'Hoppers' Is A Gonzo Reinvention Of The Age-Old Disney Formula

"Hoppers really just trades one outdated house style for another, slightly less dated one, tapping We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong to project his own brand of noodle-y, Millennial verve onto Disney's family-friendly fare. A less charitable reading might liken the film to another take on the derided "CalArts Style," which effectively began with Disney's Golden Age before Cartoon Network made the trend its own."

"Don't let its tame stylings fool you - Hoppers is a melting pot of heartfelt environmentalist cartoons and gutsy science fiction. Its influences are easy to spot, from Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke to The Lorax and even a bit of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It's also kind of like The Matrix, and James Cameron's Avatar, and, not for nothing, an animated Saturday Night Live reunion."

"Chong, directing a screenplay by Luca scribe Jesse Andrews, is not afraid to let this get incredibly weird (or, at least, as weird as a Disney movie is allowed to get). Its protagonists might have the tell-tale case of "bean mouth," but Hoppers has plenty of bite to make up for it."

Hoppers represents a departure from typical Disney-Pixar offerings, featuring a visual style influenced by We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong that blends contemporary animation aesthetics with family-friendly content. While the film's character designs may recall CalArts conventions and Steven Universe aesthetics, its narrative ambitions transcend surface-level similarities. The film synthesizes diverse influences including Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke, The Lorax, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Matrix, and Avatar into an unexpectedly complex story. Director Chong, working from a screenplay by Jesse Andrews, embraces creative risks within Disney's constraints, delivering a film with genuine thematic depth. The protagonist Mabel exemplifies the film's character-driven approach, prioritizing environmental concerns and animal welfare.

Read at Inverse