By India McCarty
HOPPERS’ director and producer opened up about the movie’s “chaotic” main character, and why she’s the perfect hero.
“We wanted an unpredictable character who was just a little bit chaotic, a little bit unhinged,” Daniel Chong, HOPPERS’ director and co-writer, told Screen Rant of main character Mabel.
He continued, “You love characters who just are willing to jump into the fire and you don’t know what they’re going to do.”
Producer Nicole Grindle agreed, adding that the movie’s writers balanced that “unhinged” element with a mission that rounded out Mabel’s character.
“Her intention was just to take care of animals,” she said. “She had the best intentions.”
Grindle continued, “We always wanted a true Pixar story that was not just funny…but also had the depth and the emotional gravitas, the thing that Pixar films always promise: that it’ll make you cry.”
Chong shouted out actress Piper Curda, who voices Mabel, saying, “She did such an amazing job, and she really just brings to life all those nuances that make you love her.”
A synopsis of HOPPERS reads, “What if you could talk to animals and understand what they’re saying? In Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film HOPPERS, scientists have discovered how to ‘hop’ human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to communicate with animals as animals!”
“The adventure introduces Mabel, an animal lover who seizes an opportunity to use the technology, uncovering mysteries within the animal world that are beyond anything she could have imagined,” the synopsis continues.
Movieguide® reviewed HOPPERS positively, praising the movie for its “strong morally uplifting notes” and “delightful, wacky, hilarious story.”
In an interview with Disney, Chong shared that he has been working on the idea for HOPPERS since 2019.
“These movies do not come easily,” he acknowledged. “They take a lot of work, a lot of iterations. It’s been a joy working here. I’ve worked here for a lot of my life, and coming back as a director, it’s just been a joy, working with people I love working with.”
Chong continued, “One of the things I can say across the board about [lead cast members Curda, Jon Hamm and Bobby Moynihan is that they are] are very funny. It is a comedy through and through in terms of the acting — and the chops that these people bring are fantastic.”
HOPPERS is playing in theaters.
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