First Trailer for Pixar’s Hoppers Is Definitely not Avatar with Beavers

Just in case you were confused about the premise, the trailer squeezes an Avatar reference into its first 30 seconds for extra clarification. But don’t get it twisted, Hoppers is not like Avatar at all, as one one of the Beaverton University scientists responsible for the “hopping” technology vehemently insists. Although the conceptual similarities are clear, Avatar seems like an odd choice of comparison for a children’s film about quippy talking animals. 

Most of the trailer seems pretty by-the-book for mainstream animated talking animal movies, with a gaggle of yellow birds that speak in  rapid “contemporary” lingo, a child-appropriate edgy pop song, and an awkward misunderstanding that occurs after Mabel tries to save another small animal from being eaten by a bear. Hoppers looks like it will follow the legacy of many other films that came before it that also feature quirky talking animals and broad, slapstick humor; the trailer brings to mind The Secret Life of Pets and Sing. Still, one can always hope that the hard-working scientists at Beaverton University can dream up a cutting-edge twist on the film’s straightforward fish-out-of-water formula. 

Hoppers is set to release on Mar. 6, 2026.