Pixar’s Hoppers Teaser Trailer Reveals a Streak of Weird Dark Humor

Pixar dropped the teaser trailer for their next animated film, Hoppers. The movie tells the story of a girl who uses a device to insert her mind into a beaver’s body and experience what wildlife is like firsthand. The teaser demonstrates Pixar’s trademark brand of humor, but it also shows an unusual dark side for the studio.

Hoppers Declares, “This is Nothing Like Avatar!”

The trailer begins with the protagonist, Mabel, skateboarding over to “Beaverton University,” where a pair of scientists tell her about their breakthrough discovery. They have found a way to transfer human consciousness into robotic animals.

If you’re thinking that this sounds similar to James Cameron’s Avatar movies, Pixar is ahead of you. Mabel exclaims, “Guys, this is like Avatar!” to which one of the scientists responds, “This is nothing like Avatar!” Pixar is fully aware of the similar concepts, and they are using the teaser to deflect criticism early on.

Unusually Dark Humor for Pixar

Of course, Mabel tries the device out, and she ends up in a beaver body. In addition to the expected talking animal gags, Pixar isn’t shying away from the darker side of the natural world. In beaver form, Mabel saves another beaver from being eaten by a bear, and the beaver is shocked that she would do such a thing.

He responds, “She’s gotta eat someone,” before asking the bear if she still wants to eat him. While this gets a laugh, it’s also a weirdly dark joke for Pixar. Of course, Pixar has tackled serious issues many times before, but a beaver who’s okay with being eaten feels like Hoppers will be edgier than the studio’s usual fare.

When Does Hoppers Come Out?

The movie is set to release on March 6, 2026. With Pixar’s current release, Elio, disappointing at the box office,  one has to wonder about this movie’s fate. Perhaps Pixar will market it better than Elio and use its edginess as a selling point. If Hoppers doesn’t perform well at the box office, that could be bad news for the studio’s future original projects.