While the concept of a human using technology to project their consciousness into another being or an inanimate object is hardly new, Hoppers does it so invitingly and with such gusto that you can’t help but fall in love with it. Disney/Pixar’s latest is an absolutely shining example of sharing stories that allow room for creativity, diversity, action, and a ton of heart. While idealism is currently being stomped under jackboots in the real world, Hoppers reminds us that idealism is what makes people and their surroundings better, giving us an all-too-brief respite of goodwill and trust before having to head out of the movie theater and into waking life.
It’s the kind of movie that wears its altruism on its sleeve, but it also shows the work that must be done in conjunction with our words. Of course, the work in Hoppers involves hooking the characters’ brains up to machines to control mechanical puppets, but that’s the fun of it. Yes, even the movie references its operational similarity to Avatar, and both are about piloting a remote body to infiltrate some kind of populace or culture, but I’ll say this: I’d revisit Hoppers ten times over before I watch another Avatar movie.
Why? Hoppers is so much more accessible, from its main character’s relationship with her grandmother to its literal animal kingdom, brought to life in extraordinary ways. There are points where the film literally reaches out and asks you to join it on its path, as opposed to watching someone play a big-budget video game. All throughout, we’re brought into Mabel Tanaka’s (Piper Curda) adventure as she bridges the human world and the animal kingdom after stumbling across her college professor Dr. Sam’s (Kathy Najimy) secret project: Hopping. The method: Stick your head in a salon hairdryer-looking thing and control a mechanical animal. The benefit: You can understand and talk to other animals.
Improbable and totally and for all the world impossible, but there’s something more “yeah, it could happen” about Hoppers. Maybe it’s the thrown-together nature of Dr. Sam’s lab and operations, or maybe it’s how easily it aligns with Mabel’s “Save the planet” ethos. A longtime champion of animal rights—no kidding, the opening shows her getting in trouble for liberating a turtle (well… at least it starts with a turtle) from her grade school, apparently not her first time pulling such a stunt—Mabel tries to stick up for those who can’t stick up for themselves. She’s driven by a love for nature, fostered in her youth by her grandmother (Karen Huie), a woman who teaches her the value of sitting and simply being part of something bigger than herself for a little while. Grandma Tanaka and Mabel share a special place with the animals in a glade, which Mabel continues to visit after Grandma Tanaka passes on.
As a young adult, Mabel has to fight local mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) when he moves to destroy the glade for his new highway project, with Mabel voicing her concerns that the animals’ habitats will be ruined… but Jerry has a good point: There are no animals. Every last bit of wildlife has fled the glade, which seems suspicious; there’s something Jerry’s not telling us, and Mabel’s gonna get to the bottom of it. Completely dumb-lucking her way into Dr. Sam’s experiment, Mabel takes control of a robotic beaver to find out what happened to all the animals, which is where the movie takes flight.
The second Mabel arrives in the animal kingdom—literally, as there are animals wearing crowns—the movie moves into a new gear as we’re instantly acclimated to the fear that comes with not being the highest on the food chain. “Pond rules,” a.k.a. “the laws of the jungle,” have been established and adhered to; it’s hilarious to see the way spaced-out beaver Loaf (Eduardo Franco) accepts being chomped by bear Ellen (Melissa Villaseñor) while Mabel objects, thus prompting a visit to the local king, George (Bobby Moynihan). The woods come alive as animals of all kinds gather around the ersatz mountain the beavers have created with their dam, beginning Mabel’s adventure as one of the pack, investigating why they were all driven from their habitat.
Hoppers has a lot to say about environmental issues, corruption, grief, and nature taking care of itself, but it touches most importantly on friendship. There’s not a lot of human support that Mabel gets, but somehow, she feels more alive in the animal kingdom. She seems to have more purpose and focus when she’s around George, Loaf, Ellen, and the other animals who’ve introduced her to a whole new world. We see her in a place where she’s valued in a way that she hasn’t felt since her grandmother passed, and it’s wonderful to see her being part of it. Piper Curda gives an impassioned, stellar performance that perfectly accompanies Pixar’s careful and thoughtful renderings of this ball of energy we call Mabel. As either human or beaver, Curda helps us believe; through her and her character, Hoppers develops an undeniable soul, moving past being the latest children’s film and into a place where we can lose ourselves in hope and love.
There is so much good going on in Hoppers, and director Daniel Chong instills such an aura of support and togetherness throughout. You almost don’t want to leave the theater because it’s the kind of movie that makes you feel satisfied about the little things you do that add up to the bigger good. Every character has a purpose and moment to call their own, and Jesse Andrews’ script makes the most of each of these moments by introducing something—a new perspective, humor, or a lesson—to treasure and take home. He doesn’t do it in a way that makes you feel like you’re going to school; instead, the film makes it part of their being, part of their ethos, and it’s more of a living, breathing thing rather than points to be made on a chalkboard. An early favorite of mine for 2026, Hoppers is a rare movie that has its cake and eats it as far as being entertaining and giving you things to think about, but it leaves enough to share it with everyone around them for maximum fun.
