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  "path": "/movies-and-tv/2026/03/06/48363247/pixar-underdog-hoppers-is-undeniably-delightful",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-07T01:30:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.portlandmercury.com",
  "tags": [
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    "Culture"
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  "textContent": "We are aware we could have said furever. by Dom Sinacola\n\nIn _Hoppers_ —the latest Pixar flick, directed by _We Bare Bears_ creator Daniel Chong—under-enrolled college student and over-enthusiastic environmental activist Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda) stumbles upon her professor’s (Kathy Najimi) secret invention, which can transfer human brains into the CPU of a lifelike robot animal.\n\n“Like _Avatar_ ,” Mabel remarks, immediately jumping into the machine.\n\nDisguised as a beaver, Mabel infiltrates the animal kingdom, and finds herself now able to communicate with all kinds of fauna (voiced by a cadre of comedians and, yes, Meryl Streep),\n\nMabel must convince local wildlife to return to the glade behind her beloved grandma’s house before it’s bulldozed to make way for Mayor Jerry’s (Jon Hamm) new highway.\n\nConsidering the almighty ecosystem of Disney animated films, _Hoppers_ is lower on the Pixar food chain than this year’s alpha _Toy Story 5_ —an upcoming entry in the franchise contractually obligating Tim Allen and Tom Hanks to “spend time together” once every half-decade until they die. And even after they die?\n\n_Hoppers_ confronts the idea of legacy more than any _Toy Story_ ever could—even as those movies guarantee Allen and Hanks a kind of immortality via Disney functionally owning their likenesses in perpetuity. This feature asks: How do you want to leave the world when you go?\n\nGrim thoughts for eight-year-olds to manage, I know, but  _Hoppers_ is far from morbid. It's undeniably delightful, adventurous, and arguably the funniest Pixar title in forever. It’s a lovely kids’ movie about what it means to respect the planet—to feel empathy for all living things—even when adults won’t.\n\nHoppers _opens Fri March 6 in wide release, 104 minutes, PG_",
  "title": "Pixar Underdog Hoppers Is Undeniably Delightful"
}