First Look: Pixar’s New Body-Swapping Adventure ‘Hoppers’

Disney made several significant announcements at its annual D23 event on August 9. One of the highlights is the new Pixar film titled Hoppers.

Pixar is already generating buzz with upcoming sequels like Incredibles 3 and Toy Story 5. Earlier this year, they released Inside Out 2, which was a massive success. In 2025, they plan to premiere an original film called Elio. Now, Hoppers appears to be their next big original project.

So, what’s Hoppers about, and when can fans expect it? Here’s a rundown of what we know so far about this new Pixar project.

Some details about Hoppers are still a bit unclear, but a release date has been confirmed. According to Pixar, Hoppers will hit theaters in spring 2026, specifically on March 6, 2026, as reported by Variety.

The official Pixar webpage for Hoppers reveals the film’s theme: “What if you could talk to animals and understand what they’re saying?”

In the Hoppers universe, scientists have discovered how to “hop” human consciousness into robot animals, allowing these robots to communicate with real animals. The main character, Mabel, is an animal lover who uses this technology to delve into the animal world and uncover what she’s been missing.

During the D23 presentation, a short clip from Hoppers was shown. It featured Mabel’s consciousness being placed into the body of a beaver. Additionally, it was revealed that she befriends another beaver named King George and faces a human antagonist named Mayor Jerry.

So far, three voice actors have been announced as part of the Hoppers cast.

Piper Curda will voice the protagonist, Mabel, who seemingly switches minds with a beaver at the start of the film. Curda has previously worked with Disney, starring in the 2011 show Rule the Mix and the series I Didn’t Do It (2014-15). She has also appeared in smaller roles in various Disney shows like A.N.T. Farm, Liv and Maddie, and Raven’s Home. More recently, she appeared in the Netflix movie May December.

Jon Hamm will play the villain, a human named Mayor Jerry who aims to destroy the beavers. Although Hamm is best known for his role in Mad Men, he’s no stranger to voice acting. He’s lent his voice to Herb Overkill in Minions (2015), Brogan in Shrek Forever After (2010), and Marvin Flute in the Fox sitcom Grimsburg (2024-).

Bobby Moynihan will voice the beaver King George. Moynihan has a rich history of voice acting, having worked with director Daniel Chong on We Bare Bears (2014-2019). He has also voiced characters in numerous children’s media, including Monster University (2013), Inside Out (2015), Inside Out 2 (2024), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), IF (2024), and LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy (2024).

Daniel Chong, the creator of the popular kids’ show We Bare Bears, is both the writer and director of Hoppers. Chong has previously worked on Disney’s Bolt (2008) and Pixar’s Cars 2 (2011) and Inside Out (2015). He reportedly left Pixar to create We Bare Bears for Cartoon Network but has now returned for this new project. On August 7, just before D23, Chong tweeted that he’d “been holding this secret for four years,” indicating that Hoppers has been in development since 2020.

Since we’re still a few years away from the release date, there isn’t a trailer available for Hoppers yet. Pixar did show a short clip at D23, which featured two scientists swapping the brain of a human girl (Mabel) with a robot beaver. Aside from that and some promotional art posted by Pixar, fans will likely have to wait until closer to the release date for more information.

Hoppers will not be available to watch until its release on March 6, 2026. Fans can catch it in theaters on release day. It may take several months before it becomes available on the streaming platform Disney+.

Inside Out 2, another recent Pixar success that premiered in June 2024, had a theater run of about 100 days before it transitioned to streaming. This lengthy theater run is unusual these days, with most movies showing for around 40 days. It’s not yet clear how long Hoppers will remain in theaters before moving to Disney+, but it might have a shorter run compared to Inside Out 2, given that it’s not a sequel.

Source: Variety, Pixar