
The Avatar movies aren’t the only cautionary tales to swoop into “save the whales” territory, with a new full-length animated feature film showcasing eco-warriors eager to pounce on a beaver protection bandwagon. It’s not as full-on funny or immediately memorable as some of the top-shelf Disney-Pixar films, but Daniel Chong’s Hoppers (B) centers a creative story on a young female activist infiltrating an animal habitat to save it from developers, resulting in quite an animal kingdom rally. Suffice it to say our protagonist inhabits the body of a semiaquatic rodent and learns a good bit about the sound and, well, furry of living with the land, the pecking order keeping creatures in harmony and the bipartisanship required with humans and animal counterparts to increase the peace. Chong tells a solid story with winning animation and most of all an agenda of urgency and education eclipsing some of the sly delights, even though there are many in the midst. Voice actors Meryl Streep and Dave Franco are a hoot as mercurial monarchs of the insect world, while Piper Kurda and Bobby Moynihan keep things fetching in the freshwater. Make sure the young scientists in your family check this film out, as its insights are far deeper in the pond than the kiddie fare previews may promise.