The new Disney and Pixar animated comedy Hoppers is part of the 2026 New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF). The film confronts, with amusing gimmicks, the most discussed issues of our time: climate change, technology and the way the younger and older generations address this crisis, as Mother Nature responds in multitudinous ways.
Mabel Tanaka is a teenage girl who lives in Beaverton and has developed a strong bond with nature thanks to her late grandmother. When Mayor Jerry Generazzo plans to destroy the forest glade, to build a new highway as part of his re-election campaign, Mabel is outraged. As she searches for a way to intervene, Mabel discovers that her college professor, Dr. Sam, and her colleagues have found a way to transfer human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals so they can communicate directly with wildlife. The young eco-activist seizes the opportunity to use this top-secret technology for her mission as she “hops” her mind into the body of a robotic beaver. As Mabel explores the wonders of the animal kingdom as an aquatic rodent, she befriends many animals, especially the jovial King George, leader of the pond and king of the mammals. Together they will join forces to find a balance between the animal and human kingdoms.
Hoppers is directed by Daniel Chong and produced by Nicole Paradis Grindle, with an original score composed by Mark Mothersbaugh. The characters are utterly adorable and multifaceted, as they interact with each other in a dynamic and emotionally captivating way. The animation blends comedy with drama, and even has a touch of eco thriller with a a sci-fi undertone, making the motion picture very timely and current.
The plot is sprinkled with a few politically incorrect denouements, allowing the entire narrative to be delightful and empathetic, as evil is exposed in all its forms. “The Laws Of The Pond” remind us of the web of life, connecting carnivores, herbivores and omnivores who acknowledge the food chain present in the wild. However, we are also forewarned that this interdependent web of life forms a complex and fragile ecosystem that needs protection.
Viewers are immersed in the beauty of nature, and also in mankind’s artificial environments, whether it’s university halls, laboratories, concrete streets or automobiles. The brushlike patterns of art director Hye Sung Park have given a hi-tech twist to the colour theories of painters such as Paul Cézanne and Georges Seurat, who had studied the optical effects of brushstrokes and dots and the way they affect our vision.
Daniel Chong, who has been with Pixar since the first Inside Out, glorifies the way our sensory experience is influenced by the mind. His latest work as director truly unveils the labyrinthine paths of the psyches of different Earthlings. After witnessing a variety of films tributing penguins, bears, and other species, Hoppers celebrates the much neglected ecosystem engineers: Beavers. These creatures can support wildlife in truly unique ways, and they turn out to be the best narrative device to channel a strong social critique on the Anthropocene.
Human Nature battles Mother Nature, and viceversa. The ability to step into the other’s shoes through technology — with a human experiencing the life of a beaver, or an insect perceiving what it feels like to be human — nurtures our sense of compassion. Intersubjectivity is heightened as we witness the adventures of each character being perceived differently according to what “body” they are in. This allows to deconstruct speciesism and promulge the ability to coexist amid our differences under an optimistic light, because as one of the characters reminds us “we all live under the same sky.”
Final Grade: A
Check out more of Chiara’s articles.
Photo Credits IMDb