Pixar's Best Film Of The 2020s Isn't Just Great, It's The Start Of A New Golden Era

Published Sep 19, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT

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Pixar has definitely had a rougher run over the past decade, bouncing between brilliant originals like Soul and questionable spin-offs like Lightyear. The studio that once seemed incapable of missing with movies like Up, WALL-E, and Cars has spent the last few years trying to recapture the magic of what may now be remembered as the golden era of animated movies. After leaning way too hard on sequels and familiar formulas, it started feeling like the Disney animation studio had simply forgotten what made its movies so special.

However, its latest theatrical release completely shatters that narrative, officially screaming the start of a new golden era. Hitting theaters in early March, Hoppers instantly became a massive critical and commercial success. Daniel Chong's movie feels like the kind of weird, ambitious Pixar idea that would have been impossible to predict a few years ago. The director, best known for creating We Bare Bears, throws out the usual Pixar playbook and goes all-in on a bizarre sci-fi comedy about humans transferring their consciousness into robotic animals.

The setup alone sounds like something Pixar's most creative era would have cooked up. Scientists can literally “hop” into lifelike animal robots, while an optimistic beaver named King George gets dragged into the chaos. Somehow, the movie mixes environmental themes, ridiculous animal politics, and the kind of emotional storytelling Pixar built its reputation on. If Hoppers is a sign of where the studio is heading next, Pixar may finally be getting that old spark back.

Hoppers Revives The Classic Pixar Magic With A Ridiculous Character-First Approach

Currently streaming on Disney+, Hoppers follows 19-year-old Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda), a fierce environmentalist who hijacks a robotic beaver body to infiltrate the animal kingdom. Her goal is to organize the local wildlife and stop a corrupt politician named Mayor Jerry (voiced by Jon Hamm) from bulldozing her late grandmother's nature glade to build a massive highway. But instead of turning into a standard “save the forest” story, the movie gets much weirder once Mabel meets the animals.

Partnering with the relentlessly optimistic real-life beaver King George (Bobby Moynihan), Mabel ends up dealing with an animal kingdom that has its own bizarre rules, politics, and governing bodies. The funniest part comes when Mabel tries to rally the Animal Council, only for her big speech to accidentally convince the animals that Mayor Jerry should be assassinated. Watching her desperately try to stop the animals from murdering the politician she already hates is exactly the kind of ridiculous comedy that makes Hoppers work.

That character-first approach is also what made Pixar's golden era so special. Movies like Up, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo didn't need to stop every few minutes to explain their life lessons. The characters, their relationships, and the comedy came first, with the bigger message naturally following behind.

Hoppers does the same thing through Mabel, King George, and the rest of the completely unhinged animal kingdom. The environmental message is there, but the movie never forgets that the characters are supposed to be fun. That's what gives Hoppers the kind of heart and personality that Pixar has been missing for a while.

Hoppers Sets A Massive Standard For Upcoming Original Movies And Sequels

With Hoppers showing that Pixar can still pull off a genuinely fresh idea, the real test now is whether the studio can keep that momentum going. Looking ahead, the upcoming Pixar movie slate is packed. The next big original is Gatto, arriving in March 2027 from Luca director Enrico Casarosa. Following Mark Ruffalo as a stray black cat caught up in a feline-run mafia in Venice, the movie is already taking a pretty wild visual approach, mixing 2D animation with a painterly style. Gatto already looks like a wildly unique follow-up that could easily capture that same animal magic.

Then comes the part that could get tricky: the sequels. Ghost Market is another original planned for 2028, but the biggest attention is naturally going toward Incredibles 3 and Coco 2. Slated for November 2029, Coco 2 is officially taking a major time jump, with Miguel returning to the Land of the Dead, where the unexpected return of Ernesto de la Cruz causes a whole new mess.

That's where Pixar has to be careful. Lightyear has already shown that the studio isn't walking away from its biggest franchises, and there's nothing wrong with bringing these characters back when there's actually another story worth telling. Hoppers works because it doesn't feel like Pixar is playing it safe. If the studio can keep taking those kinds of swings alongside its big sequels, this really could be the start of another great Pixar era.

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  Piper Curda

  Mabel Tanaka / Mabel Beaver (voice)

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  King George (voice)

In a world where technology allows humans to transfer their consciousness into robotic animals, a young girl named Mabel uses this ability to infiltrate the animal kingdom. She befriends a regal beaver, King George, and together they embark on a thrilling adventure to protect their worlds from an impending threat.