Hoppers

A mildly amusing animated romp from Disney that borrows heavily from other movies as a teen eco-activist goes undercover as a robot beaver to save her grandma's glade.

What’s the difference between stealing from other movies and paying homage? Easy: if you acknowledge the theft, then it’s a loving tribute and OK. Otherwise you’re a dirty plagiarist.

At least, that’s how I think the thinking goes. Certainly we see that dynamic in effect in “Hoppers,” a mildly amusing animated romp from Disney in which a teen eco-activist goes undercover as a robot beaver to save her grandma’s glade.

There’s a prodigious amount of “borrowing” from other flicks, starting with the conceit of animals being just as smart and self-aware as human, if only we could communicate with them. Though there’s probably a billion movies like that.

In this case, Mabel Tanaka (voice of Piper Curda) sticks her head in a computer pod and has her consciousness “hopped” into the very realistic-looking beaver body, an experiment cooked up her college professor, Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy). In this form she can basically do all things beaver and even make other animals think she’s one of them.

When Mabel comments this is exactly like in the “Avatar” movies, the doc and her assistants LOUDLY deny this is the case — wink wink, nudge nudge.

Because it’s a Disney/Pixar production, “Hoppers” has A+ animation and production values. The fur looks like you could reach up to the screen and stroke it. Meryl Streep even does a voice, for gosh sake! It also usually means there’s a not-so-hidden message intended to impart some life lessons in addition to all the sproingy animal action.

Mabel, raised by her eco-conscious grandmother (Karen Huie), wants to protect the pristine glade that was the elder’s retreat. Unfortunately, she has a tendency to get angry, make a mess of things and alienate the people she’s trying to get on her side. Like a lot of folks these days, she jumps over the persuade part of coalition-building.

Once she’s zapped into the animal world, though, Mabel is astounded by their chill vibes and “we’re all in this together” attitude. Heck, even eating each other isn’t seen as offensive, so long as it’s out of necessity.

The glade on the outskirts of Beaverton city is about to be destroyed as part of the new beltway that’s the brainchild of Jerry (Jon Hamm), the smarmy mayor. He and Mabel have been going at it for years, neither able to see things through the other’s eyes.

Beaver-Mabel is taken under the protection of the mammal king, a cuddly beaver named George (Bobby Moynihan) who benevolently enforces the “pond rules” that help all the critters get along — even as their habitat is shrinking. He’s so zen he’s not even mad at the humans for encroaching on their territory and forcing the animals to crowd each other.

Unfortunately, he’s not the only voice in the wild. Each creature category — insects, reptiles, sea life, amphibians, etc. — has their own monarch and the council they sit on together is more antagonistic toward people. Titus, the relatively new insect king (Dave Franco), gets tired of seeing his subjects getting squished and decides to turn the table on the humans.

It’s kind of a fun idea, though for my part I kept wondering how each of the kings’ little crowns manage to stay atop their furry (or scaly, or whatever) little heads without sliding off.

Director Daniel Chong (“We Bare Bears”), who co-wrote the script with Jesse Andrews (“Elio,” “Luca”), goes for a mix of cute critter jokes and mild messaging. Don’t look for a lot of internal logic as disbelief will be suspended right up to the breaking point.

Thus, we get a scene where bunch of seagulls pluck a bus-sized shark named Diane out of the ocean and use her as a sort of snapping guided missile against Mayor Jerry’s sports car. I know I’m not supposed to think about things like flight aerodynamics in relation to weight, or how Diane can breathe out of the water, but I did.

Heck, for that matter how is it that basically every species on the planet speaks a common language and humans are the only ones on the outs? I know — shut up, Mister Literalist Movie Critic.

“Hoppers” is mainly a kiddie flick but clearly has higher ambitions. In addition to basic nature-is-good, human-stuff-is-bad posturing, there’s a veiled political message in here that reminds us we’re all part of something bigger, if only we could lay aside our petty differences. I dig it.

Interestingly, the movie does not portray Mayor Jerry as an out-and-out villain, more like a deluded guy who has a knack for making people like him. For her part, Mabel has the better instincts but manages to P.O. everyone she comes into contact with.

In a way they are yin and yang, their weakness reflected as the other’s strength.

It’s not a terribly original storytelling framework, but then “Hoppers” is quite honest about being a patchwork of familiar ideas. It mostly works, and the picture’s certainly entertaining, mixing zany and serious themes in a pleasing and occasionally thought-provoking way.