STORYLINE: A 19-year-old animal lover uses technology that places her consciousness into a robotic beaver to uncover mysteries within the animal world beyond her imagination. (IMDb)

    Since it’s inception, Pixar has released some incredible feature films. Finding Nemo (2003), Toy Story 3 (2010), Coco (2017), and Soul (2020) to name a few.  Of course, there have been duds. Luca (2021) and Turning Red (2022) missed their respective marks. Their latest release, Hoppers, has now found  its way into cinemas.

    Hoppers follows recent trends for Pixar films.  The movie is well animated, as their films always have been, the story is entertaining, especially if you are a younger audience member, and it conveys its message in a way that is appropriate for all ages.  Where Hoppers falls short is in its emotional depth.   Many films in the studio’s catalog, such as Inside Out (2015), ran the emotional spectrum.  Hoppers, and other recent Pixar releases, lack this ability, and barely scratch the emotional service. 

    Yes, this movie shares many plot points with Avatar (2009).  Towards the beginning of the film that is made of fun of, and that is the only time it’s referenced. There is no need to keep harping on raft fact, espically with the limited runtime.

   Hoppers was a middle of the road Pixar feature. That could be attributed to my changing taste as I’ve grown up. Then again last year I went to a 30th anniversary screaming of Toy Story (1995), and was thrilled about seeing the movie again. I can’t wait to see the fifth movie in the franchise later this year, so maybe it’s not my changing tastes in cinema over the years. 

    Until next time, I will see you at the movies!