Even in its moments of madness, “Hoppers” — playing in Seattle theaters starting Thursday — never loses its humor or heart.

“Hoppers” isn’t afraid to get a bit weird, the latest offering from Disney-owned Pixar Animation Studios sporting an irreverent streak we’ve not seen in a while from a major-studio animated release.

But what keeps “Hoppers” from drifting into Pollyanna-ish sensibility is its charming spikiness, and embrace of the weird, wacky and witty as it unfurls a high-tech action thriller about a strange, if ...