By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Disney/Pixar’s first animated film of the year hits a lot of familiar notes that will surely keep small children entertained but doesn’t hold a candle to some of its legendary predecessors. “Hoppers” is the latest premise to feature talking animals trying to save their habitat from land developing politicians. In fact, the story is all too similar to 2017’s animated feature, “The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature.”
Mabel (Piper Curda) is a college student and an activist for animals, constantly looking for ways to stop Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) from building a new beltway that would destroy an animal sanctuary known as the glade. Using an “Avatar” like technology, Mabel transports her consciousness into a robotic beaver, which also miraculously allows her to speak to and understand all animals and insects. Befriending King George (Bobby Moynihan), a real beaver who is the crowned king over all land mammals, Mabel tries to rally support and unite all species to thwart the mayor. However, she was not prepared for the royal council’s extreme solution, making matters chaotically worse.
Daniel Chong, the creator of “We Bare Bears,” co-writes and directs “Hoppers,” and he sufficiently creates a film that will appeal to most young children. He creates animal characters that are cute and cuddly while incorporating simple yet effective humor and heartfelt interspecies friendships. He also throws in some serious wackiness that quickens the pace and holds kids’ attention regardless of how silly it gets. A chase scene involving a massive shark being carried through the air by a flock of geese going after a speeding car is just one such example of the zaniness that occurs.
While little kids may be pleased with this production, this is a definite downgrade from past Pixar films, so don’t be fooled by overinflated praise it’s been getting early and often. For starters, the plot is a regurgitation of many past animated films, but especially “The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature,” which also involves a bunch of talking animals trying to save their park from a greedy mayor. The animation represents another disappointment with Pixar using a 3D animation style with simplistic features that give it a cartoonish feel. There are multiple scenes that depict the geese has having razor sharp teeth or the snakes as being vibrantly rainbow colored. Chong’s goal was to represent nature in a subjective manner rather than hyperrealism, which does enhance silliness but paints serious themes in a fantastical way that diminishes their impact. Basically, the details seem washed out compared to other Pixar greats like “Toy Story” or “Inside Out”. There are even moments when the character movements and expressions have an almost Japanese anime feel because of how exaggerated they get. Not to mention, the score is completely unremarkable without a quality song to hang its hat on.
The vocal cast is also underwhelming for a Disney/Pixar project with unknown actress Piper Curda in the lead role. She doesn’t do a bad job, but there is nothing memorable about her vocal performance. Bobby Moynihan of “Saturday Night Live” fame provides the most impactful vocal performance of the cast, supplying a genuine kindness and positive outlook to his character that help generate the more endearing moments of the movie. Meryl Streep does play a brief, yet humorous part as the fanatical Insect Queen. It should also be noted that veteran actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., who sadly passed away this past December, plays the Bird King in one of his last roles before his death.
Because of the cutesy animation style and fast-paced, wacky action sequences, small kids will likely love this movie. “Hoppers” is not the typical Pixar release, relying on nature loving themes that’s been made ad nauseum and an unrefined animation style that makes it more suitable for the small screen instead of the big one. The Disney marketing machine has been working its magic, but don’t let the early praise mislead you. Parents will only enjoy the fact that their young children will be enamored with these cute characters but will find it to be several rungs below the high bar set from earlier Pixar films.
This movie earns:
