Despite Pixar Animation‘s renowned filmography exploring a wide array of themes, settings, and colorful characters, the studio’s movies have largely shared a consistent look and feel. Although their characters are cartoony and feature exaggerated proportions, their finer details and the settings around them lean towards hyperrealism as the company has continued to modernize, always remaining at the cutting edge of computer animation. Recently, however, the prolific studio has been experimenting with maintaining the “Pixar aesthetic” while riffing on it in different directions. Turning Red (2022) took visual cues from early 2000s anime; Luca (2021) evoked a nostalgic childhood memory with painterly colors; and Elemental (2023) portrayed a brand-new fantasy world.
Enter Hoppers (2026), one of Pixar’s boldest animated films in years. Directed by Daniel Chong, creator of Cartoon Network’s hit series We Bare Bears, the story follows a nature-loving girl named Mabel (Piper Curda) who has the opportunity to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver and live among the animal world. It’s totally wacky and hilarious, but also rooted in heart and an immense love for the wilderness. Of course, a concept so unique and original demands a new art style to match it. Hoppers may be the biggest departure from the house animation style yet, opting for an impressionistic approach to portraying animals and Mother Nature rather than hyperrealism.
Capturing the Subjective Feeling of Nature, Instead of a Literal One
During an early press day, DiscussingFilm chatted with director Daniel Chong and the film’s character art director, Anna Scott, about shaping the aesthetic of Hoppers. Ironically, we learned that the artists’ goal was to capture the subjective feeling of nature and the ecosystem rather than a literal representation. “I had one goal, which was to make sure that when you saw these cute animals, you would want to grab them and feel them. You would feel the roundness, the fur, and the squishiness,” Chong explained. “I think that was something that was exciting to me because I had worked in TV… and that was all flat drawings. This was a chance to see dimension… textures and details.”
There’s an irony in embracing artificiality to represent the outdoors, but it goes a long way toward immersing the audience and evoking a specific feeling of creative wonder. “We were looking at a lot of handmade sets. We built a lot of sets. There’s a big beaver pond outside that you can go check out. I also did my own test with paper leaves. I think we wanted nature to feel textural, like something that you could experience, which is why we have felt on our characters’ fur,” Scott shared. “That was the balance, keeping the wildness of nature and making it feel like something that you could reach out and touch.”
“Everything Goes Back to Story“
When you watch Hoppers, pay attention to how light filters through the general fuzziness of the backgrounds, and how the dense forest is characterized by broad brushstrokes that reflect back onto the water. It feels like a big change from the extreme detail of something like Toy Story 4 (2019) or Inside Out 2 (2024), for example. “I don’t think there was ever a version where we were going for realistic. If any concept art of that exists, it’s super old. We were looking briefly into watercolor. But it just didn’t fit the story that we were trying to tell,” Scott clarified. “I think everything has to go back to the story. It has to have a reason, story-wise.”
Speaking of breaking conventions, the protagonist of Hoppers, Mabel, embodies the animated movie’s unhinged, free spirit. We learned that Mabel was originally designed with a larger head relative to her body so that her human and beaver designs would be visually linked. Character art director Anna Scott delved deeper into her character design with us, highlighting visual details like her green jacket and messy hair. “We were trying to find a way to portray this tougher female character. We also were trying to find a way to make her look a little androgynous, honestly, and be true to what her personality was visually,” Scott says. “You know, she wears baggy clothing, she wears a big jacket, that’s her grandma’s.”
The World of Pixar’s Hoppers is Full of Surprises
From the squishy, mochi-like texture of the film’s insect characters to the emphasis on roundness to portray friendliness, there’s a lot more to discuss about all of the visual quirks and details that make Hoppers stand out. However, part of the sheer joy of watching the movie is discovering the endless surprises that Pixar and Disney have kept under wraps in their marketing. If you’re a fan of Pixar who has wanted to see what they could do with their technology in a more abstract approach, then there’s a lot to look forward to with Hoppers.
Hoppers hits theaters on March 6!
Release Date: March 6, 2026.
Directed by Daniel Chong.
Screenplay by Jesse Andrews.
Story by Daniel Chong.
Produced by Nicole Paradis Grindle.
Executive Producers: Pete Docter, Kiri Hart, & Peter Sohn.
Main Cast: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Eduardo Franco, Aparna Nancherla, Tom Law, Sam Richardson, Melissa Villaseñor, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Steve Purcell, Ego Nwodim, Nichole Sakura, Meryl Streep, Karen Huie, Vanessa Bayer, Demetri Martin, & Eman Abdul-Razzak.
Cinematographers: Jeremy Lasky & Ian Megibben.
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh.
Editor: Axel Geddes.
Production Company: Pixar Animation Studios.
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Runtime: 105 minutes.
Rated PG.
