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It is an odd time to say that Pixar has lost its way. What people may mean when they say this is that financially Pixar has not been the juggernaut that it has in quite some time. And yet there is still misinformation with that idea. 2024’s mega billion dollar hit “Inside Out 2” often seems to overshadow the less commercially successful and yet original films that include the “Elio” and “Elemental” as well as those unfortunately released during covid including “Turning Red” “Soul” “Luca” and “Onward.” Yes some were box office duds, some never even saw theaters while others seemed like pure cash grabs (sorry “Lightyear”), but the Pixar spark seems more than alive especially in a time where its parent company is dangling keys of nostalgia bait with its dreadful live action adaptations as well as its hellbent decision on making Marvel films feel so poorly made that they make a CW show look like a Christopher Nolan film in comparison. But Pixar always an innovative company seems to do best when it just tries to be its own thing. A company that has had just as much failure and success as any other big studio but one that can still manage to surprise when given to the right and often new voices. HOPPERS the 30^th outing from the studio feels like a stray from normality as well as knowing how to check off the right boxes sporadically enough that they feel properly inserted. It is also a fever dream of a film that finds itself leaning more towards the unusual but hilarious films of DreamWorks with enough adorableness to still remind you that Disney is aching to make these characters into stuffed animals. But what HOPPERS seems to understand better than most kids or family films of recent is that you can have the big emotional moments even in the simplicity but what helps even more is to bring back that large serving of weirdness that caused a generation, who are now filmmakers themselves, to be inspired to be creative, unusual and so deeply themselves. It can feel lonely at times but when you make the right film, like HOPPERS, it quickly becomes clear you have a forest of friends.

Little Mabel Tanaka (Lila Liu) doesn’t want animals in cages. It’s a pretty simple idea that for some reason is constantly being fought back on by the adults in her life. A little girl who releases her school pets out of their cages in hopes of bringing them to nature’s freedom, it is clear that Mabel is and most likely always will be a defender of animals. That is what makes it easy to connect to her grandmother (Karen Huie who brings her out to her backyard which consists of a nature’s most purest environment including a tress for animals to graze and a river for all water life to enjoy especially those pesky beavers. Directed by Daniel Chong HOPPERS instantly wants you to feel at one with nature in simplicity that shows even the smallest of things belongs to something grander. Chong who created the Cartoon network show “We Bare Bears” has had great success blending the beauty of nature as well as human’s struggle to fully integrate animals into their lives. As Mabel gets older (now voiced by Piper Curda) she still continues the fight for animals and nature only this time those harmless teachers have now become dangerous politicians. Always at odds with her town’s Mayor Jerry (a perfectly cast Jon Hamm) Mabel is in her biggest fight yet. To save the forest her Grandma used to bring her too as it is being set to be demolished to make way for a super highway that will save commuters a whole four minutes. Mabel is more than easy to root for and if her advocacy wasn’t enough Curda’s performance has enough charm and awkwardness to make anyone who has fought the good fight all alone feel easily connected to her. Normally Pixar saves its being emotional moment for the climax but its endearing to see Mabel always carry her grandmother’s spirit and love with her allowing for tearjerker flashbacks that always guide Mabel’s main motivation. HOPPERS and screenwriter Jesse Andrews allow the film to always feel guided with the best of intentions and by leaving that realization early on allows a path for something even more strange to build throughout.

As much as Pixar tells human stories that love bringing things back to the cute and cuddly. Even their most human story “Soul” quickly morphed its humans into something almost too kid friendly. HOPPERS takes this to the extreme as Mabel discovers that her college’s science department has found a way to put human’s brains into animal brains to help better understand their habitats and behaviors. For Mabel this means finding a beaver that can help rebuild the forest and stop Mayor Jerry. Now thrust into the body of a robotic Beaver, Mabel finds herself amongst the forest world that may sound like the daily lives of the human rat race, but there seems to be a bigger sense of community that what is found in everyday cities. There is a sense that HOPPERS is so eager to get to this moment and sometimes the early pacing and animation style can be jarring. Humans were never their strong suit and HOPPERS is no exception but make no mistake the animals are cute as hell making it all the more exciting when Mabel meets some friendly neighbors of the woods including King of the Mammals George (Bobby Moynihan). Reuniting with Chong (Moynihan was a lead on Bears) Moynihan easily falls into adorable trappings as King George who understands that working hard means playing even harder.

HOPPERS much like its creators previous employer, quickly feels like something you’d watch on Cartoon Network. It has a weirdness from jazzercising animals to an edge that includes an honest depiction of the circle of life. But it also seems to be the rare animated film these days that can have its sticks and eat it too. In a time where Gen Z and now Gen Alpha are combated with odd online trends and memes that this critic is too old to appreciate HOPPERS feels less interested in fighting these eccentric behaviors but instead engage with them. There is a bluntness throughout HOPPERS that only makes the extreme moments stand out even greater. Even Mabel herself at 19 feels out of touch with these animals that feel of a younger generation. Or perhaps its their adolescent attitude that makes coming together all the easier. There is a common goal amongst the animals allowing for even their voice performers (including Melissa Villasenor, Tom Law, Vanessa Bayer, Ego Nwodim and more) to feel so in sync.

But not everything is copasetic in the world of HOPPERS. No its late arrival second conflict can often feel like a separate film in  itself and one that thankfully grows more bizarre by the second. With no spoilers to follow, it should be said that HOPPERS does struggle at times with its almost all too easy message but counters this with a dark and dare I say some truly horrifying visuals involving an unhinged performance from Dave Franco as well as throwing everything including the kitchen sink at these animals. Who is to say if the reigns were let loose allowing Chong to go for it all but there is no denying that when this thing is let out of the cage it goes for it all. Perhaps that’s what makes it so welcoming when its able to find its balance in bringing things home for a heartfelt finale that will have you rushing home wanting t sit with your pet and apologizing if you ever accidently stepped on their paws (stop standing right behind me!) HOPPERS never seems to want to be the kind of film that leaves its mark in Pixar history making it all the better. It is a film that is not too cool for school, but rather one that just wants to hang out and be kind to anyone who wants to join in on the fun. Made with the wit of an older generation but with the honesty of today’s youth HOPPERS isn’t going to be the much needed cry movie but rather the one you get to kick back with and be reminded that life is wild but always beautiful.

B+

HOPPERS WILL BE RELEASED IN THEATERS MARCH 6 FROM PIXAR AND DISNEY