This week on Thank God for Movies, Jon Negroni and Will Ashton do what every movie podcast eventually must. We talk about a Pixar film as though the future of the medium depends on it. Which, in the case of Hoppers, might not be entirely untrue!
On this episode, I’m joined by Will to dig into Pixar’s latest original. And it’s a movie with a premise so gloriously strange it almost feels like a dare. Hoppers asks: what if human beings could transfer their consciousness into robotic animals in order to communicate with wildlife from the inside? And the more we talked about it, the more it felt like exactly the kind of big swing people always say they want from Pixar. Even as the studio itself seems increasingly caught between artistic risk and sequel-era caution. I kept circling the same question throughout our conversation… Is this a genuine return to form, a charming one-off, or a test case for whether original animated movies can still break through in theaters?
Before we get there, though, Will and I take our usual scenic route. We catch up on what we’ve been watching, from my recent TV detours to his new writing gig, and we finally reveal the winning name for the show’s new flaming film-reel mascot: Hot Shot! We also play another round of Film Roulette, which remains one of my favorite excuses to make Will rapidly explain his taste in movies while I try to predict it with a false level of confidence.
Then we get into Hoppers itself, and what I found most fascinating is how many different movies it seems to be at once. It’s a woodland political comedy, a grief story, an environmental satire, and somehow one of Pixar’s funniest and deadliest films. Will and I talk about Daniel Chong’s sensibility. Bobby Moynihan’s instant-classic supporting performance. Jon Hamm’s ongoing campaign to prove he should be allowed to be a silly little guy. And yes, the movie’s surprisingly invigorating willingness to get genuinely weird. I admired its comic energy, its visual playfulness, and how often it feels like a film with actual personality. At the same time, I found myself wrestling with whether its politics feel urgent or oddly preserved from a more optimistic, more conciliatory cultural moment.
We also end up comparing Hoppers to a whole stretch of recent Pixar: Elio, Elemental, Turning Red, Luca, and Soul. Will and I disagree a bit on where it lands, especially once The Wild Robot enters the conversation. And from there things only get more specific. We talk about the film’s body count and the strange pleasures of a Pixar movie that leans into discomfort. And because I am apparently incapable of stopping myself… I spiral briefly into Pixar Theory territory.
What I liked most about this conversation is that it let me work through my own mixed but affectionate feelings about Hoppers in real time. I don’t think it’s top-tier Pixar. I do think it’s funny and weird. And it’s full of the kind of imaginative spunk I want more of from the studio. And even when it falls short, it reminded me why Pixar originals still matter. Especially when they’re allowed to be this peculiar.
SHOW NOTES:
- 00:00:00 – Intro: Winner of our logo competition
- 00:07:05 – Film Roulette: Wuthering Heights, 10 Things I Hate About You, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, Joe’s College Road Trip, The Lost Bus, Pillion, A Mighty Win (2003), Retirement Plan, Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie
- 00:17:15 – Review: Hoppers
