Hoppers

From their first feature film, Toy Story in 1995, through to COVID-19, Pixar was untouchable, with the odd blemish on an otherwise spotless resumé. However, a string of films released straight to Disney+, questionable reviews, and weak box office numbers for several of its original titles, along with a far greater sequel production line than previously, have led some to wonder if the Pixar brand has deteriorated, with strong performances from other animation studios. Does Hoppers, Pixar’s 30^th feature, continue this trend or buck it?

Mabel Tanaka is a nature-loving 19-year-old, having spent much of her childhood with her grandmother in a forest glade away from the city of Beaverton. She has made it her mission to oppose the mayor’s attempts to demolish the glade for a freeway. Chaos ensues when she stumbles on an experiment at her university that transplants human minds to robotic animal bodies to monitor the ecosystem. Mabel sees this as an opportunity to finally stop the proposed development, attempting to earn the trust of the local animal community.

While it’s not doing anything other films have not done, particularly DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot, which dealt with protecting isolated wildlife from outside interference, there is a charm about Hoppers that’s easy to like. It’s fun, and Mabel makes for a likeable protagonist. As with all the best Pixar projects and animated films more widely, there is a fine balance of material for younger viewers and references and jokes for parents. The voice cast impresses across the board, with Jon Hamm, Meryl Streep, and Dave Franco among the starrier names, and Piper Curda doing an excellent job as Mabel.

Mark Mothersbaugh, no stranger to animation, having worked on the Lego Movie series and Mitchells vs The Machines, provides one of the most memorable Pixar scores in a few years, leaning into jazz more than their usual scores in a refreshing way.

It feels like one of the studio’s strongest original efforts in some time, which has been reflected in its box office performance and the critical response. Hopefully, this will see them continue to lean into what made it such a standout on the animation scene, its bold vision and originality. This is a first Pixar directorial effort for Daniel Chong, and based on this evidence, we can only hope it is not the last. While Toy Story 5 will be a gargantuan hit in the summer, there is a wealth of encouragement here for the studio’s other original films in development.

Hoppers is an engaging look at humanity’s relationship with nature, with plenty of heartfelt moments and impressive animation. It offers reassurance that Pixar is still capable of delivering original projects that have something to say, and even if it does not quite reach the gold standard of their absolute best, there is a great deal to admire.