Perhaps the best thing about being a self-proclaimed cinephile — and dating someone who isn’t — is watching films that wouldn’t exactly be labeled as “date night movies.” I know I’m guilty of this crime; I’ve dragged my girlfriend to the theater to watch a Korean auteur’s revenge black comedy, an exploration of control in relationships and the sexiest yearning that has ever been on screen. So the natural next step for us, obviously, was to see the new Pixar movie about funny-looking beavers.
But somehow and someway, “Hoppers” is actually the perfect date night movie.
Like the prototypical Pixar film, the gist of “Hoppers” is simultaneously out there yet simple. The narrative centers Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda), a college animal rights activist with a grudge against Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) due to his plans to build a freeway over an empty forest glade that she has a deep connection with. After an attempt to repopulate the glade and sabotage the freeway, Mabel stumbles upon a conspiracy at her university — one that involves transporting human minds into lifelike robotic animals. One thing leads to another, Mabel lands herself inside a beaver robot and comedic chaos ensues as she infiltrates the forest.
“Hoppers” starts slow. The opening minutes contain a cliche backstory for our outcast protagonist basked in some tame family-oriented humor. In fact, the film continues to be mundane even after the inciting incident of Mabel being transported into a robot. However, “Hoppers” flips a switch and goes on an upward trend when the film’s savior, a beaver named King George (Bobby Moynihan) is introduced — a character whose comedic and heartfelt presence brightens up the film. From that point until the end, the movie becomes a delightful animated treat to watch.
This still raises the question: How exactly can “Hoppers” work as a date night movie? To me, the perfect date night movie comes with universality — the choice to not alienate the audience and instead foster an enjoyable watch by being a crowd pleaser.
The cheat code to making any animated film successful is to incorporate cute-looking animals. Thankfully for “Hoppers,” the film is filled with them. The cast consists of multiple adorable creatures that soften the audience’s hearts, ranging from the aforementioned King George to a stoner-like beaver named Loaf. The film even turns their adorableness up a notch by changing their appearance when shown from a human’s perspective, choosing to replace their googly eyes with simple black dots. Of course, there is a reasoning behind the cuteness; it functions as an emotional shortcut that allows the audience to be instantly attached to the characters — and the sold out official stuffed animal as well.
But “Hoppers” succeeds through combining these animals with absurd humor. Even for a comedic animated film with a bizarre premise, the comedy somehow manages to be wilder (and more creative) than I expected. From a small beaver doing a life-risking stunt to a 2,000-pound creature being lifted by seagulls, “Hoppers” very much pushes the envelope in what preposterous situations it can place its animal cast in. Perhaps a coldhearted contrarian with no soul would be annoyed by the comedy. But if you simply suspend your disbelief and lean into the ridiculousness of it all, it’s impossible not to smile as “Hoppers” becomes an outrageously fun watch. That was not only the case for my girlfriend and me, but also the number of other couples surrounding us in the theater that night.
“Hoppers” feels like a return to the Pixar of old: charming and imaginative animated films that, at their core, are deeply emotional and human. With its cast of cute-looking animals blended with absurd comedy that one has to lean into, it ends up being a very simple, but still fun, crowd-pleaser. Perhaps this is what makes “Hoppers” such an effective date-night movie; the film creates universality through warmth and entertainment, and the combination of adorableness and ridiculousness appeals to any couple looking for an enjoyable time together.
Daily Arts Writer JC Rafal can be reached at rafaljc@umich.edu.
