Reviews are coming in for Pixar’s new film “Hoppers,” which has drawn very good critical reviews across the board. Praise is high for its zany tone, fast pacing and smaller scale.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits at 97% with 59 reviews counted while on Metacritic it’s at 77/100 – the best numbers for a Pixar film since “Turning Red” in 2022.
The story follows Mabel Tanaka, an animal lover, whose mind is transferred into a lifelike robotic beaver to communicate with animals and save their habitat from destruction.
Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“‘Hoppers’ isn’t just James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ if it had feelings, it’s also James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ if it was good.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“A fun, modest little movie with enough zip and charm to keep kids engaged, and as such, one doesn’t want to criticize it too much. But the memory of what Pixar once was… may still make us wonder where all that energy and originality and artistry went.” – Bilge Ebiri, Vulture
“Sometimes the convoluted story forces its emotional beats, but Hoppers is a largely successful animation that introduces a refreshingly darker strain of humour alongside its paeans to the natural world.” – Tim Grierson, Screen
“It shouldn’t all hang together as well as it does, but the movie’s freewheeling plotting is exhilarating, even more so when a frantic chase accelerates the action.” – David Rooney, THR
“Odd and spiky enough to carve out its own niche. Pixar, certainly, have only benefited from the energetic, expressive influence of anime on western animation. All their creatures leap around the screen like they’ve just been electrocuted.” – Clarisse Loughrey, Independent
“Don’t call it a comeback — but this is really strong stuff from Pixar: funny, thoughtful, sweet, making for a heartfelt paean to nature, and beavers in particular. Dam good.” – John Nugent, Empire
“Hoppers is one of the best Pixar movies in recent years, though the script does feel slight in character motivations. However, the delightful voice cast led by Curda and Moynihan are great, and the movie is at its best when it’s weird.” – Kristen Lopez, The Film Maven
“There’s lots of fun here, some of the one-liners are exquisite and the helter-skelter finale is delightfully overstuffed. Frustratingly, it’s still second-grade Pixar.” – Kevin Maher, The Times
Disney & Pixar’s “Hoppers” opens in cinemas on Friday.
