What do you need from an animated film that’s aimed primarily at children? Is it just something for you to throw on in front of the kiddos for a few hours while you get something else done? Do you want the film to teach vital lessons to your kids while sparking nostalgia for your own childhood? Some cute talking animals with a side of emotional devastation?
Since Pixar released “Toy Story” in 1995, cinema lovers have been spoiled with a nearly unbroken run of some of the finest animated films since the golden age of Disney. What makes so many of their films remarkable is that Pixar knows exactly how to tell stories that kids find wildly entertaining and transporting, while packing so much thematic resonance into their movies that moms and dads might have to explain why they’re ugly crying.
Look at how beautifully multilayered some of these films are. The “Toy Story” pictures are warm-hearted adventures where toys come to life the moment you’re not looking at them, while thematically focusing on the pains of growing up and feeling disposable. “Inside Out” is an action-packed and nostalgic road trip through a young girl’s imagination, while also providing children with the emotional vocabulary to articulate and process emotions they previously couldn’t express. “Coco” is a coming-of-age musical intoxicated on the beauty of Latin culture, yet also offers a touching look at accepting death and loss while cherishing our time on Earth. The mad scientists at Pixar, even at their laziest (“Cars 2”), are still master storytellers and animators.
All of this is to say, I think I might have unreasonable expectations for each new Pixar film that comes out. I want to be emotionally wrecked like I was at the end of “Toy Story 3” or heartbroken like I was at the fate of Bing Bong in “Inside Out.” I want the full body goosebumps I got from the opening minutes of “Up,” the haunting and unforgettable beauty of “WALL-E,” the childlike wonder I felt watching “The Incredibles” for the first time, or the faith in humanity I felt at the end of “Soul.”
I didn’t really get any of that from Pixar’s newest animated adventure, “Hoppers,” and I’m not necessarily sure it’s the film’s fault. “Hoppers” follows Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda), a young woman whose grandmother inspired in her a deep love and respect for the natural world. When the greedy mayor (voiced by a delightfully smarmy Jon Hamm) wants to destroy Mabel’s beloved forest glade to put in a freeway, she will stop at nothing to protect her favorite place.
Long story short, that turns out to be putting her mind into the body of a robotic beaver so she can convince the animals to return to the glade and save it from destruction. What follows is an intermittently charming adventure filled with adorable talking animals, some madcap chases, goofy jokes and a timely message about wildlife preservation and the delicate balance between human expansion and the natural world.
It’s a stellar concept that feels like one part “Avatar,” one part “The Wild Robot,” but still distinctly Pixar. My screening was packed with kids howling at the jokes and adorable animals (including a turtle that we must protect at all costs), so it should be a return to form after the lukewarm reception of “Elio,” “Lightyear” and “Elemental.” However, as entertaining as “Hoppers” can be in moments and as much as I appreciated the film’s environmental messages and big, beautiful tree-hugging heart, I was disappointed in the relative lack of nuance and narrative subtlety that define Pixar’s greatest hits.
The true strength of “Hoppers” lies in its protagonist, Mabel Tanaka, who fearlessly protects the natural world. Mabel is fascinating because her selflessness is balanced with rage issues, impulsiveness and daily struggles to maintain healthy relationships. Her flaws feel real in a way we don’t get from heroes much anymore and keep Mabel grounded around the robotic beavers and talking sharks.
While “Hoppers” is unlikely to join the ranks of the lasting classics of Pixar, it’s still ultimately an entertaining ride, even with some generic character designs (the bear in this looks like every animated bear ever), inconsistent animation, obvious messaging and a predictable conclusion. If Dreamworks Animation or Illumination put this out, I’d probably be more lenient, but I know Pixar as a brand has a pedigree that has elevated animated films to incredible heights. They can do better because we’ve all seen them do better. Still, even though younger audiences will love this, it’s hard not to think this is just a brief diversion until “Toy Story 5,” “Cars 4,” “Incredibles 3,” and “Coco 2” are unleashed on us all.
"Hoppers”
Dir. Daniel Chong
Grade: B-
Regal Old Mill, Redmond Cinema,
Madras Cinema
This article appears in the Source March 12, 2026.
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