Hop

1. The rabbit in China is delivering Easter gifts, but is chased and beaten by a tough woman... Like the landlord lady, right!?

2. The rabbit is dressed as a mascot, and the older sister really likes it and takes advantage of it. The highlight comes when the rabbit is placed back on the bed, stands up, and mimics the movements of a wind-up toy saying "hug, hug." It's just so cute...

Hehe, although the overall plot is quite weak, that second part really made me laugh. Is my sense of humor too low?

Clearly, this is aimed at a younger family audience. I don't know what Marsden was thinking when he used the rabbit to fool the people underground, claiming he could do ventriloquism and successfully stole the stage from his sister.

Although her singing was indeed terrible, I wonder what the kids in the audience must have thought. But when, 13 minutes into the film, our Ibi is happily drumming and the supporting character is doing a rock chicken dance that made me melt with cuteness, I just couldn't help myself.

Marsden finally has a hit movie (even if it's for younger audiences...), though it's a shame... he still got overshadowed by the rabbit.

And even worse, the rabbit was upstaged by the rabbit-chicken. However, when I saw the rabbit delivering candy to China, I felt like Universal was insulting us again.

Do they think our old ladies would be so cruel to a bunny bringing candy? Hollywood still seems to think of China as being stuck in the old days, with the dusty, grumpy old woman beating our cute bunny with a broom.

It's like they’re fantasizing about how we are. Okay, if it weren’t for the post-credits scene, I would’ve been more scathing in my criticism.

But luckily, when Marsden, now a ridiculous Easter Bunny man, delivers candy to our old lady, she happily accepts. Does that mean our Chinese old ladies like American-style hunks?

This must be Hollywood’s own fantasy. How should I put it… the buildup was a bit boring, but for a boring afternoon tea, it’s not too bad as a pastime, as long as you drop your IQ and don’t mind that a bunny is trying to train a grown man to become a bunny...

You need to stay calm for that...

You called me "rabbit, rabbit," and later I realized that rabbits are actually such great creatures. They eat carrots, deliver Easter eggs, and help fulfill many dreams. Along with the Tooth Fairy, they stayed with us through childhood and into adulthood. But if we could always remember the memories of our childhood and truly believe in them, one day our dreams would really come true. The rabbit would talk, the eggs could paint themselves, and we could sit in a pumpkin carriage, traveling the world with our rabbit friends while spreading eggs...

P.S. I need to really think about it—what's the thing I most wanted to do as a child? Perhaps, one day, I’ll really get to do it.

This is clearly a typical Russell Brand style. His voice acting for the rabbit is just perfect. He even makes a cameo in it. Kaley Cuoco is the main focus, right? But honestly, she doesn’t have much screen time. It also feels very much like her typical Penny role.

Now, let’s talk about the male lead. He’s a man who’s ignored by his father, someone seen as a "parasite" living off his parents. While this is definitely a fairy tale, if your parents don't believe you can succeed, then you're bound to fail. I have someone like that in my life—my ex-boyfriend. His parents had completely given up on him. It wasn’t even a matter of disappointment; they just didn’t believe in him anymore. He felt like he couldn’t do anything, was incredibly insecure, and believed he would always mess things up. Isn’t that the parents' responsibility?

Take the adopted Asian girl in the film, for example. Her adoptive parents always praised and encouraged her. Despite having a terrible singing voice, she still bravely stood on stage as the lead in a musical.

Actually, my dad used to think I should follow the path he had planned for me. He believed my singing was just wishful thinking. But when he came to see my performance that day, he was moved to tears.

So, for all the kids with dreams—show your strength and stand up to the people who doubt you. That’s how you keep your back straight. When no one believes in you, you have to believe in yourself. Otherwise, even if you're capable, you'll never accomplish anything.

"**Hop**" was pretty much what I expected. The visuals are exquisite, and the animation style is totally my thing! The rabbit's fur and eyes are beautifully done—so vivid (I just love these fluffy little creatures!). But the movie’s fatal flaw is its lack of a rich storyline. When I watched *Alvin and the Chipmunks*, I had so much fun, but with *Hop*, I felt like something was missing. I know the writers were really trying to apply the Christmas movie formula to *Hop*, but unfortunately, it's not working... From a plot perspective, it’s just too predictable, and the jokes aren’t unique enough (though the scene where the rabbit disguises itself as a toy was pretty funny XD). To sum it up: the storytelling part just wasn't strong enough. However, given the gorgeous visuals, the cute rabbit, and that “I Want Candy” song that brought back childhood memories, I still gave *Hop* some points for friendship.

**The Origin of the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs**

I absolutely love Easter! Mainly because we get a break from school (yay!) and there’s lots of candy to eat, plus decorating Easter eggs! I once decorated a Hello Kitty egg >.<" But I never knew the origin of the Easter Bunny... Turns out it’s like this: on Saturday, people would light a bonfire, and on Sunday, they would go to church and decorate colorful Easter eggs in the garden. For centuries, people have celebrated Easter—the most important Christian holiday—in this way. Additionally, there are many songs and stories about the Easter Bunny. While this is a Protestant invention, it has nothing to do with religious tradition. So where do Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny come from? That goes back to Protestantism... Catholic children know that there are many eggs during Easter because the previous seven weeks were fasting periods. But there’s no fasting rule in Protestantism, so how do they explain why there are so many eggs at Easter? Thus, the story of the rabbit delivering eggs was invented. On top of that, rabbits are a symbol of fertility (representing the arrival of spring and new life). Eggs have long symbolized new life, and they also represent Jesus’ death and resurrection. Decorating, gifting, and eating eggs has been a common Christian practice since the early church. The famous mathematician Gauss once invented a formula to calculate which day Easter would fall on thousands of years in the future. Since 1684, Easter has been the first full moon after the vernal equinox, falling between March 22 and April 25. And every time that happens, the Easter Bunny shows up.

**Beautiful Visuals, But a Hollow Storyline**

Some people might say, “It’s an animated movie, meant for kids, so what do you expect from the plot?” (But *Toy Story 3* and *Despicable Me* both had really solid plots! Animated films can definitely have substance!) The movie is about an Easter Bunny who is about to inherit a huge responsibility, but dreams of being a drummer instead of delivering candy. So, it runs away from home to pursue its dream... The bunny goes to a playboy’s mansion, asking for a place to stay, but is turned down. It’s confused: “You said it yourself! This mansion is specifically for sexy rabbits (which actually refers to blonde bunny girls). First, I’m a rabbit. Second, I’m sexy...” Of course, no one’s going to take it in, and it ends up walking alone on the streets of Hollywood, where it gets hit by a car... by an aimless, adult man. This man is shocked by the talking rabbit and refuses to take it in. But the rabbit uses a sob story to gain sympathy. Then, the two become best friends after a series of misadventures. Meanwhile, the bunny’s dad is being plotted against by an evil, scheming rooster, and Easter Island is in crisis... So, the boy and the bunny team up to save Easter Island, and in the end, they both become the Easter Bunny. (Does this plot feel familiar?! It’s very similar to *Alvin and the Chipmunks*.) However, *Alvin and the Chipmunks* did a better job of portraying the relationship between the single man and the three chipmunks. *Hop*, on the other hand, feels a little vague and rushed. The ending, where they save Easter Island, didn’t impress me much—it lacked any action scenes :/ (But hey, it’s meant for kids, so I guess it’s better not to be too violent XD). The whole “boy becoming the Easter Bunny” plot is a bit... forced?! Why couldn’t they write it so that he becomes a bestselling children’s author after meeting the playful little bunny?

Overall, *Hop* isn’t particularly special. But it’s still a fun animated film. The male lead didn’t get much chance to shine, and his sister ended up being more likable. The bunny is absolutely adorable, especially when it’s younger... made me really want to get a rabbit as a pet... I’d recommend it to anyone who loves animated movies! (Kids absolutely adore this movie!)