Every Pixar movie for the past three decades has gotten me thinking about the world a little differently, and the studio's latest movie Hoppers is no different. The new film coming up soon on the 2026 movie schedule follows an animal lover named Mabel as she “hops” into the body of a robotic beaver and discovers what it’s like to be in their paws. If you’re thinking it sounds like James Cameron’s Avatar you’d be right, but I was surprised to learn the director had another massive influence.
Hoppers was pitched to Pixar by Daniel Chong, who famously created Cartoon Network’s We Bare Bears, along with being a longtime story artist at the studio. Here’s what he told SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend about the movie’s Avatar similarities:
