for me.
Pixar is really back in action with this one; the animation is so adventurous. I thought those neat, realistic details in nature were impressive. For a lot of years, that metric was how real the water looked, but for Hoppers, you can see it in how the long grass bends and sways, or how each rock has a different pattern of lichen upon it. Yet, the animation isn't just about grounding you in something real; it has a vibrant design brimming with colour that made me think of that joyful spark you see when a young kid falls in love with a picture book. The score for this feature hits all of the right emotional beats, and I loved the soundtrack they paired with this. 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing' being played as Jerry's favourite song was a comedic high point of the film.
Piper Curda, who voiced Mabel, is this real fiery fighter for nature and what she loves; Curda's voice work brings this young rebel to life. Jon Hamm, who voiced Mayor Jerry Generazzo, is remarkably charismatic despite initially being placed as an antagonist; Hamm lends a ton of comedy and heart in equal measure. Kathy Najimy, who voiced Dr. Sam, is this very high-strung scientific mind; she shows a lot of care for Mabel while being this highly stressed presence for the hopping beaver robot. Meryl Streep, who voiced the Insect Queen, was a real imperial presence; Streep doing a bit of grandstanding aggression as this monarch butterfly was brilliant. Karen Huie, who voiced Grandma Tanaka, is one of those gentle grounding voices in the film; Huie is at the emotional centre of the first act completely. Lila Liu, who voiced Young Mabel, really introduces us to that fiery anger Mabel has; but we also hear her first love for the natural world from Liu. Eman Abdul-Razzak, who voiced the Insect Prince, is a classic evil antagonist; a genuine shiver when he declares he is going to pupate. Vanessa Bayer, who voiced Diane, is such a good voice gag for such an intimidating character; Bayer plays a good contrast to the scenes she is in.
However, the best performance came from Bobby Moynihan, who voiced King George. This character is an absolute sweetheart, probably one of the most likable roles I've seen in animation in a while. George is a genuinely good and kind leader; he puts his people first every step of the way. Moynihan crafts a role with a lot of compassion, who sees the good in others and believes in doing the right thing. He isn't always action-first, but he becomes inspired to take action more across the film without compromising his values. Moynihan's work here is wonderful; it left me feeling pretty inspired by a little beaver wearing a crown.
I mentioned before that Hoppers sounds a bit crazy, which means it is often very daring and creative. But sometimes it is just a bit too bonkers for its own good. The film struggles to introduce the hopping technology; it's a big shift that is quite an extreme tonal shift the film stumbles through initially. I also found the big conflict with the Insect King at the end of the film was a bit much. It made sense that the film went that way, but it went in a direction that was difficult to contain after it had gone that far. This was a big climax that probably needed to be workshopped just a little more to get it there.
Dave Franco, who voiced the Insect King, was a big part of what didn't work in act three; Franco's exaggerated delivery just blew the top off what the story was doing. Eduardo Franco, Tom Law and Melissa Villaseñor, who voiced Loaf, Tom Lizard and Ellen respectively, were a friend ensemble that never left much of an impression; these characters often lumbered right behind the two leads and barely seized the story for themselves. Aparna Nancherla and Sam Richardson, who voiced Nisha and Conner respectively, were just background elements to Najimy; neither performer really had their own way of making an impact. Isiah Whitlock Jr., Steve Purcell, Ego Nwodim and Nichole Sakura, who voiced the Bird King, the Amphibian King, the Fish Queen and the Reptile Queens respectively, were an ensemble that didn't really make much of an impression; a unique group that was never really more interesting than their visual introduction.
A simple message, but an effective one: human or animal, we are all in this pond together. I would give Hoppers an 8.5/10.
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