Hoppers (2026)

Seagulls try to take out the mayor in Hoppers by dropping a shark named Diane on his car, and that’s when you realize Pixar has gone gloriously off the rails. Mostly in a good way. The plot is overstuffed, with a council of animal monarchs, a highway project, a lab full of robot bodies and a full-blown uprising all elbowing for room, and the friendship at the center deserved more of the 104 minutes. Still, the setup is a gem. Mabel, a college student who has spent years guarding her late grandmother’s favorite glade, beams her mind into a robot beaver and gets mistaken for the real thing. George, the beaver king who takes her in, is a big-hearted delight. Jon Hamm voices Jerry, a mayor willing to clear a whole glade for his beltway. It made $389.7 million worldwide. An 8.0 because it’s weird, funny and has real heart under all the chaos. $968.27 says you watch a beaver video online this week and wonder, very seriously, who’s driving.

What works: The robot beaver premise is wildly inventive, the jokes land, and George is a lovable, big-hearted king.

What doesn’t: The plot crams in too many factions and twists, so Mabel and George’s friendship doesn’t get the room it needs.

Who it’s for: Families who want a Pixar movie that’s funny first, and anyone who has ever had a full conversation with a squirrel at the park.