Hoppers, the latest film from Pixar, suggests that late-period Pixar has shifted its tone. For better or worse, it has become an animation studio that produces movies for tweens and younger viewers. Although Hoppers is exceptional in many ways and a vast improvement over the disastrous Elio, we may have seen the last of movies such as Ratatouille, Up, Soul, Wall-E, Toy Story 3, and even Inside Out. Now that Hoppers is poised to become a major box office success, we may have to accept that more like it are on the way. 

It appears that Pixar’s next effort will be a second unnecessary installment of the Toy Story series. I suppose that if a studio has a juggernaut, it is beholden to use it, but judging from the trailer, I wonder how much milk remainsin the cash cow. But I digress.

Hoppers is directed by Daniel Chong (We Bare Bears). He also worked on the story along with Jesse Andrews, who also wrote the screenplay. The movie centers on young college student Mabel Tanaka, a budding animal activist influenced by her nature-loving grandma. She discovers that her biology prof and two colleagues have developed a means of placing their conscious minds into animal robots (hopping) to get up close to them in their habitats. For Mabel, this is an opportunity to save her beloved glade from greedy Mayor Jerry Generazzo, who plans to run a superhighway through it.

The Mayor justifies this by claiming there are no longer animals living there, but Mabel, now inside a stolen robotic beaver, discovers that Mayor Jerry has set up ultrasonic speakers in a fake tree to drive the animals away. She allies with Beaver King George and destroys the tree, earning his trust and becoming his personal advisor, while the grateful wildlife return to the glade. 

Mayor Jerry retaliates by blowing up the beaver’s crucial dam and importing more ultrasonic trees. George retreats to his Superlodge and summons the Council of Animals, represented by the monarchs of the Fish, Insect, Amphibian, Reptile, and Bird kingdoms. Mabel addresses the Council with such fervor that they vow to “squish” Jerry. A horrified Mabel accidentally kills the Insect Queen and is now an enemy as well! Led by the power-mad caterpillar Titus, son of the late Insect Queen, the war plan changes to include humankind. At least locally.

From there, the film descends into chaos mode, a trait shared by late-period Pixar films. Without giving it away, the last third of the film involves hopping-mania by every major character, including Titus (now a monarch butterfly) and truthfully, may of the younger viewers may have problems keeping track of the plot reversals, who is inhabiting whose robot body, exactly when they did so, and the switch to an action film with considerably faster action scenes than seen in the rest of the movie. It gives nothing away to say that Hoppers has a happy ending for all involved, even if it takes a high-speed roller coaster ride to get there.

Pixar now has the requisite arsenal of animation technology to make this film a visual wonder. The effects animation alone is astounding, but credit must be given to the character design that employs these marvelous toys. While no beavers are completely lifelike, they all have the appearance of well-designed stuffed toys that greatly enhance their appeal and celebrate the film’s fantasy. Some animals, like the Frog Queen, veer into caricatures, but so what?

The voice cast features some standout performances. Piper Curda is a very enthusiastic Mabel. Bobby Moynihan is a heartfelt, sensitive Beaver King who feels like a best friend. Kathy Najimi hits the right notes as Sam, Mabel’s flighty prof. Apana Nancherla is perfect as Sam’s deadpan colleague and assistant. Karen Huie has a brief role as Grandma Tanaka, but makes the character’s warmth and wisdom shine through, and Jon Hamm is a perfectly greasy egotist as Mayor Jerry. His character transformation into a good guy is part of Hamm’s vocal flexibility. In her one-scene role as the Insect Queen, no one could be haughtier than Meryl Streep.

In conclusion, Hoppers feels like a transitional film in Pixar’s history. How much you enjoy or look forward to this shift is a matter of subjective view. Still, Hoppers will not fail to entertain any animation film lover and is a hearty remedy to the recent dreck of Elio, Lightyear, or Elemental.