In Beaverton, the rebellious and passionate environmentalist Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) spends her childhood with her grandmother in a nearby forest glade inhabited by many wild animals. Flashing forward, Mabel is horrified to learn that Beaverton’s mayor, Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm), announces plans to replace the glade with a freeway. Approaching her biology professor, Dr. Sam Fairfax (Kathy Najimy) for help, Mabel stumbles into the Dr.’s ‘hopping’ device, a machine that allows human consciousness to ‘hop’ into robotic animals to experience life as that species.

It is little surprise that Pixar/Disney movies are beautifully rendered and animated, so much so that differentiation lies in character and story. Mabel is furiously passionate about protecting animals and learns the calming nature of the natural world around her from her grandmother. Forming a bond with her in their special glade, Mabel holds the place in great importance in her absence. Feeling powerless to stop the incoming infrastructure, Mabel takes on a beaver avatar to penetrate the animal social hierarchy to bring animals back to the glade and disrupt the construction. Once in this new social structure however, Mabel discovers the consequences of unchecked power, the nuance of equilibrium, and the importance of community.   

Cheekily referencing Avatar (2009) and real-world documentaries that utilise animatronics to get an inside look of animal behaviour in their natural habitats, the characters are adorable without being mawkish, and the story is genuinely touching. The story dovetails beautifully with surprisingly funny shocks and beautiful emotional payoffs.

Verdict: A surprisingly funny and moving experience. 4.5 stars.

Luke McWilliams, themovieclub.net. Viewed at Dendy Cinemas.