By Jeanni Ritchie
Sometimes the best part of a movie isn’t just what happens on the screen—it’s the connections you make with those you share it with.
I saw Disney/Pixar’s Hoppers with my mom and my grandson Jonah, and from the very first scene, I realized just how much Mabel Tanaka reminded me of him. He also gets angry and shuts down, unable to express his emotions at times. It takes a loving grandmother—like Grandma Tanaka—to bring that kind of peace back in.
“It’s hard to be mad when you feel like you’re part of something big,” Mabel’s grandmother shares one day as they sit atop a rock at Beaver Dam. As Mabel grows up, her passion for the animals grows even stronger and she frequently butts heads with Mayor Jerry over environmental issues.
When Mabel finds herself in a lab with technology to “hop” her consciousness into a robotic beaver, she takes it over in order to communicate with animals and help save their habitat. What begins as curiosity quickly turns into a mission when she uncovers a plan by Mayor Jerry to destroy the animals’ home.
With the help of King George the beaver and a growing network of unlikely allies, Mabel sets out to protect the animals and their habitat.
It’s a fun, fast-moving story with plenty of humor, but like most Pixar films, it carries a deeper message underneath the surface. At its core, Hoppers is about connection—understanding others, finding your place, and realizing that you’re part of something bigger.
That message stuck with us long after the credits rolled.
Later that week, Jonah got upset while playing with his brother and cousins at a big family gathering. In the middle of backyard chaos—right there by the trampoline—I reminded him that it’s hard to stay mad when you feel like you’re part of something big.
I’m not sure the impact was as great in PawPaw’s backyard, but it did make him laugh. Sometimes a little moment shared between just two people is just as special.
That’s what makes a movie like Hoppers stand out. It’s not just entertaining—it gives you something to take with you. A reminder, a lesson, or even just a line you find yourself repeating days later.
And judging by both critics and audiences, it’s already resonating—making it well worth a trip to the theater.
