'Hoppers' is Pixar's is Pixar's Plea for Progress
It’s been a while since Pixar has had a home run. Although Hoppers isn’t quite that good, it’s still very well-made and a much more impressive tale of nature vs. technology than The Wild Robot. Leave it up to Pixar to make an animated film that leaves much more to be thought about once you see the movie again as an adult. The story of Hoppers is a tale that would make vegans like Joaquin Phoenix proud. It’s a movie that isn’t as much about pointing fingers as it is one pleading for the power of discourse. Given its political undertones, Hoppers is not so much a political movie as a human story. Or should I say, animal?
Mabel (Piper Curda) is a young girl who believes in the sanctity of animal life. She goes out of her way to protect little critters, often butting heads with the mayor of the town, Jerry (Jon Hamm). Jerry wants to evacuate all the beavers and whatever else has fur in Beaverton so he can build more highways, destroying nature for human infrastructure. The film comedically pits the two against each other in a battle of wits wrapped around an underdog tale.
The movie thankfully avoids the trappings of a typical kid’s family story, even though it could have easily fallen into them. The story begins with Mabel having no parents around, so she has to live with her grandmother. Unlike most movies about missing parents, the film doesn’t focus on who’s adopting the protagonist, or why our hero is misunderstood by their conventional family, only to be embraced by their loved ones at the end. This film is more about our protagonists’ cause than their longing for parental figures. We’ve already been down the overly familiar path with Elio, Encanto, Lilo and Stitch, and many, many others.
As a child, Mabel cared for wildlife just as much as she cared for human life. When Mabel is overwhelmed by the disconnect her fellow people have with nature, it’s her Grandma Tanaka (Karen Huie) who teaches her the benefits of seeking silence. By simply listening to her surroundings, Mable can connect with the animals she’s trying to protect. Your kids might not notice the messaging. Maybe neither you, for that matter. But the movie speaks to humanity's tendency to forget to listen. We move so fast between our cars that we forget to take in the world around us. Our intellect is our greatest strength and our greatest weakness. When creating a world for us to live in, we neglect the wildlife that keeps the planet functioning. Through our destruction of nature, we lead ourselves to our own demise, where, one day, global warming will bring down human civilization. If we don’t act fast, real fast, humanity is scheduling itself for extinction.
There’s a hesitancy that the film addresses through Mabel’s anger. Living in near-extinction times, it’s not difficult to understand why teenagers from Mabel’s generation are so furious. The leaders of our world have taken their future and thrown it into the fire, where seemingly every career politician has decided to warm their hands by the open flame rather than doing anything real to save our youth.
With the ingenuity of Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy), Mabel has found a way to transport her mind into the body of a robot beaver, fooling all the other critters into thinking she’s one of them. By joining the animal kingdom as a human girl in a beaver’s clothing, Mabel connects with nature in a way she never could as a human, turning her into a Dances with Wolves galvanizing figure of hope. Trying to win over the beaver King George (Bobby Moynihan) and the Insect Queen (Meryl Streep), Mabel forces her way in to try and save the dam. But as she’ll learn, it’s democracy, not revolution, that will help her achieve her goals.
Hoppers is a cute film about the power of commerce. Despite the vast differences between Mabel and Mayor Jerry, the two must find common ground to make progress. Despite Mayor Jerry’s cruelty and ego, there is a caring human being who can be reached out to. Certainly, he’s more caring than anyone in the current real-life, “presidential” administration. Underneath all our rage, there’s a person who’s there that can be reached out to. It’s up to us to find that person within the politician. Or, elect one who actually cares more about the quality of life than the quality of their pocketbooks.
From start to finish, Hoppers is a charming, touching tale that aims to inspire hope in even the most hopeless times. If only Disney practiced the messages Pixar preaches, would it be fully believable that they truly believe in helping the world rather than destroying it. Hoppers won’t likely be a classic. Holding a candle next to WALL-E and the first three Toy Story movies is an unrealistic expectation. But it’s certainly a wonderful return to form.
