Synopsis: A 19-year-old animal lover uses technology that places her consciousness into a robotic beaver to uncover mysteries within the animal world beyond her imagination.
Stars:Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Sam Richardson, Melissa Villaseñor, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Ego Nwodim, Nichole Sakura, Meryl Streep, Vanessa Bayer
Director: Daniel Chong
Rated: PG
Running Length: 104 minutes
Movie Review in Brief: Hoppers is a warm, charming Pixar adventure with irresistible animation and Bobby Moynihan providing excellent voice work, even if the 104-minute runtime could use a trim and the story never quite reaches the studio’s emotional peak.
Pixar has spent three decades figuring out how to make audiences laugh, cry, reconsider their relationship with a plastic cowboy or try to lock eyes with their clownfish. With Hoppers, the studio adds something new to its playbook: the overwhelming urge to reach through the screen and pet what you’re watching. This Hoppers review gives the film a thumbs up for delivering a charming, funny, occasionally overstuffed adventure that families will enjoy even if the 104-minute runtime asks a little too much of its youngest audience members. Should you see it? If you’ve got kids and a free Saturday, absolutely. If you’re going solo, bring your patience and your soft spot for animated beavers.
The Hoppers Review: Pixar Builds a Better Beaver
The setup is vintage Pixar high-concept. Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda, May December) is a 19-year-old college student and wildlife advocate who gets her consciousness transferred into a lifelike robotic beaver through experimental technology created by her biology professor, Dr. Sam Fairfax (Kathy Najimy, Hocus Pocus). What begins as a desperate mission to save a local forest glade from a smarmy mayor’s freeway project spirals into something stranger and bigger.
Mabel befriends the charismatic King George (Bobby Moynihan, Monsters University), stumbles into a volatile Animal Council, and accidentally ignites an interspecies political crisis that escalates in ways I genuinely didn’t see coming. Director Daniel Chong, making his feature debut after the beloved We Bare Bears on Cartoon Network, keeps things breezy even when the plot gets tangled.
Moynihan is the film’s MVP, giving King George a warmth and comic timing that makes this beaver the most huggable Pixar character in years. He and Curda play off each other with natural ease, building a friendship that earns its emotional beats without overselling them. Jon Hamm (Million Dollar Arm) goes delightfully slick as Mayor Jerry Generazzo, and though I have to admit I’ve never been the biggest fan of his big screen performances, it turns out Hamm makes a surprisingly effective voice actor when he’s given permission to, uh, ham it up.
The supporting bench is stacked with Saturday Night Live alumni: Melissa Villaseñor (Toy Story 4) as a perpetually irritated bear, Ego Nwodim (Scrambled) as the Fish Queen, and Vanessa Bayer (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) as a shark assassin who improbably ends up on dry land. Dave Franco (Together) cranks the energy to eleven as the vengeful Insect King Titus, and Meryl Streep (Let Them All Talk) clearly had fun voicing a butterfly monarch. The film also features one of the final performances from the late Isiah Whitlock Jr. (I Care a Lot) as the Bird King, a small but memorable turn that carries added weight.
Squishy, Soft, and Impossible Not to Touch
Of all recent Pixar offerings, Hoppers is the squishiest, and that is the highest compliment I can pay it. There isn’t a sharp line anywhere in this movie. Every character is built with rounded edges, soft corners, and tufted fur that practically begs you to reach out. Pixar has long mastered it’s appeal on the eyes and ears, but Chong and his team seem to have cracked the code on involving touch, even subconsciously. Directors of photography Jeremy Lasky and Ian Megibben give the film beautiful scale, while production designer Bryn Imagire fills every frame with environments that feel warm and alive.
Mark Mothersbaugh delivers a lively score that matches the adventure sequences beat for beat and knows exactly when to soften for the emotional asides. Editor Axel Geddes keeps the comedic rhythm tight, though the runtime starts to strain past the hour mark. I could feel the kids in my auditorium getting restless around minute 75. For a film with no established IP and no original musical numbers, that’s a gap worth noting.
This isn’t peak Pixar, but it’s exactly the kind of movie families deserve when they carve out a trip to the theater. The conservation message lands with sincerity and never tips into lecture territory. A running gag translating what the animals say versus what humans hear never gets old and actually gets funnier as the film builds toward its climax. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t “oooooh”-ing alongside the rest of the crowd whenever the cute factor hit critical mass. With solid family options running thin right now, Hoppers fills that space with charm, craft, and enough beaver-related chaos to keep every generation in the family smiling.
Hoppers opens exclusively in theaters on March 6, 2026.
Looking for something? Search for it here! Try an actor, movie, director, genre, or keyword!
Leave a Reply