Hoppers Movie Review – Pixar’s Latest Animal-Centric Film Is Cute But Safe and Predictable

Pixar movies have been a mixed bag in recent years. It’s not to say that they have been awful, but have they matched the quality of that godly period between 1995 and 2020? No. Daniel Chong’s Hoppers proves to be a step in the right direction, but it’s still missing that special flick of Pixar magic that transforms it from good to great.

Ever since she was a child, Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda) adored animals. Spending time with her now-deceased grandma only helped to further this passion for the environment and all its creatures. When the town’s mayor, Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm), kickstarts a plan to build a highway over the now abandoned glade where Mabel and her grandma shared many precious memories, the young activist fights back. After discovering her college professor has created tech that allows humans to transfer their consciousness into a robotic animal body (yes, like Avatar – a joke is even made about it), Mabel takes control of a robo-beaver in an effort to convince the other animals to return to the glade and stop Jerry’s plan.

As is the case with most Pixar films, Hoppers knows how to create a cast of colorful and unforgettable characters and give them enough screentime to run amok. From the fun-loving and kind beaver King George (Bobby Moynihan) to the chatty but scary shark assassin Diane (Vanessa Bayer), there’s an “aw, how cute” factor to the animals prancing around and livening up the movie. Even the antagonistic ones still come across as delightful in their own unique way – mostly due to the hilarious one-liners from Jesse Andrews’ script and the visual gags courtesy of the animation team.

Speaking of the latter, the best moments occur in unexpected scenes and simple interactions between characters. Viewers are far more likely to laugh their heads off and enjoy the movie’s quieter moments than the big set pieces. Heck, the exchanges between Mabel and Jerry, for instance, are a riot a minute. Funnily enough, this is a lesson that Hollywood still hasn’t learned: Less is more. Not everything needs to be noise for the sake of it.

From a theme perspective, you can’t fault the film either. It’s an environmentally friendly message, reminding everyone that there’s a place in the world for everybody and everything. Although, it doesn’t go fully down the road of why this is important; it’s more of a handwave explanation of oh, it’s nice to have green things and animals around us. Even so, it’s still a call for unity and respect for the world around us. Considering how a few of the world’s leaders have lost their minds and think climate change is only a setting on their fridge, it’s necessary to scream this louder in 2026.

While Hoppers has all the right ingredients and makes all the correct moves, it plays far too safe for its own good. This is Pixar and Disney, after all. This is meant to be about pushing the limits of imagination and challenging boundaries, but this feels like the type of story that’s been told many times before and doesn’t say anything new. However, this might not have necessarily been a result of any creative decision; instead, something decided at a boardroom level. As a former artist told The Hollywood Reporter, the Hoppers team was told to tone down the message of environmentalism. Oh, how the dreaded studio note strikes again!

All that said, Hoppers isn’t a bad movie. It’s entertaining and is sure to be a hit among the younger crowds. However, the legendary Pixar prestige of before seems to be something of the past. Nothing would bring greater pleasure than saying, “Pixar is back and better than ever,” but that simply isn’t the truth. Here’s hoping that Toy Story 5 proves to be the film that breaks the cycle and brings about a return to the glory years.

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