Hop over to a theater and see “Hoppers” today!

Tobias Cotton-Selman / THE GATEPOST

By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez

Arts & Features Editor

I’ll be honest - I didn’t think I was going to like “Hoppers” as much as I did - which was a lot. The trailers didn’t seem particularly appealing to me, but it at least seemed funny. And it was that and so much more. This Pixar movie hit theaters March 6, and it is easily worth a watch. The story follows college student Mabel, who lives in Beaverton. She grew up with her grandmother beside a forest glade close to the city. The movie takes a while to get to the main story, but each minute is spent developing Mabel’s character and the reasons why she acts the way she does. Personally, I believe it’s time well spent that isn’t going to lose impatient audience members. Mabel argues frequently with Mayor Jerry, who wants to destroy the forest glade so he can build a highway. He points out that the animals have left, so there’s no legal reason he can’t build there. After failing to convince Jerry or the public to protect the glade, she stumbles upon her professor’s secret project - the Hoppers program. Dr. Sam has somehow invented technology that can transfer a human mind into a robot animal. As a robot animal, she can communicate with real animals and they assume she’s a real animal. Against Sam’s direct orders, Mabel transfers her mind into a robotic beaver and escapes from the lab. She launches herself into the wild world of the animal kingdom in a desperate attempt to bring back the missing animals and save the glade. The story is easily one of the high points of the film. It kept me hooked in the theater and had more depth than I was expecting. I love how the movie isn’t afraid of dark humor. There are several times where animals with a voice and personality are eaten or otherwise killed - also known as “squished” - usually with comedic timing. This is especially apparent in the wilderness, where Mabel saves a beaver from being eaten, only to be asked why by the bear. She had unknowingly broken the “pond rules,” where if a predator catches an animal, they get to eat it. Because she broke their rules, they take her to their king, a beaver named George. In about a day, Mabel discovers what the scientists and professors had never thought possible - which, to be frank, goes to show how ineffective those scientists and professors were with this technology. While George explains the pond rules to Mabel, several animals that say “Hi” to their king get eaten by nearby predators, and the characters just have to move on like nothing happened. And yet, the deaths are quick and never focused on too much, so it still gets by as a kids’ movie without any issue. Who cares if a random unnamed dragonfly gets eaten, even if it was nice enough to say “Good morning!” to you? Also, the dynamic between Mabel and George is sweet and touching for the most part. George is the guy who wants to trust everyone and give everyone a second chance, while Mabel thinks some people are simply evil and can’t be trusted. Speaking of which, her dynamic with Jerry is amusing right from the start. The film goes through a few quick clips of the two of them arguing at various situations, from the steps of city hall in the middle of the day to the steps of his private home in the middle of the night. Each of the main characters go through significant growth as the plot takes several unexpected but fully welcomed turns. The ending could have been better, but without going into spoilers, it gets the job done and still has a strong emotional feeling to it. The story is great, and the movie both looks and sounds amazing. Overall, I had a great time seeing this in theaters and would recommend anyone to give it a try. Rating: A- Hopping for joy!