Dam! “Hoppers,” the heartwarmingly action-packed animated Pixar film, was a shock to box offices with just the right amount of beaver to rebuild sales. It premiered in Los Angeles on Feb. 23 and was released in local theaters on Mar. 6, instantly becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 2026. Through its comedic writing, visually appealing animation style and culturally relevant commentary, “Hoppers” is the refreshing original Pixar needed.
The story follows Mabel Tanaka, a young girl with a passion for animals, on her sci-fi quest to solve environmental concerns by transferring her mind into that of a robotic beaver. It’s creative, while not being far-removed: the balance the studio was in dire need of since their past low-grossing films, “Elio” (2025), “Elemental” (2023) and “Lightyear” (2022), had underwhelmed the few who watched. As a start to rejuvenating the animated movie realm, the film became the highest opening for an original Pixar film since “Coco” (2017), and I believe it will remain a household classic.
Set in Beaverton, Mabel and her grandmother spend their days together in the very glade where Mabel fell in love with nature. After her grandmother’s passing, Mabel is dedicated to preserving the glade and its inhabitants in the face of disruption. Beaverton’s Mayor, Jerry Generazzo, sets out to build a highway in place of the glade, sparking the young activist to take vital action.
While Mabel leaves her college studies behind, her professor, Dr. Sam Fairfax, and some of Fairfax’s colleagues are fast at work on the “Hoppers” program. This new wildlife research technology allows humans’ minds to “hop” into a robotic animal and see through their (adorably animated) eyes. With a Robin Hood-like way about her, Mabel hops into a robotic beaver with a fight from Dr. Fairfax and scurries away to save the glade.
Mabel is introduced to the Mammal King George, a fellow beaver who kindly took in the displaced resident animals of the glade within his dam. The incognito beaver returns the glade’s wildlife after she dismantles an undercover government-planted tree that was emitting sounds only audible to animals. After growing close to George, Mabel is asked to become his right-hand-beaver, but her human conscience creeps up on her.
In an effort to once again save the glade from Jerry, Mabel and George call upon the Animal Council for a dam meeting to discuss their next steps, when everything takes a dramatic turn. Mabel unintentionally convinces the council to make Jerry their next subject, and if that wasn’t shocking enough, the following scene left theaters aghast. All odds turn on Mabel when she accidentally squishes the Insect Queen, turning the council against her and George. This was by far the funniest scene of the film, setting off the remaining action.
Through chaos of evil caterpillars, heartfelt moments and giant sharks, Mabel and George find Jerry to save the glade once and for all. In a near escape from killer birds and an airborne shark attack, Mabel forces Jerry to drive to the glade. Right when you sense that she is on the brink of triumph, Mabel is removed from the robotic beaver by none other than the scientists who created the technology. Unfortunately for her, Mabel’s new king and friend witnessed the entire occurrence.
At this point, when hope is nowhere to be found in Beaverton, everything falls from bad to worse. The Animal Council spitefully raids Sam’s lab, tying up Jerry and Mabel, while forcing the scientists to build a Jerry-like robot for one of them to hop into. Disaster strikes at a political rally featuring the hopped Jerry when the corrupt caterpillar inhabiting the robot sets fire to the woods surrounding the attendees.
The movie has a satisfying Pixar ending that makes the chaos worthwhile. The animals of the glade, including Mabel, George and the remaining Council members, put out the wildfire by flooding the woods with the water from the dam. Mabel and Jerry share some understanding dialogue and come to the agreement that their opposing ideas don’t have to be at odds, but could work together harmoniously: an agreement that many world leaders could benefit from reaching in reality.
This inspirational character goes through the tumult anyone dedicated to a cause would, but what makes this different from our real world is the movie’s resolution. Mabel and Jerry agree to reroute the highway and restore the glade as a wildlife preserve, where Mabel can still communicate with her dear friend George. It surely isn’t a classic Disney fairytale ending, but that’s exactly what Pixar needed to bring to the table.
“Hoppers” takes a well-balanced stance on where environmentalism and the industrial world collide, showing the power in diplomatic conversation and cooperative problem-solving in an exciting, new way. I hope to see this film inspire young leaders, activists and environmentalists as well as influence current and future voters to pursue their civic duty. The determined Mabel brings a fire to public engagement that is critical for us to inhabit in our daily lives — no “hopping” involved.
