Hoppers is a 2026 American animated science fiction comedy film directed by Daniel Chong from a screenplay by Jesse Andrews and a story by Chong and Andrews. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars the voices of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, and Dave Franco. It follows Mabel Tanaka (Curda), an animal-loving college student who transfers her consciousness into a robotic beaver to communicate with animals and save their habitat from destruction, inadvertently sparking an uprising among them. Chong began developing Hoppers after returning to Pixar in December 2020, and the project was officially announced in August 2024. Mark Mothersbaugh composed the score, while SZA wrote and performed the end credits song "Save the Day". Hoppers premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on February 23, 2026, and was released theatrically in the United States on March 6. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $389.7 million worldwide.
Plot After attempting to free the class pets from their cramped habitats, six-year-old Mabel Tanaka is suspended from school. Frustrated, her mother leaves her with her grandmother, who lives near a glade. Inspired by her grandmother's love of nature, Mabel develops a deep appreciation for wildlife. Thirteen years later, after her parents move away and her grandmother dies, Mabel continues caring for the glade. Beaverton's mayor, Jerry Generazzo, announces plans to route part of his beltway through it, claiming the animals have already left. Mabel, now a student at Beaverton University, unsuccessfully campaigns to stop the project. While trying to lure the animals back, Mabel discovers that her biology professor, Dr. Sam Fairfax, and colleagues Nisha and Conner have secretly developed the "Hoppers" program, which allows humans to inhabit robotic animals. Ignoring Sam's warning about interfering with wildlife, Mabel hops into a robotic beaver and escapes the lab. Mistaken for a real beaver, Mabel is brought before Mammal King George, who shelters the glade's displaced animals in an overcrowded dam. She discovers Jerry has installed artificial trees that emit sound waves audible only to animals, driving them away. After Mabel destroys one of the devices, many animals return to the glade. As she grows closer to George, she prepares to reveal her identity, but Jerry destroys part of the glade with explosives and installs more sound-emitting trees. Mabel and George convene the Animal Council, whose members include the monarchs of the insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Though initially indifferent, the Council agrees to help after Mabel warns that Jerry will eventually threaten all of their habitats. However, her speech instead inspires them to assassinate him. When Mabel tries to stop them, she accidentally kills the Insect Queen. She and George escape as the animals destroy the robotic bodies Nisha and Conner used to spy on the meeting, exposing the humans' deception. The Insect Prince, Titus, crowns himself king and assumes control of the Council. Although initially upset by Mabel's recklessness, George forgives her and agrees to help protect Jerry. Joined by Loaf the beaver, Tom the lizard, and Ellen the bear, they force Jerry to drive to the glade in hopes of stopping the project. Seagulls working for the Council attempt to kill him by dropping a shark named Diane onto his car, but the group escapes. Jerry still refuses to abandon the beltway, prompting an angry Mabel to reveal their location to both the Council and the scientists. They arrive and unhop her from the robotic beaver, causing her to faint and revealing to George that she is really a human. When Mabel awakens, the Council has taken everyone hostage and forced the scientists to build a robotic clone of Jerry for Titus to inhabit. Titus plans to impersonate the mayor and use the sound trees to massacre the crowd attending Jerry's re-election rally at the glade. Before leaving, Titus condemns Mabel for stealing the technology, deceiving the animals, and using them for her own goals, while Jerry also calls her out for provoking the conflict. Realizing her obsession with saving the glade had only worsened the situation, Mabel chooses to reconcile with Jerry, who reluctantly hops into the robotic beaver to help her escape. At the rally, Mabel fails to persuade Titus to abandon his plan. Jerry, the animals, and the scientists attempt to unhop him, but the effort fails and Titus destroys the robotic beaver, which causes Jerry being unhopped. During the struggle, Mabel climbs a sound tree to retrieve Jerry's phone after knocking it into the branches. She tears away the latex mask covering Titus's robotic face, preventing him from using facial recognition to unlock the phone and activate the trees. Enraged, Titus tears down the tree and reveals his plan to have the insects exterminate every other species, turning the Council against him. The falling tree destroys the robotic body and ignites a wildfire that spreads toward the city. After Titus is eaten by the Amphibian King, the Council joins Mabel, George, and the other animals in dismantling the dam, flooding the glade and extinguishing the fire. An ant queen succeeds Titus as the new Insect Queen. Jerry reroutes the beltway, and the glade is designated a protected wildlife preserve. Mabel graduates from college, and although the Hoppers program is discontinued because of her actions, Sam hires her as an assistant. Mabel and George remain friends, communicating through text-to-speech software.
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