Released: 26th March
Seen: 20th June
One of the big problems that people have with the modern film landscape is that it feels like most movies that make it to cinemas have to either be based on a pre-existing IP (book, TV show, Reddit story that inexplicably gets popular) or a sequel to a film that was a previous hit. This seems to be reflected in the box office, if you look at this year’s top 10 highest grossing films you’ll see sequels, movies based on books and even a film that heavily utilises the IP of one of the biggest popstars of all time. There are only 2 films in the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2026 (at the time of writing this review) that are not based on some already existing property. The first is the megahit Obsession which exploded due to great word of mouth and the other is the subject of this review, Pixar’s first big film of this year, Hoppers.
Hoppers stars a 19 year old animal lover named Mabel (Piper Curda) who is desperately trying to stop the construction of a highway by the local mayor Jerry (Jon Hamm). She’s trying to stop it because the construction intends on going through a glade where a ton of animals live and also where Mabel has some family history since her grandmother used to take her to that glade often… strike the first half of that, a lot of animals USED to live there but they’re mysteriously absent right now.
While trying to find out what’s happening at the glade that might’ve caused the mass animal exodus, she discovers that her science professor, Dr Sam (Kathy Najimy) has been working on something known as Hopping. Hopping involves a robotic beaver that Dr Sam is able to inhabit and use to understand just what the animals are saying. Naturally, because we need it for plot reasons, Mabel ends up hijacking the robot beaver and inhabiting it herself so she can return to the glade, find the animals and bring them back. Naturally this will lead to her uncovering a massive government conspiracy, dealing with several high powered royal animals and trying to prevent a small genocide happening… you know, FOR KIDS.
One of the glorious things about Hoppers is that it understands that its premise is silly as hell and everything about it tries to match that level of silliness. The jokes come thick and fast, alternating between great wordplay and wonderfully presented physical comedy. Everything is bright, broad and just delightful to look at. Absolutely nothing about this film is going for realism, at times it borders on Looney Tunes levels of absurdity. People move in gloriously unnatural ways, often these creatures will just do whatever is required to make the joke work best and it makes for a hilarious viewing. Some of the visual jokes are so over the top it’s impossible to describe them, but they also have some expressions that are so specific you just can’t help but giggle (not to spoil the joke but just pay attention to the lead characters little gestures after a major death… it’s subtle, but it’s hilarious).
While a lot of animation nowadays pushes the limits of what can be achieved with the technology, Hoppers is a lot more careful with what it’s doing. The designs aren’t overly detailed, just big and bold enough that you can easily accept the silliness on screen. One of the smartest things it does is make minor changes in how the animals look when we’re meant to be able to understand them, using this not only for comedic effect but for some of the most heartbreaking moments in the film (because it wouldn’t be a Pixar film if they didn’t just rip your heart out just for fun). It’s some of the best animation design that Pixar have done in a while, making characters that are instantly recognisable and memorable within moments of seeing them.
It’s also just fun to see a film from Disney with a very clear antagonist, they’ve almost gotten rid of the classic Disney villains lately by having either surprise third act villains or complicated characters who think they’re doing the right thing and this film just has a couple of genuine villains that give us some genuinely fun moments. Sure, they might not be Cruella de Ville, but they’re threatening and allow the film to have some really fun dark moments that give this silly little film some pretty sharp teeth.
What also helps the film is that it handles its environmental message surprisingly well, it’s certainly not being subtle about what side of the argument it’s on but it doesn’t get into preachy territory. It touches on the difficult choices that we make to move around as a society, but also doesn’t hold back on calling out people who put minor comforts above nature. It also delves into ideas of loss, legacy and trust in ways that’re that are well thought out, creating some of the more charming moments in the movie.
Hoppers is, simply put, a genuinely great movie that’s funny, touching and original to boot. It’s big and bold enough to entertain kids who are just here for the bright colours and big moves but has enough actual substance to keep the older kids engaged. It plays to everyone without pandering, the kind of film you really hope that Pixar can do more often because it’s fun seeing them just go to some wild wacky places and create some magic like this. Hoppers feels special, in a landscape of kids film this one absolutely stands out as something truly important.
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