In 1994, Weezer released what’s become known as The Blue Album, a 10-song banger that took alt rock in a new direction. Buoyed by a trifecta of catchy singles—“Undone (The Sweater Song)”, “Buddy Holly”, and “Say It Aint So”—The Blue Album became a massive success.
Two years later, Weezer followed up The Blue Album with their second album, Pinkerton. While far less successful than their first, Pinkerton was just as much a masterpiece (maybe more). Strikingly confessional, it became an essential and highly influential album.
The impact (and varying levels of success) of these incredible first two swings knocked Weezer off its feet. They didn’t release another album for five years. And when they did it was… good. But nowhere near the heights the band had previously reached. Then they released another album. Also, good. But where was the great?
In the two decades since the band has released more than a dozen albums, many of them good or even very good. And that’s where they live now—more of their career has been good than great.
So what’s any of this have to do with Hoppers, the latest Pixar movie about a young environmentalist who finds herself able to live among and communicate with animals as a result of some Avatar-like technology? I bring up Weezer in relation to Hoppers because Pixar has a Weezer problem.
Pixar has spent the past decade making good movies. And yet they never quite feel good enough in comparison to the unbelievable run the studio from 2007 to 2010 when they rattled off Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, and Toy Story 3. If a Pixar movie doesn’t reach the level of those masterpieces, it immediately gets a caveat (“it’s good, but not their best”).
All that’s to say Hoppers is good. It’s breezy, funny enough, with meticulous and flawless animation. I like the way the creatures are styled to look almost like stuffed animals. The movie is probably a little longer than it needs to be and maybe a little overly complex, but it’s still a better-than-average kid’s movie (and, yes, this one is a pure kid’s movie). No, it doesn’t reach the heights of peak Pixar. Then again, what does?
I’d say you’re pretty much right on the money, seems kind of pessimistic to think that they’ve plateaued in terms of quality. But I would love to be proven wrong.
I’ll have to check it out I must admit I haven’t seen the marketing for this one very much.