Is PIXAR’s Hoppers the Most Surprisingly Unhinged Original This Decade?

Watched PIXAR’s Hoppers three times and still finding new layers. Jon Hamm as a beaver mayor approving freeway construction is the villain origin story we needed. #Hoppers #PIXAR #Animation #FamilyFilm

Hoppers Movie PosterAlthough PIXAR’s Hoppers may seem like a misleading title before Easter rolls around, it really is not. The animation alone makes that clear, offering some impressive leaps in digital fractal design alongside more complex renders that push what the studio can pull off. When compared to past works, there’s lots to like, more holiday eggs to be found. Those types of things are never easy to spot when most of the story takes place in a forest glen.

To avoid spoilers, I skipped the usual channels for information. That is because after the last two movies, knowing too much sets up expectations. I wanted to go in fresh. This latest is written and directed by Daniel Chong of We Bare Bears fame and his experience with directing humorous works starring animals shows.

This film is downright hilarious and reverses the idea of man versus nature to show how animals can fight back. When Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) learns about a project that lets her project her consciousness into a robot beaver to observe woodland creatures, little does she know about the ecology happening behind the scenes.

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The Lego Ninjago Movie vs Masters of Spinjitzu

Ninjago

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

LEGO’s Chima and Ninjago series on network television set the bar for quality entertainment which is not only funny but also engaging. These protagonists often dealt with inadequacies and skeletons in the closet. To resolve these issues took several episodes and for them to unlock their hidden potential meant achieving balance with the Force. In Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, Sensei Wu achieved this harmony many years ago and this new movie does little to align inner peace (the virtues of patience and spirituality) inside an action comedy.

After watching the LEGO Ninjago Movie, I’m wondering what in blue blazes happened? Comparisons by people who know the small screen counterpart will no doubt be made. These viewers (especially me) who kept up with this version for the past seven years will be picking favourites. Even though I knew the film would not be a continuation by any means after watching the trailer, I had hoped it can still be good. Like LEGO, new builds can be cobbled together from various kits, but this one is unbalanced. The only nod to the show is in the music the lead protagonist, Lloyd Garmadon (voiced by Dave Franco), has as a ringtone.

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