SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains mild spoilers for the new Pixar movie Hoppers. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!In the run-up to the theatrical release of Hoppers this past weekend, one of the most talked about aspects of the new movie was a certain multi-Oscar-winning member of the cast: Meryl Streep. When the first trailer for the movie was released last year, it prominently featured Streep’s character, the butterfly known as the Insect Queen, and it was suggested that the legendary actress was going to have an important role to play.Fast forward to audiences actually seeing the film, and it turns out that the Insect Queen is killed in her very first scene – a death that is arguably the most shocking in Pixar history.I was so taken aback by the development that I felt compelled to ask about it when I participated in the Los Angeles press day for Hoppers last month and spoke with director Daniel Chong, producer Nicole Grindle, and stars Piper Curda and Bobby Moynihan (as captured in the video at the top of this article). Discussing the surprise twist with the character, Chong explained that it was always a planned part of the film, and he was worried that the small size of the part would turn Meryl Streep off when he pitched her the part. Said the filmmaker,
