Tranquil forests contrast a burning city in the new Disney and Pixar film, “Hoppers.” Released on Friday, March 6, “Hoppers” was publicized heavily, attracting audiences of all ages for Pixar’s newest development. Unlike many recent Disney films, this movie is not a sequel or an adaptation of another film. Rather, it stands on its own.
The film follows the story of 19-year-old Mabel Tanaka, who cares deeply about the environment. Her passion for Earth and wildlife stems from her grandmother, who she spent her adolescent years with in a glade near her home. After her grandmother passed away, Mabel’s feelings towards the environment grew stronger as being in nature made her feel more connected to her grandmother. Mabel attends college in Beaverton and often checks up on the animals in the glade in between her classes. While Mabel cares deeply about the glade and the animals who reside there, she finds a foe in the town’s mayor, who does not feel the same way. Mayor Jerry plans to bring a new highway to the city, requiring lots of construction in and around the town. To fit this new highway, he would have to bulldoze the glade, killing or driving away all the animals in it.
When Mabel feels that she has no other way to stop the mayor, she hijacks an invention that belongs to one of her professors that allows her to transfer her brain into a robotic beaver body that she can control and move around. As a beaver, Mabel befriends a group of animals in the glade, specifically, another beaver who is the leader of the group. She encourages them to take action against the humans destroying their home and ends up taking her theory all the way to a council of species. When the council decides to rebel against humans and destroy the entire population, Mabel realizes she’s gone too far.
This comedic and heartfelt story keeps the viewer engaged for the entire film. Its balance between silly animal antics and emotional themes of love, loss and change create a high quality movie that connects with everyone in some way or another.
Overall, the movie mirrors the state of the country in a startling way. The harsh conflict between Mabel and Mayor Jerry echo the divide between political parties and affiliations in the United States. Despite sharing a home and a desire to improve the lives of those around them, both parties disagree on how to do so and end up hurting themselves and others in the process. The movie also tackles the issues of climate change and deforestation, as construction projects threaten to destroy wildlife and habitats. This heavy topic not only encourages the viewer to take action to protect nature, but also showcases the chaos and drama that come with horrific events such as forest fires.
When other Pixar movies used childhood toys or sea monsters to develop themes, “Hoppers” takes on an active approach that challenges moviegoers to look at not just the adorable animated beavers and the robotic fun that the scientists have, but also at the deeper issue: what climate change and political conflict can do to a city and how divides can rip people apart quicker than you think.
