March 10, 2026 – A young girl inhabits a robot beaver and inadvertently starts an animal revolution in this entertaining Pixar animated movie. The message of the movie is to respect the animals and the environment, and that we can get more done when we work together. It is a well-worn but entertaining plot and message.

The young girl, Mabel Tanaka, learns to appreciate nature while watching animals in a pond near her grandmother's house. Grandma Tanaka shows Mabel how nature can calm her anxiety caused by her family moving away to another city after Mabel stays behind to take care of her elderly grandmother. When Grandma Tanaka is near death, she asks Mabel to protect the pond they both love after she is gone.

When Mayor Jerry Generazzo starts building a highway bypass through the area, Mabel tries to stop it from being built. She is unsuccessful at first, but then she discovers a secret project by biology professor Dr. Samantha Fairfax which allows people to “hop” their consciousness into a robot which can communicate with animals. While Mabel is unable to rally public political opposition to the road project, she hops into a robotic beaver and manages to get some animals to save the pond.

The humans fight back and drain the pond again. Mabel tries again to stop the project and save the pond, but inadvertently causes the animals to target Mayor Jerry Generazzo for death. Mabel never intended things to go so far, so she tries to save the mayor's life while also saving her beloved pond. Things get very complicated and very tense.

This is an entertaining science fiction animated film about getting close to nature in an unusual way. It features interesting characters. The best one is a beaver, King George, who is in charge of a remote, overcrowded pond, where many refugee animals have gathered to escape human development. The King is impressed with Mabel's courage, and she becomes his trusted advisor, until her advice leads to disaster.

Events in the movie include a forest fire, a flood and a flying shark. There is plenty of action and plenty of humor for both children and adults, like most other Pixar movies that have come before. Aside from Meryl Streep (voice of the insect queen) many of the voice actors in this movie not as well known, like Bobby Moynihan, who provides the voice of King George. Some of the more familiar voice actors include Jon Hamm (of “The Town” as the voice of the mayor) and Dave Franco (of “Now You See Me” as the voice of the Insect King) This movie rates a B.

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