hoppers (2026) dir. daniel chong
Warning: This post contains minor spoilers.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a modern animation that’s just… for kids. And not trying to be something else. Don’t get me wrong — I can’t say they aren’t making those anymore. I haven’t seen most newly released animated films. But comparing this to Turning Red (2022), Encanto (2021), or Zootopia 2 (2025), it’s quite a breath of fresh air to see something that isn’t attempting to heal our inner child.
Hoppers’ plot is kind of wild in a way that makes you feel things rather than intellectualize them.
The humans were mostly flat, except for Mabel, who was indirectly portrayed to have anger management issues. I think it’s easy to overlook why she’s so passionate about saving the glade — other than the fact that it has ties to her grandma — it's because it’s her mental comfort zone. The thing that makes her feel peace and control her emotions.
I really loved George and his positive outlook on life. As humans, we very much agree with Mabel that you cannot trust everyone. But George’s optimism balances Mabel’s pessimism — just like how every creature needs each other in order to survive and sustain our environment.
It’s a simple film with a simple but important message. The concept was great, but I really wish they had taken more time to develop the story. Either way, I know for sure that I’ll go do a Wiki dive on beavers when I get home.