Settling into his seat and scooping up a handful of popcorn before the movie began, my 10-year-old son Odhran made me laugh when he said, 'Now lets see if Pixar has still got it, or if they're starting to run out of ideas.'
With iconic films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Inside Out under its belt but other movies such as last year's Elio failing to reach the same heights, the animation studio is constantly under pressure to deliver its next big hit, an Odhran wasn't convinced placing a pudgy beaver as the hero of the story was going to do it for them.
My seven-year-old son, Reuben, was already hooked in by the poster for the movie, and asking us to commit to a favourite character before the film even started, and to establish which of the characters would be the tastiest to eat. We considered the bear due to size, but decided the meat might be too tough. The obvious choice had to be the goose. As brutal as our conversation might sound, it coincidentally fitted in with one of the 'pond rules' in the movie - 'When you gotta eat, eat,' and any creature about to be eaten alive should graciously accept its fate.
Hoppers is an eco-minded story about an spirited teenage animal lover named Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda) who is in battle with the slimy Mayor Jerry and his plans to build a giant concrete freeway right through her cherished glade - an oasis of peace and serenity she used to visit with her grandma.
The movie gets off to a great start and we're thrown right into action, as a young Mabel (in elementary school and at this stage voiced by Lila Liu) is desperately trying to free the animals imprisoned in classrooms. Here's a rebellious character, who is going to take us on a fun journey.
Later, a teenage Mabel stumbles upon a scientific experiment and uses the technology to transfer (hop) her consciousness into a robotic beaver, who can communicate with other animals. Mabel hopes to rally the creatures of the glade to help save their habitat.
The emotional hook to the story is her relationship with King George (a beaver with a tiny crown). George sees the good in every creature, even humans, and believes we can all live harmoniously side by side. Mabel has good reason to be more cynical and is a little exasperated by George's naivety. But George doesn't know Mabel is a human. Ironically, as their friendship develops, it's Mabel's duplicity that may lead to George's greatest lesson in trust.
The movie humorously plays on our pre-conceptions of what an arch-villain should look like and the storyline is expertly crafted without feeling predictable, unlike Sony Animation's recent offering GOAT. Hoppers goes where it logically needs to go, while keeping you on your toes with each turn of events. It has the most surprising and funniest death scene I've ever seen in a kids' movie, and that should give you a sense of the wacky tone of this animation and Pixar's daring approach to cranking up the humour.
Any doubt that Pixar would deliver was completely cast from Odhran's mind long before the credits rolled. 'That was brilliant! It way funnier than I thought it was going to be,' he said. 'And I loved the anime vibe to the main character.' Reuben added, 'It was really imaginative. I loved the bit where the birds lift the shark out of the water.'
While it doesn't reach the heights of Pixar's most iconic animations, Hoppers is wonderfully bonkers and refreshingly brave in its humour. It's a solid 4 out of 5 for us. In cinemas now.