Pixar is officially entering its “Beaver Era.” During tonight’s Big Game, the studio unveiled a chaotic and colorful new look at its 30th feature film, Hoppers. While most Pixar films tug at the heartstrings, this latest spot proves that Hoppers is leaning heavily into the absurdist, “janky-robot” comedy that director Daniel Chong is known for.
The story follows Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda), a 19-year-old college student at Beaverton University who is more at home with animals than people. In a premise the movie itself describes as “exactly like Avatar,” Mabel “hops” her consciousness into a lifelike—if slightly awkward—robotic beaver. Her mission? To go undercover and stop the smooth-talking Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) from bulldozing a local animal habitat for a new development project.
The Super Bowl spot gave us a better look at the “Pond Rules” of the animal kingdom, introducing us to the regal King George (Bobby Moynihan) and the formidable Insect Queen, voiced by none other than Meryl Streep.
What makes Hoppers visually distinct is the “felted-wool” texture of the animals and a simplified, “calmed down” version of nature that allows the character’s expressive, almost hand-drawn energy to pop. It’s a departure from the hyper-realism of recent years, feeling more like a high-stakes spy thriller mixed with a Saturday morning cartoon.
After the viral success of the “Tom the Lizard” post-credits scene in Elio, the hype for this original IP is at an all-time high. Fans won’t have to wait long to see if Mabel can save the glade; Hoppers premieres at the New York International Children’s Film Festival on February 28, before hitting theaters nationwide on March 6.