'Hoppers' review: One of the best Pixar movies in years

In Disney-Pixar’s "Hoppers," a nature-loving college girl named Mabel learns there’s a way to communicate with local animals by transporting her brain into the body of a robot beaver. It reminds Mabel of a certain blockbuster movie, although the scientist who invented the gizmo is offended by the comparison.

"This," huffs Dr. Sam, "is nothing like ‘Avatar!’"

Whatever you say, Disney (which happens to own James Cameron’s $6 billion franchise). The premise of "Hoppers" is undeniably familiar — Mabel will even lead an animal revolution against her own kind — but the movie also manages to tell its own thoroughly entertaining story. With its endearing cast of characters, a refreshingly honest depiction of the animal kingdom and a much-needed message of open-heartedness, "Hoppers" stacks up as one of the best Pixar movies in years.

Piper Curda, a Disney Channel alum, is the voice of Mabel Tanaka, a smart, strong-willed student at Beaverton University whose anger problem seems to manifest in her unruly mop of hair. Her beloved Grandma (Karen Huie) introduced her to a calming glade full of flora and fauna — and now that Grandma’s gone, it’s all Mabel has left. When her lifelong nemesis Mayor Jerry Generazzo (a suitably cheesy Jon Hamm) displaces the glade’s animals to build a freeway overpass, Mabel flies into one of her rages. Enter Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy) and her brain-hopping technology.

Once Mabel is frolicking among the animals, she meets King George, a royal but modest beaver played by a lovable Bobby Moynihan. George teaches her the Pond Rules: Be friendly, be helpful and eat who you must. "Inconsistent," Mabel calls them, but they make a certain sense, too. (At any rate, this is the rare animated Disney movie that faces its predator-prey problem head-on.) George also insists, "Everyone’s good deep down," which is either a pearl of wisdom or utter folly; Mabel will have to decide.

Directed by Daniel Chong (in his feature-film debut) from a screenplay by Jesse Andrews (Pixar’s "Luca"), "Hoppers" makes good use of its voice cast, especially Dave Franco as a tyrannical caterpillar named Titus. (That character inspires a couple of mock-horror moments that, to be honest, are actually a little scary.) The movie also has a lovely way of altering its animal characters slightly — either fully expressive or trustingly docile, depending on whether Mabel is living in their world or ours. I look forward to "Hoppers: The Way of Water."

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com