Pixar's Hoppers: A Biblical Worldview Movie Review for Parents

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Hello, friends. On today's podcast, we are going to be discussing the movie Hoppers. We're going to look at what it is, what are some positive elements, what are some negative elements, and then—if you choose to take your kids to see the film—what are some biblically grounded questions that you can talk through with them afterwards.

That's what we're going to be covering today on the Foundation Worldview Podcast, where we seek to answer your questions so that you can equip the children that God has placed in your care to carefully evaluate every idea they encounter and understand the truth of the Christian worldview. I'm your host, Elizabeth Urbanowicz, and I'm thrilled that you've joined me for this episode today.

Now, as I typically say for every Foundation Worldview movie review, I am never going to recommend that you take your child to see a certain film, simply because that's a matter of conscience. So you may listen to this review and decide, "No, this movie isn't for us"—and that's okay because it's a matter of conscience. However, the purpose of this is just to give you an overview of the movie to help you make a decision on whether or not you're going to see it, and then, if you do decide to take your children to see it, to give you some biblically grounded questions.

Movie Overview (Spoilers Ahead)

Just to let you know, there are going to be spoilers here because the purpose of these reviews is not to keep you on the edge of your seat but simply to give you an overview of the movie and conversation starters so that you can make an informed decision.

This movie features a young woman named Mabel. When the movie opens, Mabel is a young girl who loves animals. She's trying to sneak the class pets—the animals in tanks or cages at her school—out of the building. And whenever she gets caught, she really struggles with anger. At the beginning of the movie, we see that Mabel's grandmother teaches her to stay calm by going out into nature and simply listening. Her grandmother says, "It's hard to be mad when you feel like you're part of something big."

Now, as Mabel grows up, her grandmother eventually dies. When she is in college, the beautiful glen that her grandmother would always take her to is overrun by the mayor, who is determined to build a highway that goes right over it. Mabel tries to protest. She really struggles with anger over this. And in the process of protesting, she learns about a secret program that one of her professors has created—a program that allows humans' minds to be transferred into animatronic animal bodies so that humans can learn more about animal behavior by becoming an animal.

Mabel goes against her professor's wishes and actually turns herself into a beaver. She goes out into nature, becomes friends with different animals, and tries to convince them to band together to save the glen.

In the process, she is very passionate and becomes angry—as we see her become angry throughout the movie. Some of the animals she's trying to convince catch her anger and become angry toward the mayor. But they decide not just to save their home; they want to go a step further and, in their words, "squash the mayor." So then Mabel and some of her animal friends seek to save both the glen and the mayor, because the animals are out to get him.

In the end—again, spoiler alert—the animals and the humans learn to work together to save both of their homes: the glen and the city. So that's just a basic overview.

Positive Elements

Excellent animation. As is typical with Pixar movies, the animation was just excellent. One thing I really appreciated is that when Mabel is in her animatronic beaver body and talking in the animal language, you can tell because the eyes on all the animals are the typical Pixar eyes—really big, really expressive. But when Mabel is herself and can't communicate with the animals, the animals just have regular animal eyes. I thought that was a really creative visual cue to let the viewer know whether or not they're going to be able to understand an animal.

Good storytelling. As is typical with Pixar, there was really good storytelling. This movie wasn't necessarily one of my favorite Pixar movies, but the story is well built and keeps you engaged throughout, which is very typical of Pixar animated films.

Strong focus on relationships. The movie focuses a lot on relationships. You see a lot about Mabel's relationship with her grandmother. You see her relationships with different animals she befriends. You even see her relationship with the mayor, whom she's angry with. I think Pixar typically does a really great job portraying relationships.

Negative Elements and Things to Be Aware Of

Some intense and scary scenes. This wasn't necessarily negative, but it's something you'll want to know, especially if you have younger children. There were some scenes that were more scary and intense than is typical for Pixar films:

• A scene where a bear comes out of nowhere, grabs a beaver, and is about to eat it. It's short but a bit intense.
• A scene where a shark is lifted out of the water by birds and flown over to attack the mayor. It's a longer scene and could be more intense.
• A scene where snakes, frogs, and insects take over the lab where Mabel became an animal. It's just a more scary scene.
• A part where the king of the butterflies becomes an animatronic human, and the rubber part of his face gets ripped off—a bit more intense and scary.

So just be aware if you have younger children that this is a little more intense than some Pixar films.

Mild language. There's a part where Mabel calls someone a "jerk," and a part where Titus, the butterfly king, says something "sucked." Just be aware that those things happen.

Mildly inappropriate humor. There were only a few things I thought were mildly inappropriate—nothing bad. It was not at all like Zootopia 2, which I thought had tons of inappropriate humor. But two things you'll want to be aware of: one time the word "dam" (for a beaver's dam) was used in a way that made it sound like they were cursing—Mabel was standing on top of the dam, and it was just kind of a play on words. Then when Titus is in an animatronic human body, he rips open his shirt to show his chest hair and says, "A true king would bear the lushness of his plumage for all to see." This is probably going to go over most kids' heads, but it was kind of borderline.

Humans presented as just another animal. I think the negative element that's going to stand out specifically to most Christians is that throughout the film, humans are presented as just an animal—an animal that's part of nature, just like the rest of the animals. It's presented as if we have taken more than our fair share of nature. One of the animal characters says, "We all have our place in the food chain, but one animal is taking more than what is rightfully his."

This is the attitude presented throughout the movie: there's nature, there are many different types of animals—mammals, fish, birds, insects, reptiles—and humans are presented as part of the mammal kingdom, having taken more than what is rightfully theirs.

Now, I know that this part of the film will probably cause many Christians to just roll their eyes and say, "Oh yeah, it's just another tree-hugging film." However, I think this theme is something we can actually use to help our kids see something much deeper in this film. If you do choose to take your kids to see this film, please don't just roll your eyes at this part—please help your kids look deeper.

That's what we're going to talk about now. I think there are four key questions we can ask our kids to help them see deeper than just this theme of "humans are mammals and have taken more than their fair share."

Question 1: Why Can Nature Calm Us?

It's true that nature can have a very calming effect on humans. So we can ask our kids: Why is it that nature can calm us? Is it just like Mabel's grandmother said—because it makes us feel like we're part of something big?

I think what we can do is take our kids directly to Scripture. What does Scripture have to say about nature and what it has to do with us?

The first passage I think we can take our kids to is Psalm 19:1–3:

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard."

What does this passage reveal about the heavens, part of God's creation? It reveals that the heavens are constantly speaking of God's glory. When we look to the heavens, when we look to the skies, we are seeing part of God's glory.

The next passage is Psalm 104:24–30:

"O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground."

What does this reveal about creation, nature, and animals? It reveals that they are God's works—that all creation was created by God and that God is the one who sustains his creation. So we again see God's glory in creation.

Then a final passage: Romans 1:20:

"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

This passage reveals that God's invisible attributes—specifically his eternal power and his divine nature—are clearly seen in nature so that we don't have any excuse for not knowing that he is God.

We can talk with our kids about what these passages reveal about why it's so healthy for us to be out in nature, why nature can bring us peace. Nature can bring us peace because it was created, is sustained by, and reflects the Prince of Peace. It's the Prince of Peace's handiwork in creation. We want our kids to see that nature can bring peace and calmness not because we're just part of something bigger than ourselves, but because nature reflects God. When we are in nature, we are experiencing God's attributes.

Question 2: When Humans Build Structures in Nature, Are We Taking More Than Is Rightfully Ours?

That's the tension throughout this whole movie—the mayor wants to keep expanding the city and build a highway, and both Mabel and the animals view him as taking more than what is rightfully his.

A passage of Scripture I think we can take our kids to is Genesis 9:1–7. This is right after Noah has gotten off the ark and God is speaking to him:

"And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.'"

What's revealed in this passage? Very clearly, God created man in his own image and all animals have been given to humans. Humans and animals are not on equal footing. Are animals creatures of God? Absolutely. They're valuable. They're part of God's creation. But animals and humans are not on equal footing. Humans aren't just another type of mammal supposed to share equally with the animals on earth.

We want our kids to see that God has created man in his image. Man is not another animal. The earth has been given to us. We're not just "taking more than is rightfully ours" when we build buildings and cities—the earth is a gift that God has given to humans.

Question 3: What Is Our Responsibility Toward Creation?

Now, the fact that God has given us the earth doesn't mean we can just do whatever we want with it. We want to ask our kids: What is our responsibility toward creation?

A passage we can take them to is Genesis 1:27–28:

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'"

What is revealed here? God created humans in his image and has given them the responsibility to fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over the rest of creation. Our responsibility as humans is to steward creation—meaning we are to use what God has given us for God's glory and for our good. This means we are both to wisely use the resources God has given us and wisely conserve them.

What does it look like to find that balance—to wisely use the resources God has given us without taking advantage of them? I don't think any of us would want to live in a world where all of nature was taken over by concrete structures. For those of us who live in the United States, I don't know about you, but I'm grateful that Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir were intentional about setting aside national parks—parts of the land that are set aside where humans cannot build, because we want to enjoy creation. Now, if the whole continent were reserved for that, that wouldn't be wisely using the earth God has given us, because we need shelter, buildings, and places to do our work. It's about having that balance of using what God has given us and wisely conserving it.

Having dominion over creation also means that animals are to be treated kindly, that they're to be cared for. We're not to treat animals as humans, but we are to steward them. Sometimes that means we use the resources they have to give—the wool, the milk, the meat. We're not to treat animals as humans, but we're also to treat animals as creations of God.

Many people don't know this—even many Christians don't know this—but the first humane societies were actually created by Christians, specifically William Wilberforce, who's known for ending the British slave trade. He and his friends in the Clapham Sect in England were the first to work toward laws ensuring that animals had to be treated a certain way. Now, have we taken those laws to the extreme, where animals are treated as humans? Yes, we have—and that's not biblical either. But it is our responsibility as God's image bearers to care for the creatures he has created.

For those of you who have taken your children through our God's Good Design curriculum here at Foundation Worldview, if you take your children to see this movie, I highly recommend that you go back and review the big truths we covered in the first six lessons of Unit 2 of God's Good Design. That second unit covers all the truths about humans being created in God's image, as male and female, as body and soul, being created for God's glory. We want to really drill those truths home with our kids.

Question 4: Why Do We Long for All of Nature to Work in Harmony?

Throughout this movie, there's this longing that Mabel has for all of creation to work in harmony. She wants humans to get along with the animals. She wants the animals to get along with humans. She wants nature to be preserved.

In some sense—even if we might not have that same identical longing—we really do long to get along with others. We do long for animals to be in harmony with humans. We do long for nature to be in harmony with us. We don't love storms or droughts or other things like that. So why is it that we all long for all of nature to work in harmony?

A passage we can take our kids to is Romans 8:18–23:

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."

What does this passage reveal about creation and humans? It reveals that right now, creation is groaning. It is longing for Jesus to return, for us to be revealed as the sons of God, and for all of the earth to be made new. That's one of the reasons we long for there to be this harmony—we're longing for the return of Christ.

Another passage that speaks to this is Isaiah 11:6–10:

"The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious."

What does this reveal about when Jesus returns? It reveals that all of nature will be in harmony. The wolf is going to lie down with the lamb. The calf and the lion and the fattened calf will be together. Can you imagine a lion lying down next to a fattened calf? What does a lion do right now? It eats the fattened calf! And then it says that a little child is going to lead them, and a young child is going to play over a cobra's den and not be hurt.

We can help our children understand that all humans have this desire for nature to be at rest. Those who created this movie bear God's image. So like the rest of us, they are longing for heaven and earth to be united. They are longing for what has been broken to be restored. It's simply that the creators of this movie don't yet know the One who will one day right all that is wrong, who will one day unite heaven and earth and make all things new.

So if you choose to take your children to see this movie, I would just encourage you to help them see this true theme—that this movie was actually created with a very holy longing, the longing for the return of Christ, the renewal of creation. It's just that those who created this film don't yet understand where that longing comes from. They don't yet know Jesus. And let's pray that they do—that they one day come to know the One who is going to unite heaven and earth and bring order and restoration to all things.

Keep Building a Biblical Worldview with Your Kids

If conversations like these are the kinds of conversations you want to be having with the children that God has placed in your care, I'd encourage you to sign up for the Foundation Worldview email list. Each week, we send out practical resources and encouragement to help you equip your kids to think biblically about everything they encounter—from movies like Hoppers to everyday conversations.

Also, if you have a question that you would like for me to answer on a future Foundation Worldview Podcast, you can submit that by going to FoundationWorldview.com/podcast. If you've discovered this channel or this podcast by watching this video on YouTube, make sure you like and subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes—we do movie reviews like this frequently. And if you're listening in podcast form, I'd just ask that you take the two seconds to give us a rating and a review.

As we leave our time together, my prayer for you is that no matter the situation in which you and the children God has placed in your care find yourselves, you would trust that God is working all things together for your good by using all things to conform you more into the image of his Son. I'll see you next time.