© 2025 Disney/Pixar
Over time, children’s films have gone from something adults bring their kids to and then fall asleep in, to something that is to be enjoyed by all ages.
In this regard, children’s films now have the responsibility of being entertaining not just to youth but to adults as well. This puts writers in the somewhat tough position of having to have simple enough humor to appeal to children, while being witty enough to appeal to adults.
The newest film from Disney Pixar, directed by Daniel Chong, does just that.
Hoppers isn’t part of a massive franchise, and it has had a relatively poor marketing campaign. So I was surprised to see a theater full of people—almost all adults. And many times the entire theater erupted in laughter.
The first half of the film is pretty tame, setting up the characters with a somewhat uncreative concept. The second half is absolutely wild, with one of the most shocking scenes I’ve ever seen in a Pixar movie.
The second half is the best part, as it delivers chaos in a way that I haven’t seen in many new animated movies. Its fast-paced insanity in some ways makes the emotional core of the film less strong than other Pixar movies, but the tonal issues don’t make the film any less impactful.
Hoppers‘ shockingly direct theme is unique. Environmental issues have been politicized in the last decade, and the absurdity of that is reflected in this movie. It deals with feelings of helplessness, specifically the helplessness of watching the environment be destroyed. In this case the reasons may seem comical, but Hoppers promotes the idea that through cooperation and compromise, it is possible to overcome our differences and fix our world—a very relevant theme for a Disney Pixar movie.
Honestly, going into this movie my expectations were low—maybe because the stand-alone Disney movies of the last couple of years have been flops. I was surprised by this film’s humor, however, as well as how it directly urges viewers to put aside our differences and realize we are all in this together.
I highly recommend seeing Hoppers while it’s still in theaters.