Pixar rediscover their mojo with a dam good nature caper.

Well, where on Earth do you start with the current state of Pixar? After a combination of bad luck, bad decision making, and Disney’s sheer recklessness utterly decimated the brand throughout the COVID years, things were looking rather bleak for the once bulletproof animation studio, as the lingering hangover of the pandemic saw enthusiasm levels and box office dollars hit an all-time low.

Fortunes have undoubtedly taken an upward turn of late, with the surprise success of Elemental and the record-breaking numbers of Inside Out 2 proving that Pixar still have what it takes to deliver a bona fide hit. However, with their most recent effort, Elio, proving something of a box office dud, the studio’s current frailties have once again been laid bare for all to see.

So, where does all this actually leave Pixar then? Well, considering we’re getting a fifth Toy Story later this year, to be followed at some point by a third instalment of The Incredibles and a second Coco, sequels to bankable titles rather than original ones are clearly where the studio feel success (at least financially) can be the most easily obtained.

While Pixar have always prided themselves on originality, the clear need to right themselves financially has led them to play it safe with big, name brand sequels, leaving their original material somewhat stranded. As such, Hoppers finds itself with the increasingly thankless task of flying the Pixar original flag and attempting to show the world that you don’t need to be Toy Story 5 to be commercially viable.

Spirited animal lover, Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda), is left helpless as she struggles to stop her town’s mayor from destroying a cherished glade. While all hope appears lost, Mabel’s fortunes swiftly change when she stumbles upon an invention that allows a human to “hop” their consciousness into a robotic animal. Going undercover in the wild, Mabel finds herself caught between the human world and the animal kingdom as she’s forced to navigate the complexities of beaver society in a bid to out-manoeuvre Beaverton’s greedy mayor and save the beloved sanctuary.

Cutting to the chase, Hoppers is nowhere near peak-Pixar status, however, if we’re being honest, few things are. What it is though, is comfortably one of the studio’s finest, most outright enjoyable efforts in recent years. And when you consider the pickle Pixar have been in of late, that must be considered a win.

With a concept that’s lifted directly from Avatar and a marketing campaign that’s been selling the film as the kind of overtly zany, kid brain candy you’d expect from a lesser animation studio, expectations were rather low going in, yet Hoppers offers far more than it initially suggests. Sure, the deeper we get into the animal “hopping” shenanigans, the sillier the plot becomes, however, woven into the high concept wackiness is the kind of heart, soul, and affective messaging that continues to make Pixar animation’s standard-bearer.

We’ve become so accustomed to it at this stage in Pixar’s existence that it’s almost too obvious to say, yet it would be churlish not to mention just how routinely stellar Hoppers’ animation is. While the design of the film’s various animal characters is often deceptively simple, look a little closer and you’ll find the kind of mind-blowing detail that only Pixar can truly offer.

Whether it’s the tiniest of expressions, the felted wool of a beaver’s coat, elegant ripples of water across a pond, or the beautifully layered foliage that makes up so much of Hoppers’ background, this is Pixar at the very peak of its craft. Considering how prevalent animal-based animations are these days, it would’ve been mightily tempting for Pixar to play it safe and take the easy route with Hoppers, so it’s to their immense credit that they stuck to their guns and produced a visual masterclass that makes the very most of the film’s natural environment.

Slipping effortlessly between serene and manic, Hoppers has all the energy you would expect given its look and subject matter, however, director Daniel Chong does a masterful job of ensuring the film’s goofiness and colourful action never outshines its story. With a noble conservationist message at its core and the emotional hook of Mabel and her grandmother holding it all together, Chong manages to counterbalance the film’s larger-than-life action perfectly, leaving a nourishing blend of heart, humour, and hijinks that takes Hoppers a long, long way.

Melding together brightly coloured, high-energy action with heart and emotion is something Pixar do in their sleep, however, the balance with recent efforts hasn’t always been as on-point as it was in their heyday, so it comes as quite the relief that Hoppers is positively brimming with it. While the balance on recent Pixar efforts like Lightyear, Elio, and perhaps even Elemental felt a little off at times, especially compared to the high bar of the studio’s peak, Hoppers is far closer to what we expect from them, as it offers a fully rounded visual and emotional experience that hits in so many of the right places.

Sure, there are limitations to what Hoppers’ body switch comedy can truly achieve, and if we’re being honest, it was never likely to touch the Toy Storys and Inside Outs of this world for pure Pixar perfection, but it’s honestly not as far off as some may have feared. And with a typically well cast voice ensemble backing everything up, this feels like it could be Pixar’s non-sequel return to form.

While Hoppers doesn’t quite reach peak-Pixar status, it’s comfortably one of the studio’s best efforts in recent years. There are undoubtedly moments where the plot gets far too zany and too ridiculous for its own good, however, typically stellar animation, bags of energy, a well-executed concept, tonnes of heart, humour and an honourable conservation message all combine for a dam good time.

Hoppers is in cinemas worldwide now.