Pixar's Hoppers knows it's like Avatar.

Its protagonist, 19-year-old animal lover Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda), draws the comparison as soon as she learns about the movie's "hopping" technology, which transfers human consciousnesses into ultra-realistic robot animal bodies. That way, humans can infiltrate the animal world and study it up close.

Basically, swap Avatar's Na'vi for beavers, and you've got a decent idea of what Hoppers looks like.

But does this similarity rob Pixar's latest original film of any of its, well, originality? Absolutely not. Hoppers takes its fish-out-of-water (or human-out-of-human-body) story in delightfully unexpected directions, resulting in Pixar's most bonkers film yet.

Hoppers kicks off in classic Pixar fashion.

Credit: Disney / Pixar

Before that adventure begins, Hoppers checks off something huge on Pixar's usual to-do list: making me cry within the first ten minutes.

In these opening minutes, we meet a young Mabel, full of rage after a failed attempt to break her classroom pets out of school. To soothe her, her grandma (voiced by Karen Huie) brings her to a glade behind her house. They sit together in silence and observe nature: Leaves blow in the wind, tadpoles flit through the water, beavers and ducks swim with their babies. It's pure serenity, the kind, Grandma Tanaka says, that can only come from acknowledging that you're part of a larger whole.

That sense of peace persists in a montage of Mabel and her grandma caring for the glade over the years. And yes, if you hear the words "Pixar" and "montage" and immediately think of Up's iconic "Married Life" sequence, then you already have an idea of what's coming. My eyes? Welling up just thinking about it.

Hoppers is an emotional rollercoaster.

Credit: Disney / Pixar

It's hard to believe that just an hour from this serene, tear-jerking sequence, you'll be watching a group of animals trying to take out a hit on a human mayor (voiced by Jon Hamm).

Of course, a lot has to happen between these two points. Beaverton Mayor Jerry Generazzo has to plan to pave over the Tanakas' glade for a beltway. Mabel has to learn about hopping, hop into a robot beaver body, and, in an attempt to save the glade, become an ally to the local wildlife. That includes beaver George (voiced by Bobby Moynihan), king of the mammals and leader of a large pond community where the displaced glade animals have fled.

Each step on this journey is zanier than the last. Beaver Jazzercise? Sure! Meryl Streep voicing the terrifying Insect Queen? Absolutely! Yet through it all, director Daniel Chong and writer Jesse Andrews keep Hoppers rooted in Mabel's grief over losing the space that meant so much to her and her grandmother. When we first see the glade, it's pristine: all clear water and lush forest. By the time Mayor Jerry fences off the land and drains the pond, it's a muddy, dead wasteland. The contrast is a gut punch.

It's no wonder, then, that Mabel is so angry and so fired up in her environmentalist fight. Thankfully, Hoppers doesn't dim her rage at all. It allows her to be as prickly and pushy as can be, acknowledging her flaws without sanding them down.

Mabel finds the perfect foil in George, who's as warm and trusting of everyone as Mabel is cynical. Their friendship forms Hoppers' sweet, furry heart, and it also ground the film as it hits its most outlandish beats.

Hoppers' third act is the stuff fever dreams are made of.

Credit: Disney / Pixar

Look, robot beaver Avatar is already a bizarro concept. But Chong and Andrews take it to wild new heights in the film's third act, which is chaos incarnate. No spoilers, but a sweet-spoken shark named Diane (voiced by Vanessa Bayer) and the Insect Queen's tyrannical spawn Titus (voiced by Dave Franco) get involved, each in ways that are equal parts hilarious and unsettling. I could not stop thinking, "I'm obsessed that I'm seeing this in a Pixar movie."

So much of the joy of these final sequences comes down to Hoppers' animation, which brings each of its characters to breathtaking life, hair by hair, scale by scale, and feather by feather. A particularly funny touch? Animals' appearances change based on perspective. When we're seeing them from a human's point of view, they seem almost toy-like, with black beady eyes and neatly kept fur. From an animal's perspective, their eyes are more expressive, and their other physical characteristics are more detailed and disheveled. When Mabel is in the beaver body, its fur takes on the same spiky swoops of her hair. The switches between these points of view turn Hoppers' third act into more of a riot than it already was. Truly, I wish I could experience it for the first time all over again.

Cleverly ridiculous, and boasting a sweet message about trust and building community, Hoppers is wild in all the right ways.

Hoppers hits theaters March 6.

SAVE $40: As of March 2, you can pick up a pair of Apple AirPods 4 for only $89 at Walmart. That's 30% in savings and $10 cheaper than Amazon.

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Credit: Apple

Apple AirPod 4

$89
at Walmart

$129
Save $40

Get Deal

It's not every day you can score a pair of Apple AirPods for under $100, let alone under $90. So if you're in the market for some new earbuds, we recommend adding the fourth-generation AirPods to your cart ASAP.

As of March 2, the Apple AirPods 4 (without ANC) are only $89 at Walmart. That's $40 cheaper than their list price and currently $10 cheaper than buying at Amazon. Although, we wouldn't be surprised if Amazon price-matched the deal as soon as we hit publish on this article.

Even at $129, their full price, the AirPods 4 are a pretty sweet deal. The basic pair doesn't offer noise cancellation (you'll have to pay an extra $30 for those), but they do offer personalized spatial audio, a snug fit that's comfy enough to wear for all five hours of battery life, a more compact charging case than their predecessor, and improved bass, mids, and highs.

We still favor the AirPods Pro 3 as the holy grail earbuds for Apple users, but if you're looking to save some money and don't need noise cancellation, the AirPods 4 are a much better deal at only $89. As Mashable's reviewer noted, they sound "like honey" and truly deliver as a daily driver.

A big upgrade is coming to our favorite iPad. The iPad Air, Apple's best blend of performance and price, now comes with the M4 chip. This announcement comes ahead of a "special Apple experience" scheduled for 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 4. Apple CEO Tim Cook teased the experience on social media, and he also referred to a Monday, March 2 announcement.

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We now know the Monday announcement was the new iPad Air with M4 chip and iPhone 17e. Previously, the iPad came with the M3 chip, making it a well-rounded device with the potential to compete with any laptop. So, are you ready to preorder the new tablet? Well, despite Apple's announcement today, the tablet isn't available to preorder, but it will be soon.

When can you preorder the new iPad Air M4?

The iPad Air with M4 chip will be available for preorder on Wednesday, March 4 at 6:15 a.m. PT. Apple has already updated the iPad Air's listing in the Apple Store to reflect the new model.

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Credit: Apple

Apple iPad Air (M4)

Starts at $599

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When does the new iPad Air M4 tablet arrive?

While preorders for the new iPad Air begin on March 4, the device will be available beginning Wednesday, March 11. Luckily, that means you just have to wait one week between preorder and pickup.

What's the new price for the iPad Air with M4 chip?

With a new device, especially one receiving an upgrade like the iPad Air with M4 chip, you'd expect an increase in the starting price. However, Apple is continuing its trend of maintaining its devices' starting prices even with a new generation.

The iPad Air with M4 chip starts at $599, the same price as the current iPad Air with M3 chip.

iPad Air deal to shop now

If you're a shopper who sees a new product release as an opportunity to shop the previous generation at a discount, we see you and are happy to report that the previous generation of iPad Air with M3 chip is now on sale.

Right now, you can grab the iPad Air with M3 chip for $489.99 at Amazon. That's 18% off the $599 list price for $109.01 in savings. This isn't the lowest price ever on the iPad Air. During Black Friday, it reached an all-time low of $449, but this current deal price is just $40 more. Not bad savings considering we're not sure how much longer the M3 iPad Air with hang around once the M4 is released.

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Credit: Apple

Apple iPad Air (M3)

$489.99
at Amazon

$599
Save $109.01

Get Deal