(L-R) Mabel and Loaf in Pixar's HOPPERS. Photo courtesy of Pixar. © 2025 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Pixar’s been at the animation game for a long time now and it’s no stretch to say they’re the gold standard, creating family classics that endure through generations.
With its 30th feature, the Emeryville-based studio isolates a central goal — to keep young and old laughing long and hard. Guess what? They’ve pulled it off, but it is a real team effort: from its first-time feature director Daniel Chong; to a voice cast that includes Meryl Streep (the Insect Queen), Jon Hamm (the mayor), Dave Franco and more; to screenwriter Jesse Andrews’ shocker screenplay and a creative pack of animators, editors and storytellers.
What they’ve come up with is an old-school yet new-school loony tune, a fast talking, fast-paced, action-packed crowd-pleaser. It takes audiences to a beaver pond where a habitat to various unsuspecting creatures is being imperiled by a shady mayor’s plans. True to Pixar’s tradition, “Hoppers” dishes out food for thought too, this time highlighting the importance of protecting said beavers since they’re the natural world’s fire abaters (and do we ever need their assistance now!).
The human protagonist who takes us to that pond is 19-year-old Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda), whose passion for nature was passed on by her grandmother (Karen Huie). Mabel winds up getting her consciousness swapped into a robot beaver a la “Avatar” and then befriends a sweetie of a beaver named King George (Bobby Moynihan). Her objective? Warn the pond crew and take action.
Pixar animators worked overtime on this one bringing the pond and the critters and humans to life. We even get a massive shark named Diane and it’s something you have to see to somewhat believe. Each character in this vast array has a distinct personality and that’s partly what earns this film some of its biggest laughs. The others come from flat-out surprises that will floor and astonish you.
“Hoppers” doesn’t have the emotional depth of “Toy Story,” but that’s not its purpose. This one makes you laugh and gasp and even question the audacity of what you just saw before. Go see it.
‘HOPPERS’
3½ stars out of 4
Rating: 3½ stars out of 4
Voice cast: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Eduardo Franco, Meryl Streep, more
Director: Daniel Chong
Running time: 1 hour, 44 minutes
When & where: Opens March 6 in theaters
Originally published at Randy Myers