Hoppers follows Mabel Tanaka, a passionate animal lover who seizes the chance to test a groundbreaking technology that allows humans to “hop” their consciousness into lifelike robotic animals. Taking on the form of a beaver, Mabel enters the hidden world of wildlife, where she meets figures like King George and begins to understand the complex dynamics of animal society in ways humans never could.

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As Mabel spends more time living among the animals, she uncovers growing tensions between the natural world and nearby human development. What begins as an exciting experiment soon draws her into a much larger situation, where she must navigate unfamiliar alliances, shifting loyalties, and the consequences of crossing between two worlds.

Original Pixar movies haven’t really been in vogue at the box office for a while. Covid didn’t help the release of a number of their films and Elemental and Elio, which I really liked, didn’t exactly set the box office alight. But with Hoppers; Pixar is back to what it does best and, as of writing, thriving at the box office. 

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Although Mabel, our protagonist, argues that this is just Avatar, while the premise may seem broadly familiar, the team behind Hoppers have stuffed it with so much heart and originality that the film just sings. Mabel is earnest, funny and likable - both in human and beaver form with King George, a real beaver, the wide eyed, fun and friendly foil to Mabel’s intensity. And at just over an hour and a half run time, Hoppers keeps up the pace, never wasting time with lengthy exposition. 

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Having always set the benchmark for 3D animation, Pixar raises the bar yet again with Hoppers. The animation style, especially of the main characters, departs from Pixar’s photorealisitc, Disney-esque aesthetic. The characters look kinda fuzzy round the edges, handcrafted, almost puppet like. While the detail is still undoubtedly there, this gives the film a realism and vibrancy that is perfect for this story. 

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Thematically Hoppers covers a bit of ground from grandparent relationships and the loss of those, to environmentalism, and feeling like you really want to help - but end up mucking things up (a real millennial feel if there ever was one). The team behind Hoppers deal with these themes all equally - bringing a real depth and heart to the film that will leave you teary come the credits. 

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Filled with heart, humour, and exquisite animation, Hoppers is Pixar at its best.