HOPPERS 🤩

“Trust is like a dam; it’s going to leak sometimes, but we just have to patch it up.”

Since the release of SOUL, the above quote sums up my feelings towards Pixar. The trust between them, making good films (INSIDE OUT 2 and LUCA), has “leaked,” thanks to their bad films (ELEMENTAL and LIGHTYEAR).  Yet, after watching HOPPERS, I’m hopeful that this is step one in them “patching it up,” followed by TOY STORY 5 later this year.

HOPPERS is an emotional blast from start to finish. It’s high on energy, has larger-than-life themes, and does what animated family films do best: emotionally resonate with parents and entertain children of all ages. It’s the first movie I’ve seen in 2026 that deserved to be seen theatrically, and reminded me that going to the movies makes you feel like “you are a part of something bigger.”

So why should people hop over to see HOPPERS:

1. Mabel is the most flawed and lovable character yet in a Pixar film. No, that’s not just hype, it’s real. She’s angry, she messes up, and she has a punk-rock, impatient attitude that’s instantly relatable for teenage kids. She’s also flawlessly voiced by Piper Curda, who puts her heart and soul into the role, especially in her exchanges with her grandma and King George…
2. King George is officially my aspirational spirit animal. With his do-good qualities and extreme likability, King George easily could’ve been a throwaway side character. Yet, Bobby Moynihan provides a depth to the animated beaver that is ‘dam’ near impossible to ignore. His complex relationship with Mabel could be a TV series where they continue their adventures; it’s that much fun.
3. Inventive action sequences and real risks. Pixar has always been good at action sequences that think outside the box (a flying house in UP, and so much more). However, what’s usually lacking is the risk of character deaths in those sequences. I was pleasantly surprised when HOPPERS leaned into having life-or-death consequences, making the action all the more suspenseful.
4. The themes hit right in the feels. HOPPERS is the group hug that we all need right now. Mabel is mad, and she has every right to be. The lessons that it keeps instilling, though, are that “hurt people, hurt people,” and even though humans are apex predators… we could still be kind or play by the “pond rules.”

Final Thought: Despite having an extremely frantic pace, if you can “be still, watch, and listen,” I promise you’ll experience movie-going magic while watching Pixar’s latest: HOPPERS.