Summary
- Disney and Pixar’s film Hoppers, set for Spring 2026, may have toned down its environmentalist message.
- The film’s focus shifted after Disney’s notes, challenging the original intent of an environmental theme.
- Pixar’s ability to pivot while maintaining quality remains to be seen post-discussion of the film’s initial themes.
With a Spring 2026 release, there’s still a long way to go in the development of Disney and Pixar’s upcoming feature film Hoppers. Still, whenever these two studios are involved in a movie, there’s a level of excitement about what can be created. This film is set to focus on scientists discovering how to hop human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, which will open up all manner of communication. It’s an interesting topic that proves that Hoppers could be another classic in the making,
Hoppers will feature Mad Men star Jon Hamm in the lead role, and Pixar is actively working on the film at the moment, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. While every movie typically experiences a few bumps in the road, Hoppers has reportedly received bigger ones than most would anticipate.
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A former Pixar artist told The Hollywood Reporter that the team behind Hoppers was forced to downplay a planned message surrounding environmentalism by Disney. They said, “Unfortunately when you have your whole film based around the importance of environmentalism, you can’t really walk back on that. That team struggled a lot to figure out, ‘What do we even do with this note?'”
Hoppers has been involved in a series of Pixar projects that Disney has reportedly been tinkering with and impacting with the upcoming original feature Elio, and an episode of the Pixar TV series Win or Lose has also been altered due to notes from Disney. However, Hoppers appears to have had the most significant change, considering the film’s focus and primary theme were essentially downplayed, which could have had a major impact on the story Pixar was trying to tell. While the film is still going ahead as proof that they’ve successfully pivoted to something else, it remains to be seen whether any of the original environmentalist messages remain.
Environmentalism is an interesting topic that could easily have worked in the world of a Pixar movie. The studios have never shied away from touching on serious topics in the past, which is why the likes of WALL-E, UP, and Inside Out have all been so successful. They’ve managed to successfully weave mature topics with movies that are still relatable to younger audiences, which is part of the charm of a Pixar film. Environmentalism as a topic being covered in an animated format would’ve followed suit in that respect, and it’s a shame if Pixar has had to stray too far away from that potential message.
It will remain to be seen whether or not Disney’s decision to downplay the theme of the movie will have a negative impact on the overall quality. It’s obvious that Pixar has had to shift gears slightly from the original plan for Hoppers, and that’s often a risky situation as the shift in tone can often lead to a story that’s not as strong as the original idea. Fortunately, the creative minds at Pixar are some of the best in the business, and that should lead to a high-quality product being created regardless of what impact Disney’s decision-makers look to have on Hoppers.