I Watched Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ with My 8-Year-Old—Here’s His Honest Review

It has a 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes

Author image: rachel bowie christine han photography 100

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Published Mar 23, 2026

Walt Disney Studios/Pixar

I walked into Hoppers alongside my 8-year-old (and his pal from school, James) not knowing exactly what to expect. Blame mom life, but I’d watched the trailer only half-listening while simultaneously pressuring my toddler to eat a yogurt—the fact that it was the latest film from Pixar and deemed age-appropriate for my 8-year-old was all I needed to hear. (Oh, also the fact that it included animals—my dinosaur-loving kid is pretty into all types of creatures. It seemed like a natural fit.)

Fast forward approximately two hours to when the closing credits rolled and I was blown away: The film, about a girl who will stop at nothing to save the local forest glade she regularly visited with her grandmother, left me feeling emotional, uplifted and empowered. To an adult, the themes felt eerily familiar—especially the idea that might does not equal right. The jokes also had me laughing out loud. (This part is in the trailer, but the idea of “pond rules,” plus the animals’ acceptance of it, is both clever and hilarious.)

But the important part: What did my 8-year-old son think of it? Was the storyline too complex or scary? Here, his honest review.

Walt Disney Studios/Pixar

First, All About the ‘Hoppers’ Plot

With a storyline that feels reminiscent of both Finding Nemo and Up, the film follows the story of Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda), a girl who, as a young child, combats bouts of anger and anxiety by grounding herself quite literally in nature. It was her grandmother (Karen Huie) who encouraged this approach—taking her to the local glade near her home in Beaverton where she could practice staying present by tuning into the animals, plants and insects that populate the natural world around them. “It’s hard to be mad when you feel like you’re part of something big,” her grandmother advises in an early scene.

But time marches on and, while Mabel—who, as a teenager, is spirited and feisty as she charts her path—continues to cherish the glade as a respite, those in power (including the slick and popular mayor, voiced by Jon Hamm) see it only as a nuisance. They want to run a beltway over it, something they get the green light to do as long as they can prove all the animals have left the glade. Ding, ding, ding—Mabel has her answer, which is confirmed by her biology professor, Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy): If she can get a beaver to move back there, which is an anchor species, it will set up permanent shop, building a dam and luring other animals back to the glade along the way.

But that’s when Mabel discovers something truly incredible: Her professor’s secret development of a robotic beaver that allows her to “hop” between human and animal worlds in order to study them. “It’s just like Avatar,” Mabel shrieks. “It’s nothing like Avatar!” her professor fires back.

Of course, Mabel immediately sees a different use case—assume the form of a beaver, talk to the beavers directly and get them to move back to the glade immediately. But will it work or alter human/animal relations forever? It gets pretty complicated from there.

Walt Disney Studios/Pixar

We Laughed, Mom Cried

I’ll admit that much of my enjoyment of this film came from taking cues from my son. It helped that he viewed it with a friend, too, which gave me a dual perspective on the moments that hit (and the ones that missed).

As the opening scenes began, I did worry just a bit that this film might be a bit too complex. It’s one of those plots with so many strings that I was captivated, but also wondering throughout how they’d close the loop on all of them. Still, about 20 minutes in, when Mabel morphs into beaver form and is given a front-row seat (and then some) to animal life—and the aforementioned “pond rules” (“when it’s time to eat, eat”)—they were hooked.

It helps that the characters are so, so funny. First and foremost, there’s King George (voiced by Bobby Moynihan), who is the beaver leader with a cheerleader-y disposition. The scene where he leads every single displaced animal in forest-style Jazzercise is priceless—but so is his overall humor and heart. There’s also a decision made by the animal world to call in an apex predator (ahem, a Great White Shark) to right the score against the humans that had the kids—and myself—guffawing. And when Mayor Jerry has to answer for his antics, let’s just say the animals’ reliance on emojis to communicate is hysterical (and became the part my child and his friend couldn’t stop referencing).

All that said, it’s worth preparing for some scarier scenes—for example, when during the film’s penultimate moment, an animal using the technology goes rogue and takes things to a more maniacal level. Small spoiler alert, but a wildfire results. This was the part where the line between fiction and reality blurs the most, but also delivers the film’s true poignancy and impact. (I cried.) It also led me to spend much of the walk home with my son transparently explaining that, yes, wildfires are real, and yes, first responders work hard to come together and utilize modern solutions to put them out.

Walt Disney Studios/Pixar

The Bottom Line

Hoppers is clever, complex and character-driven (Meryl Streep’s brief vocal cameo as the queen butterfly at a royal roundtable on behalf of all animals is inspired). But it’s also full of charm. (Diane, the Great White Shark, is a perfect example of a chase scene that is not just unexpected, but endearing.) By the end, there wasn’t a character we weren’t rooting for. (Yes, even Jerry.) I also couldn’t believe how much my son extended his knowledge of the animal world and how so many species co-exist together. Like I said, the film packs a lot into two hours of viewing.

My final mom POV on the film—and perhaps the part that caused the Up-level tears to flow: Hoppers is a film that reminds its audience that it’s OK to change your opinion based on new information and not have it held against you. (A valuable lesson for all.)

Rachel Bowie

Senior Director, Special Projects and Royals

Writes and produces family, fashion, wellness, relationships, money and royals content
Podcast co-host and published author with a book about the British Royal Family
Studied sociology at Wheaton College and received a masters degree in journalism from Emerson College

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