Classic Movies Live Season 7, Episode 6 – Hoppers

Classic Movies Live Season 7, Episode 6 – Hoppers

From Classic Movies Live! by Heatwave Radio

March 18, 2026

About this episode

The hosts discuss Pixar's new film Hoppers and its themes of environmental activism and animation style.

This week on Classic Movies Live!, our hosts leave the Oscars behind to talk about what's sure to be a big player next year: Pixar's Hoppers! From Daniel Chong, director of Cartoon Network's We Bare Bears, Hoppers stars Piper Curda as Mabel Tanaka, a teenage environmental activist who transports her mind into the body of a mechanical beaver in order to save a glade near her home that's scheduled for demolition. Mabel quickly finds herself in over her head as she discovers the complexities of forest animal society, and the difficulty of communicating Mayor Jerry Generazzo's (Jon Hamm) intentions to remove the animals in favour of his pet project, a new beltway. After Elio and Inside Out 2, Hoppers feels like a bit of a deviation from Pixar's recent output, but also something of a return to form. Tune in as Pierre discuss what makes it fresh, what it says about the environment and eco-activism, and what this movie means for Pixar's future!

People in this episode

Host: Pierre

Topics covered

  • Pixar films
  • environmental activism
  • animation
  • film reviews
  • future of Pixar

Keywords

  • Hoppers
  • Pixar
  • environment
  • animation
  • film review
  • Daniel Chong
  • Piper Curda
  • Jon Hamm

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pixar, Cartoon Network

Books & works: Hoppers, Elio, Inside Out 2

Places: the United States

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