‘Avatar’ Comparisons Aside, Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ Proves It Is Still Worth Watching

By: Philip Sayblack
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Urban sprawl is a very real and serious issue around the world.  As much as the news media and others would have us believe that animals are the invaders as more and more of their land is stolen by humans, it is we humans who are the thieves and invaders.  Sadly, it seems increasingly, that humans do not want to take accountability for their actions.  The fact of the matter is that we as a species needs to take accountability and start doing something about it.  THAT is the premise behind Pixar Animation and Walt Disney Studios’ latest CG offering, Hoppers.  Having made its theatrical premiere just this past March, it made its way to home physical release June 2 on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD.  That central discussion is at the heart of the movie and will be addressed shortly.  The manner in which the message is delivered through the story is of just as much importance to the presentation and will be examined a little later.  The bonus content that accompanies the movie rounds out its most important elements, making for its own interest, too.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the movie.  All things considered they make Hoppers a movie that while not necessarily memorable, is still worth watching at least once.
Hoppers, the latest cinematic offering from Pixar Animation and its parent company, Walt Disney Studios, is a surprisingly interesting offering from the two entities.  Its interest comes in large part through the central message presented within its story, which will be discussed a little later.  The central message is a familiar ecologically minded statement that reminds audiences about caring more for the environment.  More specifically, it serves as a starting point for the very real and very important discussion on urban sprawl.  At the same time, it is delivered in a fashion that makes it easily accessible for the movie’s targeted younger audiences.  Urban sprawl is destroying earth.  As much as humans want to try to deny accountability, the reality is that we as a species are destroying this planet’s various ecosystems through constant growth and expansion.  Even the mainstream media wants us to believe that when we have increased interactions with wildlife, that the animals are the invaders, not us.  The truth is the exact opposite.  If urban sprawl continues at its current rate it will not be long before not only will the animals completely lose their homes but there will be no more land for humans to develop.  In other words, maybe, just maybe, urban sprawl (and population itself) needs to be reined in.  Keeping this hot button issue at the center of Hoppers in mind, it will hopefully get grown-up audiences motivated to get involved (or at least talking) while also serving as a starting point to get younger audiences on board with taking more care of the planet and all of its inhabitants (thus the line from the movie, “We’re in this together.”)  To that end, it serves as a solid starting point for this movie.
Building on the importance of the message delivered through this movie is the manner in how the message was delivered (IE the story).  The story delivers its message by centering on its young, idealistic lead, Mabel (Piper Curda – Rule The Mix, Save The Date, I Didn’t Do It).  Having been raised largely by her grandmother (Karen Huie – Solo: A Star Wars Story, Hawaii Five O, Nancy Drew), Mabel takes her inspiration from her grandmother’s love for nature as the source for her desire to stop the evil Mayor Jerry (Jon Hamm – Mad Men, Million Dollar Arm, The Town) in every one of his plans, including his latest, a plan to put a bypass right through the glen where she spent so much of her childhood.  When Mabel accidentally discovers an effort by her college professors to put the human brain into a robot animal primarily for the purpose of watching animals, she ends up getting her brain put into a robot beaver and discovering along the way that Jerry’s bypass plan was advanced by using noise to push the animals that once called the glen home away from the land solely to complete the road project.
When Mabel discovers her professors’ project, she makes the statement that “This is just like Avatar!”  Prof. Sam (Kathy Najimy – King of the Hill, Hocus Pocus 1-2, Sister Act 1-2), who is one of Mabel’s professors, tries to deny the claim, stating “This is nothing like Avatar!”  This is the studio poking fun at the fact that it obviously is very much a ripoff of said franchise.  On another level, it also feels like maybe someone is actually trying to say to audiences seriously that it is not like that franchise.  Mabel is the one who is right.  In the bigger scheme of things, this story very liberally takes from Avatar, which itself is a blatant ripoff of another, greater movie, Dances With Wolves, the 1990 western that stars Kevin Costner.
Now, that item addressed and out of the way, that the story takes the angle of questioning, “what if the animals actually rose up against us humans for what we are doing?” makes for more interest.  Considering, again, that even the news media would have us believe that the animals are the invaders, not humans, how would the animals react?  What would they say and do?  Really?  It really does hold humans accountable but does so in a not overly preachy fashion.  Would the animals try to actually squish us?  Would the birds attack us, pecking us to death? By the way, the reference to director Alfred Hitchcock’s timeless 1963 movie, The Birds in this rumination is a great touch.  All things considered there, the story featured herein pairs with the movie’s central message to make for all the more reason to give the movie a chance.
Rounding out the most important of the presentation’s items is its bonus content.  The only bonus that honestly proves fully worthwhile herein is the collection of deleted scenes.  In listening to the introductions to the scenes in question and actually watching said scenes, it becomes clear just how different this movie would have been had those scenes been included.  The scenes in question simply do not fit as part of the final cut.
The examined central message within this movie’s script is barely touched by the rest of the bonus content.  Yes, it is mentioned in one of the extras, but only in passing.  That is sad.  It makes it seem even more like no one wants to actually delve into this matter of curbing urban sprawl and taking accountability.  What’s more that actor Bobby Moynihan, who is the voice of Hal on PBS Kids’ beloved eco-minded series, Nature Cat, is also part of this movie, it would have been interesting to hear from him and whether the messages in that series played into his interesting in this movie.  That insight actually could have potentially made for even more appreciation not only for the movie but also for his performance as King George, the beaver.
There is one more very brief item in the bonus content that actually is of some interest.  As it turns out, the so-called super lodge in the movie is not so unrealistic in its depiction.  As is revealed at one point in the extra content, the trip to Yellowstone national park that the movie’s crew took for inspiration actually led to them discovering a beaver lodge that was in the range of 10-15-feet high.  So, to that end, as fantastic as the super lodge in the movie may seem, it in fact is not so fictional after all.  That believability makes for some more appreciation for the movie.  When these extras are considered alongside the movie’s story and its key central message, the whole makes Hoppers a movie that while maybe not necessarily memorable still worth watching at least once.  With any luck, it will move at least some viewers to become more active in addressing urban sprawl and its impact if nothing else.
Hoppers, the latest cg cinematic offering from Pixar Animation and its parent company, Walt Disney Studios, is an interesting presentation that is surprisingly not as bad as it seems, even with the obvious and inescapable comparisons to Avatar, which is itself from another of Disney’s subsidiaries, 20th Century Studios.  That is due in large part to the discussion that it raises on the matter of urban sprawl.  The topic is broached in such fashion that it is made accessible for younger audiences and adults alike.  It is hardly the first movie to ever address this hot button issue but that is okay because it is such an important issue that seriously does need to be addressed and tackled sooner rather than later.  The story through which the message is delivered, again, cannot avoid comparisons to Avatar but at least the story attempts in the process to not be an entirely blatant ripoff of said movie even as idealistic as it is in the end.  The bonus content featured with the movie rounds out its most important elements, adding at least a little more to the viewing experience.  There certainly could have been more content but what is there adds at least a little bit to appreciate.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of Hoppers.  All things considered they make Hoppers worth watching at least once.
Hoppers is available now.  More information on this and other titles from Pixar Animation is available at:
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