Hoppers (2026)
Directed by Daniel Chong
Scientists have discovered how to 'hop' human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to communicate with animals as animals. Animal lover Mabel seizes an opportunity to use the technology, uncovering mysteries within the animal world beyond anything she could have imagined.
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61 films that influenced Hoppers
What critics say influenced Hoppers
…big action set pieces that pay homage to everything from “Jaws” and weirdo 70s flick “Frogs” to “Avatar” (even though one of the scientists says her “hopping” device is, “nothing like Avatar!”)
Director Daniel Chong skillfully navigates a topic that very easily can become preachy, a pitfall that the thematically similar Avatar franchise falls into.
The film constantly references “Avatar” (2009) but wisely skewers the savior complex that movie touts.
…an eco-conscious dilemma (think 2009’s Avatar)…
Not only are James Cameron’s Avatar films another comparison to make, but Hoppers references that franchise in dialogue as well.
Las similitudes con Avatar son particularmente evidentes: un humano que se infiltra en una comunidad no humana para defender un ecosistema amenazado por el progreso.
…in places it gets highly reminiscent of both The Wild Robot (2024) and Pom Poko (1994)…
It’s no Hundreds of Beavers, but Hoppers still plays like the hilariously caffeinated offspring of The Wild Robot and Teen Titans Go!.
Will and I disagree a bit on where it lands, especially once The Wild Robot enters the conversation.
In this respect there’s glimpses of recent Dreamworks adventure The Wild Robot, a similarly ecologically minded story featuring a zany critter cast…
Similarly to 2024’s The Wild Robot, Hoppers gets a bit cutesy with its talking animal community, showing predator and prey all being friendly with each other…
In the vein of Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot, the film captures the overlap between aiming to help with technology and embracing the natural world and its processes.
In a post-Incredibles 2 era, only Turning Red felt like the masterpieces the animation studio consistently released and pushed the medium forward in unexpected territories.
The design and some “takes” of the humans seem to be influenced by anime (much like what we saw in LUCA and TURNING RED).
Enrico Casarosa’s Luca and Domee Shi’s Turning Red were two of the studio's most original and best efforts in years…
Pixar is certainly no stranger to films about human beings turning into animals. In fact, between Brave (2012), Soul (2020), and Turning Red (2022), it seems to be a pretty prevalent theme.
While some releases of recent years – like Turning Red (2022) – proved exceptional…
We also end up comparing Hoppers to a whole stretch of recent Pixar: Elio, Elemental, Turning Red, Luca, and Soul.
Recent Pixar films like Elemental and Elio felt too beholden to rigid narrative structures and “respectability”.
And while it’s not as impactful as last year’s Elio, it still tells a story of friendship that transcends species.
The grounded environments allow the visuals to be accessible and just as beautiful as the far more abstract concepts depicted in Soul, Inside Out, or Elio.
Tras el éxito de películas profundamente introspectivas como Inside Out, el estudio parece oscilar entre dos estrategias: por un lado, propuestas conceptualmente ambiciosas como Elemental o Elio, y por otro, producciones más ligeras orientadas a un público infantil inmediato.
After I saw last year’s Elio—one of Pixar’s increasingly few and far between original films—I was sure that it would be a hit.
Elio and Elemental felt constrained and formulaic…
I can't remember the last time the studio has done something that disturbing since the scene where Woody first arrives in Sid's room in Toy Story. I still think about those mutant toys and think about how they freaked me out as a little kid.
…the animation glows with colourful fervour and a giddy lack of restraint, the human character designs having come a long way since the early CGI of Toy Story.
Hoppers may not have the powerful, moving moments found in previous films like Up, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., the original Inside Out, or the Toy Story series.
Películas como Toy Story, Finding Nemo o Inside Out demostraron que el estudio podía combinar innovación técnica con relatos emocionalmente complejos capaces de resonar tanto en niños como en adultos.
The legendary ‘can do no wrong’ run of 1995 to 2004, taking in two Toy Storys, Monsters Inc, and Finding Nemo…
…as creative as 1995’s Toy Story…
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The design and some “takes” of the humans seem to be influenced by anime (much like what we saw in LUCA and TURNING RED).
But if one’s looking for a Pixar movie about interspecies friendship that hits all the right notes without a hitch, sweet, endearingly old-fashioned “Luca” (2021)—co-written by Jesse Andrews, who takes solo credit here—remains unsurpassed.
Enrico Casarosa’s Luca and Domee Shi’s Turning Red were two of the studio's most original and best efforts in years…
Outside of the two post-COVID installments, Luca and Turning Red…
…but after a stretch of uneven originals like “Turning Red” and “Luca,” and outright misfires such as “Elemental” and “Elio,” this feels like a genuine course correction.
We also end up comparing Hoppers to a whole stretch of recent Pixar: Elio, Elemental, Turning Red, Luca, and Soul.
Recent Pixar films like Elemental and Elio felt too beholden to rigid narrative structures and “respectability”.
Tras el éxito de películas profundamente introspectivas como Inside Out, el estudio parece oscilar entre dos estrategias: por un lado, propuestas conceptualmente ambiciosas como Elemental o Elio, y por otro, producciones más ligeras orientadas a un público infantil inmediato.
Elio and Elemental felt constrained and formulaic…
It stands up with the quality of, say, Turning Red (2022) or Inside Out 2 (2024) rather than Lightyear (2022), Elemental (2023), or Elio (2025)…
…and outright misfires such as “Elemental” and “Elio,” this feels like a genuine course correction.
We also end up comparing Hoppers to a whole stretch of recent Pixar: Elio, Elemental, Turning Red, Luca, and Soul.
The grounded environments allow the visuals to be accessible and just as beautiful as the far more abstract concepts depicted in Soul, Inside Out, or Elio.
Hoppers may not have the powerful, moving moments found in previous films like Up, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., the original Inside Out, or the Toy Story series.
Películas como Toy Story, Finding Nemo o Inside Out demostraron que el estudio podía combinar innovación técnica con relatos emocionalmente complejos capaces de resonar tanto en niños como en adultos.
Inside Out diagnosed emotional repression before the cultural conversation about mental health had fully matured.
It suggests something harder than Inside Out (2015) dared to propose: that while understanding oneself is a journey of the heart, understanding the “other” is a journey of the skin.
If you want "Inside Out 2" to make over a billion dollars at the box office, you have to foster the success of "Inside Out."
Hoppers may not have the powerful, moving moments found in previous films like Up, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., the original Inside Out, or the Toy Story series.
The opening few minutes of Hoppers nudges towards the prologue of Pixar’s Up in establishing the emotional stakes.
…right up there with Up's Carl Fredricksen and Russell…
And after introducing technology in Up (2009) that allowed humans to understand what a dog was thinking, a movie where someone can literally experience life as an animal feels like a logical next step.
“Hoppers” does not reach the rarified air of “Up,” “Wall-E,” or “Inside Out,”…
…the team that brought us classic originals such as WALL-E and Up has fallen back on making sequels (Inside Out 2) or stories that felt like copy-and-paste efforts (Elemental and Soul)…
Hoppers may not have the powerful, moving moments found in previous films like Up, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., the original Inside Out, or the Toy Story series.
Pete Docter has always been at the forefront of this examination, directing films like Monsters Inc., Inside Out, and Soul…
Hoppers may not stand toe to toe with Pixar’s greatest – Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, Inside Out, etc. – but it champions earnest, heartfelt sentiments while boasting a plethora of colourful gags and characters to boot.
…in places it gets highly reminiscent of both The Wild Robot (2024) and Pom Poko (1994)…
It’s worth noting that elements of Hoppers also feel inspired by the studio. More specifically, from its film Pom Poko. While that one employs more supernatural elements, the environmental message, the talking animals and even the way expressions are displayed on their faces here feels pretty deliberate.
…the film is a riff on Avatar by way of Pom Poko…
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…the same exact kind of emotional impression that Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit first made nearly 40 years ago…
Hoppers may not have the powerful, moving moments found in previous films like Up, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., the original Inside Out, or the Toy Story series.
Películas como Toy Story, Finding Nemo o Inside Out demostraron que el estudio podía combinar innovación técnica con relatos emocionalmente complejos capaces de resonar tanto en niños como en adultos.
…even their newer originals don’t always match the pedigree of all-time greats like Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, or Wall-E…
The legendary ‘can do no wrong’ run of 1995 to 2004, taking in two Toy Storys, Monsters Inc, and Finding Nemo…
…and Finding Nemo's Marlin and Dory…
…spot the turtle named Crush, Finding Nemo fans…