Hoppers

“that’s what nature does. it’s hard to be mad when you feel like you’re a part of something big.” i mean this so genuinely when i say this is the best film that has been released thus far in 2026. hoppers is an absolute triumph for pixar and everyone involved and anyone reading this needs to go out of their way and see this on the big screen. the film follows mabel, a quick-tempered nineteen year old girl who cares deeply about the environment and animals, that consistently receives pushback and isolation regarding her mission of nature preservation. with the incoming destruction of the emotionally significant forest glade at the hands of mayor jerry (jon hamm), mabel decides to take things into her own hands. after uncovering the “hopping” technology her professor was secretly working on, it allows her to inhabit the animal world as a robotic beaver. my little plot blurb doesn’t really do this film justice at all with just how crazy it gets while maintaining its emotional core. from its opening moments, both my girlfriend and i had tears filling our eyes. i haven’t quite seen an animated film that is this over-the-top and rambunctious while still so powerful in its message. while a lot of this movie emphasizes the importance of nature preservation and love for animals, i think what i wasn’t expecting was its sentiment regarding the hardship in feeling like you can make a difference. we live in such a complicated and vast world that we all share and it can sometimes feel like we are never able to be heard. super moving stuff (and incredibly important for the current times) and i just adored it. artistically, this is some of pixar’s most fun. the character designs are so amazing, both animal and human. the choice to have the animals be beady eyed and when shown from the perspectives of humans and more expressive when “hopped” was such a great concept. i cannot emphasize enough how adorable all the designs are here and as many people know, i LOVE tom lizard (see my choice of poster). by far the best part of this film was its humor. i haven’t laughed and been as shocked by an animated movie in quite some time. nearly every joke lands and writer/director daniel chong (we bare bears) just nails the tonal balance. there is one specific joke i have to mention regarding mabel and a monarch butterfly that gagged our entire theater and pushed the emotional tears out my eyes from earlier. this film is genuinely so so so funny and a large part is credited to the delivery from all the voice actors. i hate when animated movies just hire actors that will sell the movie and not actors that serve their characters in the best way. every cast member is so perfect here with notable shoutouts to bobby moynihan, jon hamm, and piper curda. i truly don’t want to say too much because i think much of my enjoyment stemmed from all the twists and turns it threw at me. i am so glad i was able to see this a bit early and i urge everyone to go out and see this as soon as you can. might be too soon to say but top five pixar movie. 🦎🦫❤️🥔🪵