People better not complain how there’s ‘no original films’ and then not go and see this because for a second year in a row, Pixar has pumped out two great originals.
- Director – Daniel Chong
- Runtime – 104 minutes
- Certificate – U
- Country – United States
The film follows very closely to the Avatar films and it even makes that joke itself which I didn’t expect but it actually couldn’t be further from it.
Each different act feels like an entirely different film – the first felt like a traditional Pixar but the other two are honestly like nothing they’ve done before. Totally unhinged.
Act 1 and 3 definitely feel more classic Pixar while 2 leans more into the craziness of the plot. At times it gets quite ridiculous with a flock of birds carrying a shark in order to squish a human but honestly, I had fun with it. Is it over the top? Yes. But who cares. In the second act is where the film’s humour really shines. I feel like the humour has really been undersold in this film because for a large majority of the runtime, it is truly hilarious.
The reason why it is so funny is because of how witty, and at times mature, the script is. There are some really clever jokes in here that will most likely fly right over kids’ heads.
Mabel is a character that I genuinely grew fond of and that is because of how well Piper Curda portrays her. She carries so much of that earnest energy that’s required for this character and the way she delivers her lines is a part of what makes it so funny.
Her voice also weirdly matches the face of an animated beaver a bit too well.
Every one of the cast does a good job at portraying their characters especially Bobby Moynihan as King George. Watching the press junkets with him and Curda they have genuine chemistry and it shows on screen. They bounce off of each other so well.
The animation is something that kind of threw me off initially from watching the trailers because it didn’t really feel like Pixar animation but I don’t mind at all now. It is stunning. There were some scenes where it looked almost real – the way that grass blew in the wind or how some characters moved.
Hoppers is a great original Pixar entry that has fun and charismatic characters, a hilariously witty script and an outlandish plot, though it may be too outlandish for some.