Pixar's latest cinematic offering, the animated original film Hoppers, has debuted to exceptional critical acclaim, securing a near-perfect 97 percent rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. This impressive score represents the animation studio's highest-rated film in almost a decade, matching the 97 percent achieved by the beloved 2017 film Coco.
A Fresh Environmental Tale with Stellar Voice Cast
Scheduled for theatrical release on March 6, 2026, Hoppers follows the journey of 19-year-old environmental activist Mabel, who possesses the unique ability to "hop" into the consciousness of a beaver. The narrative centers on her efforts to assist a beaver colony in safeguarding their natural habitat from impending threats, a plotline that has prompted critics to draw parallels with James Cameron's epic Avatar.
The film features an accomplished voice cast including Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Dave Franco, Jon Hamm, and the legendary Meryl Streep. While the current Rotten Tomatoes score of 97 percent may experience slight fluctuations as additional reviews are published, it firmly establishes Hoppers as one of Pixar's most critically successful releases in recent memory.
Historical Context and Studio Legacy
To appreciate this achievement fully, it's worth noting that only a select few Pixar films have attained higher ratings on the platform. The original Toy Story and Toy Story 2 both maintain perfect 100 percent scores, while classics like Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, and Up all achieved 98 percent.
Hoppers marks the first of two Pixar productions slated for 2026, with the highly anticipated Toy Story 5 scheduled to follow in June. This release strategy continues the studio's recent pattern of balancing original storytelling—as seen in films like Luca, Elemental, and Elio—with established franchise sequels and spin-offs such as Lightyear and Inside Out 2.
Critical Reception and Future Projects
The Independent critic Clarisse Loughrey awarded the film four stars in her review, acknowledging the Avatar comparisons while praising the film's distinctive qualities. "Yes, it's basically James Cameron's Avatar," Loughrey wrote, "and director Daniel Chong and screenwriter Jesse Andrews are honest enough to admit that within the first 15 minutes of their film. That said, it'd be uncharitable to call Hoppers derivative, when it's otherwise odd and spiky enough to carve out its own niche."
Loughrey particularly noted the influence of anime on Western animation evident in the film, describing how "all their creatures leap around the screen like they've just been electrocuted." She also highlighted the technical achievement in rendering the beaver characters, stating that "the degree of life-like fluffiness Pixar achieves with beaverfied Mabel makes Monsters Inc look positively primitive."
Pixar's Evolving Production Pipeline
Looking beyond 2026, Pixar has already announced another original film titled Gatto for 2027 release. Additionally, industry reports indicate the studio is developing two further sequels: Incredibles 3 and Coco 2, demonstrating their continued commitment to both innovative storytelling and beloved franchise expansion.
This critical success for Hoppers arrives as Pixar celebrates its remarkable evolution from humble beginnings. Originally founded in 1979 as the computer animation division of Lucasfilm under the name Graphics Group, the company rebranded as Pixar in 1986 when it became an independent entity with backing from Apple founder Steve Jobs. The studio revolutionized cinema with 1995's Toy Story, the first fully computer-animated feature film, distributed by Disney who later acquired Pixar outright in 2006.
With Hoppers achieving such strong early critical reception, Pixar demonstrates its enduring ability to create compelling original content that resonates with both critics and audiences, while maintaining the technical innovation that has defined the studio for decades.
