Hoppers 2026

Non spoiler thoughts (summary): I experience this as a playful animated adventure that blends a lot of familiar ideas from other animated films. The expressive animation and quick humor keep the energy light, while the animal world feels lively and chaotic in a fun way. Beneath the comedy and colorful characters, the film pushes a simple message about unity and respecting nature, which gives the story a wholesome message. ⚠️ Spoilers ahead. From here on, plot details are discussed. Read on if you’ve seen the film. If not, save this post and come back after. ⚠️ The animation reminds me of Turning Red, that same expressive and playful style. The warmth of the grandmotherly love also gives strong Coco vibes. Then suddenly the story introduces the animal communication technology and even the main character mentions Avatar in the movie itself, which made me laugh. It feels self aware about the concept. The animal community feels like a mashup of a lot of animated classics: A Bugs Life, Finding Nemo, and Ratatouille all sharing the same environment. Different species, different personalities, but all trying to survive and coexist in one ecosystem. There are many funny punchlines scattered throughout the film enough to keep the energy light and fun. The great animal council scene especially feels like an Avengers assemble moment, everyone gathering together with their own quirks and strengths. The insect queen is probably the best thing to see in IMAX. She dominates the screen and visually pops with the scale and detail. Too bad she got squished though. That moment was both shocking and weirdly funny. The story itself is simple but effective. Basically a big FAFO lesson. Mess with nature and nature messes back. I like that it also pushes the idea of unity for the common good. The mayor’s change of heart works nicely too. It leans into the theme that everyone still has some good inside them. Maybel reminds me of Hiro from Big Hero 6 because of the Asian look and energy. Even the dog collar cameo at the end made me think of the dog from Up for a moment. Small little reminders like that kept popping in my head while watching. Overall it feels like a fun animated mix of familiar ideas, but it still carries a good heart underneath all the chaos and jokes.