Hoppers: Actually Hilarious
Hoppers Is and Isn’t The Movie You Would Expect
Hoppers is exquisitely weird. It starts off with very familiar patterns to many, many Pixar movies. Its most direct connection being Up. We have a main character who lost someone dear to them who is heavily associated with a specific location that is then threatened by some external force. The main character is then given a goal (with a deadline) that, if they succeed, will let them save their beloved space. Swap out a few nouns, or alter slightly the nature of the goal, and I’ve not only described a wide swathe of Pixar’s catalogue, but I’ve actually described so many classic kids’ movies. You might even guess that the main character’s crucial lesson is to give up the location but honor the memory of the person.
But you would be wrong. I was wrong. This movie is unpredictable on every level. Hoppers is a shockingly brutal and hilariously absurd chaotic adventure with the weirdest worldbuilding you ever did see. The death count is closer to The Incredibles than any other Pixar movie and the main character is an eco-warrior who is guilty of attempted murder because of her anger issues and accidentally commits a political assassination.
Hoppers Contains Many Seriously Bleak Moments
Like, let me be clear, and I do need to be clear about this: the movie is very pro-environment, despite certain moments. A few here-and-there lines establish, point-blank, that the construction project is not only bad, but functionally pointless. It will barely help the community, and it took massive ecological harm to put up in the first place. It’s very careful to say that; it’s very careful to enforce it. But it seems to also be arguing that most things humans do are part of nature in some way, like a city being simply a human habitat. Stuff like factory farming or pollution are brushed aside mostly.
I say “mostly” because—mild spoilers—the actual meat and potatoes plotline of Hoppers is related. Our main character is encouraging animals to retake their homes in retaliation for human’s environmental damage, but then she has to try to stop things when the animals start an assassination plot against the mayor overseeing the construction. Given what is shown, the theme of Hoppers seems to be that animals have a right to more space, dignity, food, etc. and shouldn’t be treated the way we treat them, but the story is also unwilling to actually draw a line in the sand of what that looks like besides a few token moments. It’s an empty promise/platitude.
Hoppers Does Not Say Much About Conservation
So, the theme is pretty botched by the end, but the journey there is why someone would enjoy Hoppers. Once we’ve established the premise of human-to-animal body hopping, the movie has basically three modes and all of them are enjoyable.
The first is simply kid-friendly silliness. Little jokes here and there that are simply playing with the concept of talking animals. This is also the weakest part of Hoppers, not because I am against those kinds of jokes, but because a good number of them feel too of a specific time. Emojis and such pepper the comedy, and that won’t age well.
Half Of Hoppers Humor Will Be Outdated In A Year
The other two, on the other hand, are built of sturdier construction. The movie frequently oscillates between animal court-politics that are as silly as they are taken seriously (apparently all subspecies of animals have a ruler, and they all have cute little crowns) and very creative depictions of animal attacks. One of the most memorable in Hoppers is a shark being flown around by a flock of seagulls so it can better bite the mayor. If you’re a fan of absurdist humor and dark comedy, you’ll find yourself—like me—cackling every few minutes as things spiral further and further into gorgeously animated shenanigans.
And, I can’t believe I’m saying this about a movie made by such a big studio, but there is absolutely no way you’re guessing where all of it is going. You cannot fathom the climax of this movie beforehand. It’s not because of a lack of foreshadowing or because a twist for the sake of a twist—Hoppers is just that weird and out-there of a movie. And though it seems redundant to say at this point, that is ultimately why you should watch it. You’ll have a fun time.
Possibly Related Posts:
Comments