Pixar has never shied away from themes that make one ponder, especially as of late, to broaden its audience, even if some of these audiences don't seem interested or just blame it on not knowing the movie existed in the first place. Hoppers, I hope you do not suffer this fate, similar to last year's Elio, where the story is as bold as its animation.
This Pixar feature centers on Mabel, an animal activist from birth, a passion that leads her to a rivalry with the Mayor of the fictional Beavertown, who wants to build a new freeway at the expense of the lake where her grandmother used to teach about the wonders of nature. Caught between wondering where the animals had gone from this lake, she also learns of a secret experiment her professor is conducting in college of putting their consciousness into life-like animal robots as a way of making species anthropology easier. She defies her professor and puts on a beaver suit to bring animals back to the lake and avoid further highway construction.
The film conveys several messages and themes. From natural preservation to the conflict between controlling natural order and making a difference. Mabel is a lonely character who feels no one understands her need to preserve her love of animals. Her only source of comfort was her grandmother, and, like every other Disney movie, the loss of a familial figure drives the protagonist's internal turmoil, leading to rash decisions that affect several parts of the plot. Mabel's choices, although wholehearted, make significant waves in the plot. But that's what makes Mabel so interesting, alongside other complex characters that Pixar has gone on to make over the years.
There were some opportunities to explore Mabel's culture, why her grandmother encourages her quirk, and effacing from her mother. There's a lack of exploration of her family dynamic beyond her grandmother, which was a curiosity that might have been too much to handle alongside the rest of the film's more important plot points, and it goes against the less-than-2-hour runtime expectation.
Said aspects, apart from what you would expect from a Pixar film to tug at the heartstrings, there are bold choices that director Daniel Chong and writer Jesse Andrews make that lean into the kooky and, more often than I can admit, the creepy. There is a sense of urgency and high stakes when those ideas are portrayed, especially in the concept of the Hoppers' experiment, which leans into danger and, to an extent, horror, setting this Pixar feature apart from the others. Pixar has never shied away from dark themes, but this was a new precedent of liberties that Disney was clearly interested in taking.
It was also surprisingly exciting. For a Pixar film, it had a fast pace while also being easy to follow. Might I add, instantaneously hilarious. The comedic timing of this script was so exceptional that you cannot help but belly laugh. And as of late, I think other people are starting to get tired of 3D animation and are asking to go back to basics; however, Hoppers does remind you that Pixar's reliance on what they can do with 3D and how they continue to take liberties in the space they made possible is presented here, with how gorgeous certain scenes are. From hair strands to color scheme shifts, the details in animation are intricate, and you can't see art like this from anyone else. Pixar is Pixar for a reason.
This might be Pixar's best film in a while. I am specifically not speaking too much here without giving too much away. The marketing, in my opinion, has been taking a turn for the better this time around, even if the trailers haven't been too revolutionary. I do believe it is because they were trying to keep much of the plot for viewers to witness in its entirety, and if they give Pixar a chance this time, they will be entertained and not disappointed.
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