Hoppers info:
Director: Daniel Chong
Writer: Daniel Chong, Jesse Andrews, and Jordan Harrison
Starring: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, and Kathy Najimy
Intro
Hello and welcome to another week here at 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com. As I write this, the 98th Academy Awards are also on at the same time, and I’m hoping my favorites win the major categories this year. I was lucky enough to have seen a majority of the nominated films this year, which makes it even more fun to watch, in my opinion. I also just watched my favorite team win their conference tournament in NCAA college basketball and get a great spot in the Championship bracket.
But, there is no rest for the weary, as my wife, daughter, and I also made time this past Saturday to go see Pixar’s latest offering, “Hoppers”. This one will be fun to talk about, so let me get the spoiler warning out of the way. If you haven’t seen this yet and don’t want to know what happens, then I would go to my homepage and check out what else I have in store for you to read. When you are done, hop back here and finish what you started.
“Hoppers” recap
Like most Pixar films, “Hoppers” opens with a brief history to help us learn more about the main characters. In this case, new(ish) director, Daniel Chong, shows Mabel (Curda) and her love of animals from grade school. In particular, a moment when she tried to take all of the animals out and release them into the wild. She is caught, sent home, and forced to stay with her grandmother. But it’s here that she learns to listen to her environment better and truly starts to see things differently.
Then, we hop forward a few years. Mabel’s grandmother has passed, but her passion hasn’t died a bit as she’s constantly fighting with Mayor Jerry (Hamm) about him doing the correct thing when it comes to nature and protecting it. This time, he is building a highway right through the glade where Mabel spent her youth, and she’s willing to do anything to stop it. So when she finds out that Dr. Sam (Najimy) has created a device that allows a person to put their mind into that of a robot animal, she literally jumps into it so she can try to save it.
The heart of “Hoppers” really takes place when she becomes a beaver, discovers the world of animals, and befriends the king of the mammals, King George (Moynihan). She convinces him and the rest of the animals to fight back against Mayor Jerry. She found out that he had fake trees installed that emitted sounds that chased away all of the animals. The friendship that she and King George develop leads him to ask her to become the Paw of the King. Which means she would one day take over as the ruler.
After the council of animals is called, they show up to vote on what to do. When the insects decide that Jerry should be smashed, Mabel and King George have to go to work to fix everything. In the process of saving Jerry, Mabel is discovered to be a human. In the end, the animals are all able to work together to save Jerry, the glade, and even the whole city.
My thoughts on “Hoppers“
When I first heard about “Hoppers,” I was curious and hopeful. The last few Pixar films have been good, but their quality has declined compared to earlier works. After its release, I learned it had the highest rating of any Pixar film since “Toy Story 4,” which made me eager to see it. Basically, I think the reason it’s rated so highly is that it gives off a vibe similar to a “Toy Story” film or early Pixar movies like “A Bug’s Life.” That’s saying a lot, since those are both tough standards to meet.
I’m not sure what the magic sauce was this time around, but it worked as “Hoppers” was entertaining, funny, and heartfelt all in one. The characters were very well thought out and animated as only Pixar can do. I also enjoyed that it was a straightforward story without much overthinking to figure out what was going on. It was just complex enough to keep adults entertained, but it was basically full of talking animals that children are going to love. I know my daughter enjoyed it.
Honestly, the thing I enjoyed the most about it was that it went back to the roots of an animated movie. Good vs. Evil, but the lines are blurry at times. Plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, and a nice message about taking care of the environment, but done in a classy and entertaining way. I think I even saw some Easter eggs hidden that I need to look up to confirm.
The last thing I want to mention is the voice actors. I didn’t know much about Piper Curda before this, but the others did a good job, too. Both Bobby Moynihan and Jon Hamm changed their voices just enough so that you could tell it was them, but didn’t sound exactly like themselves. That is a good thing since it kept me guessing. The rest of the cast was filled out nicely with Najimy, Dave Franco, Sam Richardson, Melissa Villaseñor, Ego Nwodim, and Meryl Streep.
Overall, “Hoppers” is a definite win for Pixar. They are back, and with “Toy Story 5” next, this trend appears not to be a one-off. This movie is filled with laughs and scenes that the whole family can enjoy. Also… who doesn’t love Tom Lizard? My family and I really enjoyed this movie, and I can easily give this an 8 out of 10.
Watch or wait?
Well, to me, this is a no-brainer, especially if you have kids. Pixar always draws a large crowd, and this one will be no different. I would definitely pay to see this in theaters. Even though my kids are older now, it was fun to hear some of the younger kids around us laugh and make comments throughout the film. I say watch it now.
Ok, that’s it for me this week. That means it’s your turn. Have you seen “Hoppers” yet? If so, how do you think it stacks up amongst the other Disney/Pixar films? Do you agree with it being the highest-rated one since “Toy Story 4”? Let me know in the comments what you think, and I will be back next week with another mindless movie review of some sort.
