Hoppers (film)
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Get ready for an adventure like no other! Hoppers, the brand new animated sci-fi comedy from Pixar Animation Studios, is coming to theaters. Directed by Daniel Chong and written by Jesse Andrews, this film features the incredible voices of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, and Jon Hamm.
Join Mabel, a passionate animal lover whose mind gets a high-tech upgrade – a robotic beaver body! Her mission? To connect with animals and protect their precious habitat from a looming threat.
The journey began for director Daniel Chong back in December 2020, working on this original story at Pixar. The world officially met Hoppers in August 2024, with the exciting reveal of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, and Jon Hamm joining the cast.
Mark your calendars! Hoppers is set to leap into theaters across the United States on March 6, 2026.
So, what's the big idea? Imagine a world where scientists crack the code to "hop" human minds into lifelike robotic animal bodies. That's exactly what a teenager named Mabel does, becoming a robotic beaver to go head-to-head with a construction company threatening to destroy the local animal haven.
Get ready to meet the amazing voice cast! Piper Curda brings us Mabel Tanaka, a 19-year-old animal enthusiast who bravely pilots a robotic beaver. Bobby Moynihan is King George, the majestic beaver monarch. Jon Hamm voices Mayor Jerry, a mayor with a rather greedy streak. And prepare for Meryl Streep as the enchanting Insect Queen, a butterfly! The lineup also includes Dave Franco as Titus, Kathy Najimy as Dr. Sam, Eduardo Franco as Loaf, Melissa Villaseñor as Ellen, Ego Nwodim as Fish Queen, Sam Richardson as Conner, Vanessa Bayer as Diane, Aparna Nancherla as Nisha, Isiah Whitlock Jr. as the Bird King, a duck, Nichole Sakura as the Reptile Queens, three colorful snakes, Tom Law as Tom Lizard, Karen Huie as Grandma Tanaka, Steve Purcell as Amphibian King, a frog, and Demetri Martin lending his voice to a flock of birds!
The creation of Hoppers began in December 2020, when Daniel Chong shared on Twitter that he was back at Pixar, fresh off his work on "We Bare Bears." At the D23 fan event in August 2024, Pixar's chief creative officer Pete Docter unveiled the title: Hoppers. Shortly after, Jesse Andrews revealed on X, formerly Twitter, that he'd been immersed in the project for three years. The D23 event also gave us our first glimpse of the voice cast: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, and Jon Hamm.
In an interview with D23, Chong shared that his inspiration came from nature documentaries, imagining robot animals interacting with the real world. He found the idea of humans trying to fit into the animal kingdom ripe for comedy. He also mentioned influences from "Avatar" and a "Mission Impossible" spy-thriller vibe, as Mabel infiltrates the animal world. Initially, Chong pitched the film with penguins, but Docter suggested a change, leading Chong to research beavers and their incredible impact on the environment. He was inspired by how beavers are "ecosystem engineers," helping other creatures thrive, declaring, "beavers are crazy cool."
Regarding the writing, a report from The Hollywood Reporter in December 2024 suggested that filmmakers were asked to "downplay" the film's environmental message. However, in a July 2025 interview with Screen Rant, Chong refuted these claims, stating he felt a strong alignment with the film's themes. He explained that every movie undergoes significant iteration and changes, and what might appear as censorship could simply be the natural course of development.
The musical magic for Hoppers will be crafted by Mark Mothersbaugh, who will compose the film's score. This marks his first full feature film score for Pixar, after contributing to several of their short films.
Get ready for the big screen! Hoppers is scheduled for a theatrical release in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on March 6, 2026.
The marketing buzz has already begun! A first-look image was unveiled at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June. Later that month, a short teaser played after the credits of Pixar's "Elio," featuring a lizard repeatedly typing the lizard emoji. In August 2025, Pixar revealed the lizard's name is Tom, and he'll be a part of the film!
Hoppers is an upcoming American animated science fiction comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Daniel Chong from a screenplay by Jesse Andrews, the film stars the voices of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan and Jon Hamm. It follows an animal lover named Mabel whose mind is transferred into a robotic beaver in order to communicate with animals and save their habitat from destruction.
Chong began working on a new original film at Pixar in December 2020. The film was first officially announced as Hoppers in August 2024, along with Curda, Moynihan, and Hamm revealed as part of the cast.
Hoppers is scheduled to be released in theaters in the United States on March 6, 2026.
== Premise ==
After a group of scientists invent a way to "hop" human minds into lifelike robotic animal bodies, a teenager named Mabel uses their technology to embody a robotic beaver and thwart a construction company's plot to destroy the local animal habitat.
== Voice cast ==
Piper Curda as Mabel Tanaka, a 19-year-old animal lover whose mind is transferred into a robotic beaver.
Bobby Moynihan as King George, a beaver monarch
Jon Hamm as Mayor Jerry, a greedy mayor
Meryl Streep as the Insect Queen, a butterfly
Dave Franco as Titus
Kathy Najimy as Dr. Sam
Eduardo Franco as Loaf
Melissa Villaseñor as Ellen
Ego Nwodim as Fish Queen
Sam Richardson as Conner
Vanessa Bayer as Diane
Aparna Nancherla as Nisha
Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Bird King, a duck
Nichole Sakura as Reptile Queens, three snakes of different colors
Tom Law as Tom Lizard
Karen Huie as Grandma Tanaka
Steve Purcell as Amphibian King, a frog
Demetri Martin as a flock of birds
== Production ==
=== Development ===
In December 2020, Daniel Chong revealed on Twitter that he had returned to Pixar following the completion of his Cartoon Network television series We Bare Bears (2015–2019) and the release of We Bare Bears: The Movie (2020) and that he was working on an original feature film. At the D23 fan event in August 2024, Pixar's chief creative officer Pete Docter announced that the film would be titled Hoppers. Shortly after, Jesse Andrews revealed on his X (Twitter) account that he had been working on the film for three years. As part of the film's announcement at the D23 event, Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, and Jon Hamm were revealed to be part of the voice cast.
In an interview with D23, Chong said that one of his inspirations for the film were the nature documentaries in which robot animals are placed in the animal world; "It felt like it was ripe for comedy, this idea of how humans try so hard to fit into the animal world and the weird things that happen through that." He additionally stated, "obviously there are Avatar influences, [...] But there's also this Mission Impossible spy-thriller quality to the movie too, because Mabel's kind of infiltrating the animal world."
Chong initially pitched the film with penguin protagonists. However Docter disapproved, arguing that penguins had been protagonists in several other animated films, so Chong changed the protagonists to beavers after doing research on how they affect the environment; "These animals can be these ecosystem engineers and help everyone else survive; I think that just made me go, 'Oh man, beavers are crazy cool.'"
=== Writing ===
In December 2024, The Hollywood Reporter stated that, according to a former Pixar artist, the filmmakers were told to "downplay" the film's "planned message of environmentalism." However, in a July 2025 interview with Screen Rant, Chong denied that the film's themes were censored, stating, "If anything, I felt a lot of alignment. [...] The honest truth about the process, though, is that every movie here goes through so much iteration and changes a lot, and I can see, maybe, to some other people's eyes within the studio, [how] they might see [that] it looks like things are being censored. But, really, [the movie is] just going through its natural course of iteration and stuff–at least for our movie."
=== Music ===
In August 2025, it was announced that Mark Mothersbaugh would compose the film's score, marking his first composition for a Pixar feature film after composing several short films for the studio.
== Release ==
Hoppers is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on March 6, 2026.
=== Marketing ===
A first-look image of the film was publicly shown at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2025. Later that month a short teaser, featuring a lizard repeatedly typing the lizard emoji into a phone, played in theaters after the end credits of Pixar's Elio. In August 2025, Pixar revealed that the lizard's name is Tom and that he would appear in the film.
== Notes ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Official website
Hoppers at IMDb
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