Hoppers

Vibe

Watch for

• Mabel’s initial transition into the robotic animal world, establishing both the concept and emotional stakes.
• The interactions between human-controlled and natural animals, highlighting themes of authenticity and imbalance.
• The evolving relationships Mabel forms, which reshape her understanding of connection and responsibility.
• The moments of realization, where the film’s ideas about empathy and coexistence come into focus.

Production notes

Hoppers was directed by Daniel Chong, the creator of Cartoon Network's We Bare Bears; he had begun developing the film at Pixar in December 2020 after returning to the studio. The project went through an unusual conceptual reframe early in development — Chong's original premise had a human controlling an Adélie penguin robot, but Pete Docter and Pixar leadership felt animated penguin films were oversaturated, and Chong rewrote the script around a robotic beaver after researching how beavers function as 'ecosystem engineers' in their natural habitats. Production designed unique 'Pond Rules' for the team's working culture. Piper Curda voiced Mabel, with Bobby Moynihan as King George the beaver, Jon Hamm as the villain Mayor Generazzo, Kathy Najimy as Dr. Sam, Meryl Streep as the Insect Queen, and Dave Franco as the Insect King. Mark Mothersbaugh composed the score in his first Pixar feature credit; SZA wrote and performed the end-credits song 'Save the Day.' The film cost a reported $150 million.

Trivia

• Hoppers's protagonist was originally going to be a robotic penguin in director Daniel Chong's first script; Pete Docter and Pixar leadership felt animated penguin films were oversaturated, and Chong rewrote the script around a robotic beaver after learning how beavers function as ecosystem engineers.
• Director Daniel Chong is best known as the creator of Cartoon Network's long-running animated series We Bare Bears (2015–2019); Hoppers was his Pixar feature directorial debut after returning to the studio in 2020.
• Mark Mothersbaugh — co-founder of new wave band Devo and longtime composer for Wes Anderson films — composed the score in his first Pixar feature credit, after having previously composed for Pixar's Toy Story Toons and Cars Toons short films.
• The city of Beaverton, Oregon declared March 5, 2026 'Hoppers Day' in honor of the film's release; Mayor Lacey Beaty presented Piper Curda and Bobby Moynihan with a handmade wooden key to the city during the film's world tour.
• Hoppers grossed approximately $380 million worldwide on a $150 million budget, becoming the fifth-highest grossing film of 2026; its strong performance after Elio's 2025 collapse was widely characterized as a 'return to form' for Pixar's original-film line.

Legacy

Hoppers's release in March 2026 was widely characterized as Pixar's 'return to form' after the troubled Elio. The film grossed approximately $380 million worldwide on a $150 million budget — Pixar's strongest theatrical performance for an original (non-sequel) film since the pre-pandemic era. Critical reception was warm; reviewers praised the film's offbeat humor, its environmental themes, and Daniel Chong's distinctive comedic voice. The Rotten Tomatoes score sits around 83% with critic consensus calling it 'a peak return for Pixar.' The film's commercial recovery has been credited with renewing internal Pixar confidence in original-film projects after the Elio shock, and the '$150 million original feature performing strongly' template has become a model the studio is consciously leaning into. Mabel and King George have entered Pixar's character roster, and Daniel Chong has publicly expressed interest in a sequel. As Pixar's 30th feature film, Hoppers also marks a quiet milestone for the studio — three decades of theatrical animated features since Toy Story (1995).