A novel concept married with a robust storyline and some enjoyable supporting characters makes Pixar’s latest animated feature a punch above a lot of their more recent work, but the cracks begin to show with inconsistent characterisation and a highly questionable moral framework in its storytelling that inevitably bring the movie to a disappointing close. However, in spite of its flaws Hoppers remains a fun, original and heartfelt adventure that tries its best to emit a positive message amongst the muddied waters of its writing, and finally feels like a step in the right direction for the once-great animation studio.

I can’t really say that Hoppers was a film I had ever intended to watch – I’d not seen any trailers for it, and only had a cursory grasp of what the film was even about from article headlines – however, when the butting of heads arose between my girlfriend and I over what film we should go and watch in the cinema this weekend, we eventually came to the conclusion that the only common ground would be to check out the latest Pixar flick. Although I didn’t really have any clue what to expect, the sad decline of the once-great animation studio in recent years has meant that seeing their name plastered across marketing is far from the endorsement it used to be – and yet, by the end of Hoppers I came away pleasantly surprised; perhaps a sign that Pixar isn’t out for the count just yet.

Spoilers ahead!

The story of Hoppers surrounds a young woman, Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda), who’s fierce love of animals has often gotten her into trouble throughout her life. However, that same passion also brought her a very close relationship with her grandmother, who taught her to appreciate the calm and stillness that nature can provide, and that shared connection has made Mabel a keen conservationist. Years after her grandmother has passed away, Mabel discovers that a ponded glade where the two spent a lot of their time together is set to be destroyed by the construction of a beltway around the city of Beaverton, led by the equally stubborn mayor Jerry Garcia (Jon Hamm), and she sets out to save the area and find out why all the animals mysteriously disappeared. The movie pretty effectively delivers all this information in a concise but unhurried opening, and while it’s not the most complex or inventive premise compared to the likes of The Incredibles or Toy Story, it does still get the audience invested right off the bat and having that simplicity at its core proves advantageous as the plot starts to get a little more complicated.

I am of course referring to how the story goes completely off the rails (in a good way, mind you), when Mabel discovers that her university professors have been building highly sophisticated robotic animals that they are able to control through a consciousness-transferring process called “Hopping” – hence the title of the film. Despite their warnings against disrupting the local ecosystem, Mabel realises that she can use the technology to help restore the Glade’s animal population and thus prevent it’s destruction, so she takes control of an artificial beaver and escapes into the woods. Though the film pokes fun at its own plot being a derivative take on James Cameron’s Avatar films, I personally thought that it was a very entertaining concept that fit the thematic undertone in the story perfectly while adding a nice dash of science fiction elements to give the movie its own flavour. I also appreciated that the film didn’t shy away from portraying the Hopping technology as having the potential to do as much bad as it could do good; highlighting the delicate nature of human interference with nature when it could have easily been little more than a fun invention for the sake of the plot.

Mabel’s plan hits some snags when she makes an unexpected discovery; all of the animals in Beaverton have fled their habitats to take up residence in a single, overcrowded pond led by the unrelentingly optimistic beaver King George (Bobby Moynihan). His personality and strict adherence to the “Pond Rules” clashes with Mabel’s frustration and jadedness at first, but the two become fast allies when they’re forced to team up (alongside an eclectic cast of critters) to prevent the humans and animals in Beaverton from destroying each other, while Mabel evades her professors as they try to put a stop to her interference. In all fairness, the vast majority of the terrible things that happen to the animals throughout the story are actually caused by Mabel, and it was a particularly shocking moment when she actually kills one of the animal leaders – a very questionable action to write for a character who supposedly loves animals. In spite of many bumps in the road, and the fact she manages to burn down half of the woodland around the city, Mabel and the animals ultimately are able to restore the glade and make peace with Mayor Jerry; though, given all the chaos and destruction preceding this, the ending feels vastly underearned.

Glaring as they might seem given the message the movie tries to put across, Hoppers‘ flaws don’t massively undercut the things it gets right. The film is undeniably fun and unapologetically chaotic; boasting a motley blend of dance numbers set to 80s music, preposterous action sequences, and splashes of sci-fi horror unease that against all common sense works pretty well together. It also offers a pretty unique visual language that blends Pixar tradition with a presumably anime-inspired style and plenty of cinematic homages; allowing the film to feel creative and fresh without overcompensating. Talented vocal performances from the whole cast bring the characters to life, and their associated quirks made the story that much more entertaining. Even the supposed “villain” in Mayor Jerry had a refreshing level of nuance to him that comes out across the story when it could have been much easier to portray him as an irredeemable and uncaring politician, though I did find it ironic that the script frames Dave Franco’s Titus as objectively evil when his motivation was simply to avenge Mabel’s killing of his mother and humanity’s destruction of animal habitats.

In spite of the incredibly confusing morality in some of its characters, I think Hoppers just about manages to convey its intended message about how we have a responsibility to care about the environment and the animal life in it, and I do think that’s a really positive idea to present to the audience, particularly one that will largely be made up of children for a film such as this. After packaging that concept in a superbly fun script brought to life by really strong animation and visuals, Hoppers is just about the closest thing to classic Pixar we’ve had in years. I doubt it’ll ever reach that iconic status in the same vein as Toy Story, Cars, or any number of their earlier works, but I think it could be a really important first step for the studio to get back on their feet, and is regardless of the future a film I’d happily watch again.

7/10