★★★ (3 out of 4)
Pixar hasn’t had a hit in a minute, maybe since “Coco,” a near decade ago. So take a leap with “Hoppers,” an animated gem that’s smart, funny, packed with emotional heft and—after an early bout of environmental virtue signaling that’s hell on hilarity— hits its stride as raucous family fun that doesn’t compromise its messaging. “Hoppers” is the 30th treat out of the Pixar hopper, and thankfully it’s not a sequel, though comparisons to “Avatar” are bound to come up.
“This is just like ‘Avatar,’” says the film’s teen wildlife activist Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda), as if reading my mind. You’re right, Piper, it is. Working from a script by Jesse Andrews (“Luca”), director Daniel Chong of the excellent “We Bare Bears” on the Cartoon Network, starts right away with the brain swapping. A “hopping” technology, invented by Mabel’s college biology professor, Dr. Samantha Fairfax (Kathy Najimy), allows, say Mabel, to hop her mind into, say a robot beaver, and get to know what the animal kingdom is thinking.
When Mabel does just that, she learns that humans aren’t exactly the most popular species in the glade where the animals are slowly being driven off by preening Mayor Jerry (Jon Hamm, hamming to the max), who plans to build a freeway extension right where the critters used to live. George, the beaver king, voiced with a lovely sweet sadness by Bobby Moynihan, gets his fur ruffled but is too kindly to do much about it.
Maybe Mabel can help? And she does, stopping short of white savior territory, though she does rescue a beaver known as Loaf (Eduardo Franco) from a hungry bear named Ellen (Melissa Villaseñor). Otherwise, she leaves it to the animals to organize a plan.
These woodland creatures, expertly designed and animated, have skills. There’s a whole animal council of furry squabblers, which considers “squishing” as a proper punishment for human interlopers. Ouch! Though the the council bows to the Insect Queen, voiced by Meryl Streep in full imperious “Devil Wears Prada” mode, its members can think for themselves. Dave Franco has a blast giving voice to Titus, the Queen’s hyper nutso son who needs an outlet for his momma’s verbal squishing.
This animated gem is funny and fierce in all the right places. Pixar is back, baby. Haters deserve a good squishing.
And speaking of nuts, the movie takes a turn into loony tunes absurdity when a great white shark named Diane and voiced by Vanessa Bayer, puts her fin in everyone’s business, her jaws zipping along to the rambunctious score by Mark Mothersbaugh. “Hoppers” has the courage of its convictions, including the silly ones. I loved it.
I have to say that the voice work is aces throughout. You can start with Curda, who gives Mabel an aura that’s part Charli xcx brat and part renegade climate activist, the latter instilled in her by her grandmother, Tanaka (Karen Huie). A prologue shows the two together—Mabel is only about 12— in a leafy forest glade that’s the essence of serenity in nature. Sure, this movie takes sides. Wouldn’t you?
Even when it hops off course, “Hoppers” is funny and fierce in all the right places. Pixar is back, baby. Haters deserve a good squishing.