DENVER — A new animated movie about beavers is already a hit at the box office. "Hoppers" is about a teenager who uses technology to “hop” her consciousness into a robotic beaver, so she can help a group of animals fight against a greedy construction company.
The science incorporated in the movie is inspired by actual wetlands in Colorado.
Pixar’s animation team consulted with a scientist to accurately portray beavers and their role in the ecosystem. They called Dr. Emily Fairfax, a professor at the University of Minnesota. She guided the film's team through field research in Colorado beaver ponds, visited Pixar Studios, and helped shape a story that puts nature's most underestimated engineers at its center.
“I was taking them to the mountains of Colorado and showing them real beaver wetlands that had withstood drought and fire and flood and all the big ones,” Dr. Fairfax told Denver7.
Fairfax said that working with nature is one of the most effective ways communities can build lasting climate resilience. Beavers are a compelling example of that principle.
“Beavers will keep doing their engineering even through multi-century droughts," Fairfax said. "So yes, it's definitely bad that Colorado's in such a rough drought, but as far as the beavers are concerned, they will be able to make it through it, and we can learn a lot from them. If beavers can deal with a 200-year drought, what could we maybe mimic ourselves so that we can deal with them a little bit better as well?”
Fairfax said easy ways we can help beavers are cleaning up trash near riverbanks and planting more native plants.
“Anything that can help a river be healthier and be more natural, free and wild is going to help that river be more resilient and be there for us when we really need it,” Fairfax said.
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