Hoppers (2026)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
An animal-loving student transfers her consciousness into a robotic beaver to save a local glade from destruction.
The story
Mabel Tanaka, a student at Beaverton University, is a passionate protector of a local glade. When the local mayor, Jerry Generazzo, announces plans to destroy the area for a new beltway, Mabel finds herself in a desperate struggle to save the habitat. During her efforts, she discovers the 'Hoppers' program, a secret technology that allows humans to inhabit robotic animals. Ignoring warnings about the dangers of interfering with nature, Mabel enters a robotic beaver to infiltrate the animal world and save the glade from the encroaching construction.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being suspended as a child for trying to free class pets, Mabel Tanaka grows up to become a student at Beaverton University. When Mayor Jerry Generazzo plans to destroy a local glade for a beltway, Mabel uses the secret 'Hoppers' technology to inhabit a robotic beaver. She meets Mammal King George and discovers the mayor is using sound-emitting trees to drive animals away. After she destroys the trees, the animals return, but the mayor's construction continues. Mabel and George form the Animal Council to fight back, but her speech accidentally inspires the animals to attack the humans. During the chaos, she accidentally kills the Insect Queen, and the Insect Queen's son, Titus, takes control. Titus eventually plans to use the technology to massacre the crowd at the mayor's re-election rally. In the climax, Mabel and the mayor must work together to stop Titus. After a fierce battle where the truth is revealed and the threat is neutralized, the glade is saved and declared a protected preserve. Mabel graduates and becomes a research assistant, while she and George remain friends.
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Daniel Chong
- Writers
- Jesse Andrews · screenplay; Daniel Chong · story; Jesse Andrews · story
- Cast and characters
- Piper Curda · Mabel Tanaka; Bobby Moynihan · King George (Mammal King); Jon Hamm · Jerry Generazzo; Kathy Najimy · Dr. Sam Fairfax; Dave Franco · Titus (Insect King); Eman Abdul-Razzak · Young Titus (Insect Prince); Eduardo Franco · Loaf; Aparna Nancherla · Nisha; Tom Law · Tom Lizard; Sam Richardson · Conner; Melissa Villaseñor · Ellen; Isiah Whitlock Jr. · Bird King
- Genres
- animated; science fiction; comedy
- Themes
- environmentalism; technology vs nature; communication
- Tone and mood
- heartwarming; madcap; witty
- Premise and plot tags
- animal rights; body swapping; consciousness transfer; robot animals
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its animation, story, and humor. It was described as a 'return to form' for Pixar and a 'heartwarming adventure'.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 73 · scale: 100 · review count: 46; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The character Tom Lizard went viral and was the focus of several internet memes, garnering up to 316 million views.; The film's score was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, his first for a Pixar feature.; The city of Beaverton, Oregon, declared March 5 'Hoppers Day' to celebrate the release.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…