‘Hoppers’ Review: The Delightful New Pixar Film Is an Out-of-the-Box Critter Comedy That’s Like ‘Bambi’ on Crack

Is there any figure in movies more familiar than the animated critter who talks like a human? From “Bambi” to “The Lion King” to “Ratatouille” to “Zootopia 2,” perky anthropomorphism is at the heart of most animated films. So when I say that the central character of the new Pixar movie, “Hoppers,” is a mouthy beaver named Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda), that may sound like the cuddly quintessence of animated business as usual. You could call Mabel an eager beaver — and you could also call her righteous, testy, impassioned and wonderstruck.

But here’s the key thing to know about Mabel: She’s not actually a beaver at all. She’s a 19-old-old skate-punk college kid whose spirit gets transferred into the body of a beaver. Who is actually a robot. You heard me. That’s just the first of many out-of-the-box happenings that happen in “Hoppers.”

Mabel’s…