Nineteen year old Mabel (Piper Curda) is an animal lover who will do anything she can to save the glade that meant so much to her late grandmother (Karen Huie). When she discovers that her professor Dr. Sam (Kathy Nijmay) has created technology that allows humans to place their consciousness into robotic animals, Mabel decides to use it to become a beaver. As Mabel meets various species, she uncovers more about the animal world that she ever thought possible.
Disney and Pixar’s latest offering is an original story that boasts a unique spin. I honestly wasn’t sure what to think of it from the trailer aside from the fact that the animals looked cute. I ended up getting a lot more than I bargained for and thought that it was well executed.
As usual, the world building and animation design were incredible. It was the perfect combination of high level detail needed to depict the many locations while also experimenting with some more cartoonish character features. The glades, pond and forest area seemed so realistic in their illustrations while the animals themselves stood out for their quirkiness.
The voice cast were brilliantly chosen. Curda brought real emotion and charm to Mabel. We’ve all felt alone and like we don’t really belong anywhere at least once in our life and I feel like she encapsulated that so well. Bobby Moynihan who portrayed King George, another beaver who lead the mammals, was hilarious. The friendship that formed between him and Mabel was so lovely. Other notable names such as Meryl Streep, Ego Nwodim and Sam Richardson played the Insect Queen, Fish Queen and Conner, one of Dr. Sam’s associates, respectively while Dave Franco seemed to be having a blast as the Insect King. Each delivered in bringing their characters to life.
I liked the film because it was different. The placing of human consciousness into a robotic human was slightly Avatar-esque, but it actually made me care. I cared about these characters and the world they were living in. Learning how important animal habitats are was also interesting and I loved seeing how they all worked together while adapting the pond rules. This film made me think of what we are going through today and how different things may be if we could all come together while also shedding light on environmental conservatism.
Overall, Hoppers seems to be a return to form for Pixar. It’s last few ventures fell a bit flat, but this time around I could sense that good old, familiar magic. The film was inventive, very funny and deeply touching. It really is one of those films that every member of the family can enjoy.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️
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