If Hoppers Matters to You, It Matters to Me

Hoppers has been hailed as a return to form for Pixar; notably thanks to an unexpected spin in its third act. While Hopper's first act plays with familiar troops (a reuse of the relationship that made everyone cry in UP) with the loss of the only parental figure in the protagonist's life, the movie perhaps inadvertently shares the most profound commentary on the effects of the absence of a parental figure … specifically the absence of Dad. 

Hoppers portrays the story of Mabel, a young woman who is a strong willed environmental activist set on preserving the Glade, a patch of forest just outside the neighboring city which happens to be Beaverton Oregon (just next to Hillsboro, Oregon home to Kingship Church). 

Since she was a child, the glade was a spot where Mabel and her grandmother spent each day bonding as they cared for the land and wildlife. As Mabel gets older and her grandmother has passed, the narrative of the story builds its tension on a single line that motivates Mabel to protect the glade at all cost from Mayor Jerry, who is trying to complete a highway for the city. 

The line “look after this place” became an unintentional mantra for Mabel. It not only formed her view of protecting the wildlife but the legacy of her grandmother. Her grandmother‘s intention was most likely a sentiment and it did not mean she wanted her granddaughter to sacrifice her schooling and isolate herself from society in order to protect the Glade. Guilt seems to be the biggest motivator which leads Mabel to take it to the extreme. Often, Mabel’s focus on protecting the glade leaves little thought or real care for others. The means in which she engages to fulfill her promise has her displaying characteristics that are less than honorable; all of which get addressed. 

The guilt goes back even further as Mabel struggles with anger issues from the very beginning. After an adorable classroom pet jailbreak scene with Mabel at a young age, the deemed trouble maker is dropped of at grandmothers by her mother, who is heard saying “I don’t have time to deal with this” - which for any child can easily be translated into “I don’t have time for you”. The mom is never seen in the movie again.

Who never makes an appearance in the film, however, is Dad. He is not mentioned once by Mabel, but the effect of his absence is on full display for the entire film. 

The film uses an Avatar like concept to place Mabel in the body of a robotic beaver to infiltrate the wildlife to help them keep the Glade a refuge for all wildlife. That’s the premise of the movie and the concept is quite delightful and unexpected by the end. But that’s not the undercurrent of the film. I’m not even sure the filmmakers are a hundred percent aware of the story they told. 

On the surface there is an environmental story about how we all (humans and wildlife) have to live on this earth together. It has a better focus than most as here it acknowledges that humans are part of the solution and not the problem. But any story is driven by character motivation. And Mabel’s “Dad Issues” surface in the reality of the world Pixar built. 

Recently it has come out that Pixar had a philosophy shift around how they made their movies. While movies from their golden years were more universal asking questions like, “what if toys came to life”, more recently their movies have become more personal; mirroring real life experiences from the staff’s own story. 

This means the world that they rendered reflects their very own experiences and it stands out. The world they built is absent of quality men. 

Of all the characters that surround Mabel, there are two characters that represent the male role model and one of them is not even human but King George, a beaver.  

Half way through the movie King George opens up about being rejected by his dad. He was casted out from the pond he grew up in and his Dad was too self indulged with himself to value George. The lines are meant to humanize the beaver but the camera is too busy focused on Mabel. This is because the filmmakers are using this moment to bond the two, which makes this all too real for Mabel’ character. It's more obvious when she takes out all her anger on Mayor Jerry who is her only true human male role model in the film. Unfortunately, Jerry inhabits all the traits George describes and the film is begging him to change. 

Mabel is left in a vacuum. At one point she confesses that she is tired of being alone, yet Mabel has relationships with many women in the film. What lacks is a voice in her life from the opposite gender that sees and expresses her value. 

It is the single most powerful line in the whole movie when King George agrees to help Mabel protect the glade…

“If it matters to you, then it matters to me”

Dads not only need to be present in their kids lives, especially daughters, but present in their interests. 

That doesn’t mean the line is a blanketed statement, much how the grandmother’s line is used. You can’t be all in with your daughter's love of throwing rocks at the neighbor’s windows. But their interests do need Dad’s guidance. Every kid needs the instilling of morals and values within the context of how they engage with the world. 

This is Dad’s role: to be a protector and empowerer as our kids explore and interact with something greater than themselves. They need to know they have value and worth. They need to be reassured as they mature and deal with loss and struggle. Otherwise they grab hold of whatever gives affirmation in the moment. Much of which is motivated to use them; not value them.  

Our culture has a big father issue that we somewhat don’t want to address. The Bible highlights this. It is always a point of tension. God referring to Himself as Father is no accident. A Dad is meant to reflect the nature of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes other males have to step into that void within a community setting.  When we, as dads, fail to engage the role God gives us, it leaves many like Mabel left to navigate that absence, feeling unwanted. They grow up with a disconnected thread that is supposed to point to God. 

Hoppers has a lot of good things going for it as a film. The environmental message may be a big turnoff for some. However, I saw a deeper message of what it takes to be that male role model in the life of a kid; to help them know and be assured of their value and worth, guide them to self reflect and examine the means of how they pursue the world, instill integrity and honor and teach them to treat others the same. 

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Hoppers (2026)

Motion Picture Rating (MPA) Rated PG for action/peril, some scary images and mild language.

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Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Malachi 4:5-6