The animated film “Hopper” is not about bunnies, even though the name and the timing of the film may have you assuming otherwise. Instead, our protagonist is a beaver. And a teenager. But mostly a teenager who hops into an artificial beaver’s body. Following?
The film is a Disney-Pixar collaboration movie, as was “Elio.” The 3D character animation between the two is the same type, which I don’t know that I love. It’s a little too AI-looking, but since the whole premise of this film is heavy AI, and “Elio” is a space movie, I can excuse both.
“Hoppers,” the film
As the movie begins, we are introduced to Mabel (young version voiced by Lila Liu), a feral child on a mission to save animals. In the first scene, the animal she wants to save is the class pet — a turtle that’s being roughly handled by her classmates before they leave him, flipped on his back, and run off. Maribel is unsuccessful in her turtle extraction, though not due to a lack of effort. Maribel scurries, climbs, and bites a teacher to save the turtle from school. We learn that this is not a first-time occurrence, and so we get to know our heroine: feisty, determined, and an animal advocate.
Flash forward to college. Mabel (Piper Curda) is now nineteen. She’s facing off with Mayor Jerry (Jon Hamm) to save the local glade where she spent time with her now-deceased grandmother among the animals. The mayor points out that there are no animals anymore. Therefore, it’s a perfect place to put a highway to connect the town. Mabel is SHOCKED. But… he’s right. No animals. Mabel is now on a mission to figure out how to get the animals back, learning along the way that the real question is why they left in the first place.
When Mabel consults her college professor, Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy), she learns that a single beaver can create the environment that brings back all the animals. Meanwhile, Dr. Sam has been experimenting with AI, and she and her colleagues have created technology that can take over robots that resemble animals. One of those animals? You guessed it! A beaver! And so begins Mabel’s beaver adventure.
HOPPERS – © 2025 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Overall Thoughts on “Hoppers”
The movie felt a little on the longer side, though my children stayed engaged the whole time. There are a lot of side stories going on. Mabel befriends Beaver King George (Bobby Moynihan). Then we meet the insect king. Then parallels are drawn between Mabel and Mayor Jerry, and maybe there is no true bad guy or good guy, and we should all give each other the benefit of the doubt.
I’d give the film a solid B, although my kids cracked up on several occasions, so I’d say an “A” rating for the tiny humans.
The Reviews
Melyssa (age 5) says that her favorite part was that Mabel didn’t know what the pond rules were.
They are:
Rule #1: Don’t be a stranger. It is harder to be angry at someone if you know their name.
Rule #2: When you’ve got to eat, EAT.
Rule #3: We’re all in this together. This means looking out for others who need it, no matter who they are.
Calliope (age 3.5) says, “I liked when the beavers started the dance party.” Because when you’re a beaver, you work hard and play hard!
Greg (age 35) said he appreciated the nods to other sayings and references. King George asks Mabel to be “Paw of the King,” echoing Game of Thrones‘ “Hand of the King.” The birds warn, “Flap around and find out,” a spin on the viral internet catchphrase “f** around and find out.”
Movie times: Click here
Genre: Animal Adventure, Artificial Intelligence
Director: Daniel Chong
Actors: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm
Running Time: 1 hour, 44 minutes
Rating: Rated PG for action/peril, some scary images and mild language.
