Sightlines · reception

How Hoppers was received

2026 · Daniel Chong · Hoppers on Sightlines

The arc

Opened No. 1 in March 2026 with the biggest launch for an original animated film since Coco, then rode a 94% Tomatometer past $500M worldwide — instantly adopted as the proof-point that Pixar originals can still open in the sequel era.

What’s debated

Is it just 'Avatar with a beaver' — a comparison the film pre-empts by literally joking about it — or is its chaotic, DreamWorks-adjacent silliness a welcome break from prestige-Pixar sincerity?

Its footprint

The self-aware 'This is nothing like Avatar!' gag became the line everyone quotes at it, and the consciousness-in-a-robot-beaver premise made it the rare Pixar pitch that sells itself in one sentence.

Where it stands

Too young for canon but already Letterboxd-tagged 'Pixar at its craziest' — an original-era crowd-pleaser cinephiles are actively rooting for.

Did you know? Its $46M debut was the biggest domestic opening for an original animated film since Pixar's own Coco (2017) — and director Daniel Chong, creator of We Bare Bears, cast his old Ice Bear voice actor Bobby Moynihan as King George the beaver.

Named by the director

• Pom Poko (1994) — Chong said he took cues from the Ghibli film's dual-perspective trick — animals anthropomorphic among themselves but realistic wild creatures when humans see them.
• My Neighbor Totoro (1988) — Chong cited it as a favorite whose 'beauty and respect for nature' and delicate observational charm he wanted to channel.
• Avatar (2009) — Chong acknowledged it as the pop-culture baseline the film openly jokes about, while insisting the real spark was nature documentaries that plant camera-eyed robot animals in the wild.