Mabel and Grandma Tanaka in a scene from “Hoppers.”
Mabel enters the animal world disguised as a beaver in “Hoppers.”
By J.K. YAMAMOTO
Rafu Staff Writer
The animated film “Hoppers” is not only a major hit for Pixar but also a step forward for AAPI representation, according to a cast member.
“Hoppers” opened with $46 million the weekend of March 7-8 to lead all films in North America, according to industry estimates. In its second weekend (March 14-15), it remained at No. 1, making an additional $28.5 million.
When scientists discover a way to transfer human consciousness into robotic animals, college misfit and environmental activist Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) uses the new technology to disguise herself as a beaver and uncover mysteries of the animal world that are beyond anything she could have ever imagined.
Curda’s father, Brig. Gen. Stephen Curda, is the first Korean American to reach the rank of one-star general in the U.S. Army Reserve. Her credits include the Oscar-nominated drama “May December” and the TV series “Watson,” “The Morning Show,” “Matlock,” “Raven’s Home” and “The Flash.” She is also a recording artist.
Mabel is played as a child by 8-year-old Lila Liu, while her grandma is played by Karen Huie, whose recent credits include the TV series “The Pitt,” “Blue Eye Samurai,” “Welcome to Flatch” and “Abominable and the Invisible City” and the video game “Ghost of Tsushima.”
“Thanks to Marni Anhalt and Steven Niebert at Imperium 7, I got the audition for ‘Hoppers’ and booked the job,” said Huie. “I recorded twice in New York City, once at Disney Studios and again at the Pixar Campus in Emeryville, Calif. You’re in the booth with a microphone, your imagination and input from the director and producer, Daniel Chong and Nichole Paradis Grindle. I gave myself over to them because I had no script and they knew their vision and what they needed.
“Each time their film tested, people wanted more of Grandma Tanaka, so my part expanded.”
As is often the case with animated films, the actors record their parts separately and don’t actually meet until they start promoting the finished product.
“It was announced Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan and Dave Franco would be in ‘Hoppers.’ We couldn’t say anything about it until the cast was officially announced,” Huie recalled. “On Nov. 15, that list started with Meryl Streep and more ‘Saturday Night Live’ alumni: Mellissa Villaseñor, Vanessa Bayer, Sam Richardson and Ego Nwodim. Bobby Moynihan was also from SNL.
“I was stymied to be in this list of talent. I was thrilled to meet some of them when I got to walk the red carpet with the rest of the cast!”
Walking the red carpet at last month’s Hollywood premiere was memorable, not only because she interacted with her fellow cast members but also because she got to meet Pixar luminaries, including Pete Docter, head of the studio and creator of “Toy Story”; and Peter Sohn, director of “Elemental.” Huie was also interviewed by George Pennacchio, ABC 7’s entertainment reporter.
Huie has been in the business since the 1980s, appearing in such TV shows as “The Jeffersons,” “St. Elsewhere,” “T.J. Hooker” and “Cagney & Lacey.” She had a significant role in the 1995 film “Wild Bill” opposite Jeff Bridges. She is pleased with the AAPI representation in “Hoppers.” “There is a cornucopia of Asian American stories told, being told and yet to be told. I’m glad Grandma Tanaka is a park ranger who happens to be Japanese American, like her granddaughter Mabel … I’m proud we get to represent AAPI as Americans in a Pixar film.
“Domee Shi wrote and directed ‘Turning Red,’ which was a great Pixar film that was culturally specific. It’s wonderful there are more AAPI cultures being represented now. In L.A., there are over 26 AAPI nationalities represented. We’re all not the same. Each of us isn’t even the same as we were last year. It was Walter Pater who said, ‘It’s the roughness of the eye that makes any two things appear alike.’ If you think two things are alike, you’re not looking deeply enough.”
In the flashbacks of Mabel’s childhood, “Mabel’s mother can’t handle her and dumps her off at Grandma Tanaka’s,” Huie explained. “She teaches her about finding peace in the Glades behind her house. It’s there Mabel finds peace and notices the critters living peacefully there. When the mayor (Jon Hamm) tries to bulldoze through there to put up a highway, Mabel springs into action to save it.”
According to the movie’s press kit, “Grandma Tanaka has always been a calm, empathetic, consistent presence in Mabel’s life, and understands her granddaughter when others don’t. From a young age, she teaches Mabel about the importance of protecting the beauty and innocence of nature. As a member of the Beaverton Wildlife Society, Grandma Tanaka believes that as long as you take care of those around you, you’ll be making a difference.”
The cast also includes Nichole Sakura as the Reptile Queens, a trio of snake sister monarchs. Formerly credited as Nichole Bloom, she is best known for her roles as Cheyenne in the sitcom “Superstore,” Amanda in “Shameless,” and Emily Davis in the horror video game “Until Dawn.”
“Hoppers” has garnered mostly positive reviews. Owen Gleiberman of Variety said, “It’s top-drawer Pixar, a reminder that when this studio is firing on all cylinders, it will take you places you’ve never imagined.”
Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com wrote, “In a world that is often troublingly us vs. them, it is good to see the Pond Rules (which the animals in the film live by) … explored with a deep understanding of Grandmother’s wisdom, letting us all see that more is accomplished when ‘we’ means all of us are a part of something big.”