The latest Disney/Pixar animated film, Hoppers, focuses on one young lady who simply wants to do good in the world. Her priority is saving the habitat for animals she has come to love and look after.
Mabel starts off in the film as a very young girl who has always tried to help animals, even going so far as to attempt to take them from her school and set them free. The story then jumps to Mabel as a 19-year old and living with her grandmother who teaches her about the environment and how we are all connected – animals and humans.
When the mayor starts building a beltway through the area where animals reside, Mabel sets out to stop him, however things don’t go the way she plans.
Then she discovers an experiment being conducted by her college professor. It involves transferring a human brain into a robotic animal and going out into the world, to discover more about them. They call it “hopping.” Well, Mabel is not one to sit by and watch. Instead she jumps into the machine she describes as being like Avatar, and off she goes into the wild to help the animals.
Throughout her adventure, Mabel befriends George, the mammal king who is a well-intentioned beaver. George sees her as another beaver, which is the robot her brain is currently inhabiting. When George and the other animals resign themselves to living away from their home, it is Mabel who spurs them on to regain their habitat. And she is victorious, for a while.
The friendship between Mabel and George is precious. And all the animals have interesting personalities and perspectives on life. The “pond rule” is that if an animal is captured by another animal, that’s just the way it is. He or she then becomes the other animal’s meal. That’s the circle of life, or as they say, the pond rule.
While she is trying to help all the animals, Mabel unwittingly stirs up more trouble for them, and then for the humans. All she wanted to do was to help the animals, but instead things went the wrong way. In the end, though, all is right with the world.
Parents need to know that there are several incidents of animals being killed, so if that is traumatic for your kids, then perhaps think twice about going to this movie. However, it is a good lesson about life and the world.
“We wanted to dig into nature and be honest about how intense it can be,” screenwriter Jesse Andrews told D23’s Behind the Scenes. “Instead of conceiving animals that are simply furry people, we tried to keep them as animalistic as possible, while still making them funny, relatable, and identifiable.”
This is a cute story with a young hero who sets a good example for others. The bottom line and theme of the film is that we are all together on this planet and must work and live together, so it is important to take into consideration the animals and humans, as well as nature, as one.
Hoppers is rated PG for action/peril, some scary images, and mild language. It opens in theaters March 6, 2026.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. Francine is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.
Read our review of The Art of Hoppers book here.
