Latest news with #Elio
News18
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Disney Pixar's Hoppers Trailer Unveils A Big Adventure In The Wild, Release Date OUT
Last Updated: Disney Pixar's upcoming film, Hoppers, directed by Daniel Chong, follows Mabel, a college student voiced by Piper Curda, who uses technology to protect a forest. Disney Pixar has released the official teaser trailer for its upcoming original feature film, Hoppers, offering a glimpse into a wildly imaginative and heartfelt adventure set deep in the animal kingdom. The film is set to release in India on March 6, 2026. Directed and written by Daniel Chong, Hoppers tells the story of Mabel, a determined 19-year-old college student (voiced by Piper Curda) who uses cutting-edge technology to 'hop" her consciousness into the body of a lifelike robotic beaver in order to protect a threatened forest glade from destruction. The teaser introduces Mabel's journey from university life into the lush wilderness, where she navigates forest politics, befriends a flamboyant bear named King George (voiced by Bobby Moynihan), and tries to stop the plans of the ambitious and sly Mayor Jerry (voiced by Jon Hamm). What starts as a covert mission becomes a surprising tale of belonging, identity, and environmental connection. A statement from the director reads, 'What if we could understand and communicate with the animal world? Our main character, Mabel, gets to discover the animal kingdom as an animal, which can be weird and often hilarious. Mabel undercover in the animal world leads to a wild, rollercoaster ride of a movie, with all the heart you expect from a classic Pixar film." The voice cast also features Bobby Moynihan and Jon Hamm. Pixar has had a rollercoaster run over the last two years. In 2024, Inside Out 2 became the highest-grossing animated film of all time and ranked No. 11 overall, earning nearly $1.7 billion globally. But the studio hit a low this summer with Elio, a $150 million film that posted the weakest opening in Pixar's history. With Hoppers set to release on March 6, the studio is hoping for a strong comeback. Produced by Nicole Paradis Grindle, Hoppers feature the voice cast of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, and Jon Ham. Disney Pixar releases Hoppers in India on March 6, 2026 First Published:
India Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Hoppers trailer: A young scientist turns beaver in Avatar-inspired jungle adventure
The trailer of Disney Pixar's upcoming epic-adventure 'Hoppers' blends animal world with scientific advancement. The sci-fi animation film narrates the story of a young scientist who turns into a beaver while exploring jungle trailer starts with 19-year-old college student Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda) entering a laboratory. She is being told by senior scientists that the revolutionary technology to access the animal world has finally been invented after years of young science student then learns from her mentors that they are able to implement the human brain into robotic animals. When Mabel questions them if this new technology is similar to the one shown in James Cameron's 'Avatar' (2009). However, even though they deny any such possibility, Mabel's curiosity leads her to defy her her attempt to experiment with the unique innovation, Mapel uses cutting-edge technology to hop her consciousness into the body of a lifelike robotic beaver. She enters the world of wild animals to protect a threatened forest glade from trailer depicts Mapel's transition from a science student to discovering the lush navigating forest politics, she befriends a flamboyant bear named King George (voiced by Bobby Moynihan). Mapel, in her efforts to protect jungle life, tries to stop the plans of the ambitious and sly Mayor Jerry (voiced by Jon Hamm).'Hoppers' shows a young university student's covert mission transcending into a tale of belonging, identity, and environmental trailer here: From Mabel's fun banter with King George to her disobeying her mentors against disturbing the natural order, the trailer delves into the adventurous side of the Demetri Martin did the voiceover for birds in the new jungle comedy. 'Hoppers' is written and directed by Daniel Chong and produced by Nicole Paradis Pixar's last animation release was 'Elio'. India Today, in its review of the film, wrote, "Its retro-Disney vibes, sincere message, and humour make it engaging for kids and comforting for parents."The studio's 2024 release, 'Inside Out 2', became the highest-grossing Disney film by Pixar Animation Studios, the movie is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pixar releases Hoppers in India on March 6, 2026.- Ends
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Hoppers' Trailer: Pixar Film Pokes Fun at ‘Avatar' as a Young Scientist Gets Put Into the Body of a Beaver
Pixar has unveiled the first trailer for its upcoming animated feature 'Hoppers.' 'Hoppers' are a group of scientists who have discovered a way to mind-hop into robot animal bodies. So when Mabel (Piper Curda), an animal lover, learns that a construction company wants to destroy the local animal habitat, she uses the clever new technology to inhabit the body of a beaver. More from Variety 'Elio' Box Office Flop: Why Can't Pixar Launch Original Films? Global Box Office: Pixar's 'Elio' Craters With $35 Million, '28 Years Later' Awakens to $60 Million How 'Elio' Pays Homage to Classic Sci-Fi Films Like 'The Thing,' 'Close Encounters' and 'Alien' 'This is like 'Avatar,'' Mabel quips in awe as she steps into the machine. 'It's not like 'Avatar,'' her colleague replies. Speaking with Variety, director Daniel Chong said the whole discussion had been debated about unveiling the 'Avatar' joke in the trailer. 'I think there are a couple of reasons why it was good to just put it out there. One is to let you know we know that, you know, it's quite similar, at least the premise sounds a lot like 'Avatar.'' Chong adds that the idea is to let audiences know the movie's premise will be 'a little bit crazy. There are going to be things that are a little bit tongue-in-cheek, and it's going to be out there and chaotic.' The trailer shows Mabel, after she's mind-hopped and is now the robot beaver, suddenly aware that she can understand other animals as Missy Elliot's 'Lose Control' song plays. Bobby Moynihan and Jon Hamm are among the voice cast. Hamm plays Mayor Jerry, the one trying to destroy the animals' habitat. And Hamm seemed like the perfect casting choice. 'That guy is hilarious,' says Chong. 'People know him from 'Mad Men,' but his comedy chops are incredible. And to be honest, he's very brave when it comes to comedy.' Chong promises, 'We have him do some pretty crazy stuff in our movies.' Moynihan is an animation superstar and 'Saturday Night Live' alum. He most recently delivered the voice for Forgetter Bobby in Pixar's 'Inside Out 2.' Chong said, 'Having worked with Bobby already, I felt so lucky to be able to slip back into that relationship and pick up where we left off. He's just so naturally funny and charming and sweet. I would just say across the board, everyone on our cast is really funny.' Curda, who voices Mabel, is a former Disney Channel actor who appeared in multiple episodes of the 2013-214 series 'A.N.T Farm.' She also featured in multiple episodes of the 2018-2022 CW superhero series 'Legacies. There is more voice casting yet to be announced. Chong promises, 'Hoppers' will have 'all the hallmarks of a Pixar movie.' He adds, It will be emotional, and it will be sincere, and it will be a big movie. But I think for me, I wanted comedy to be on a high level as we could.' 'Hoppers' will be released in theaters on March 6, 2026. Watch the teaser below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pixar (@pixar) Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Pixar Should Learn From Its Elio Disaster
The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Early last year, Pixar appeared to be on the brink of an existential crisis. The coronavirus pandemic had thrown the business of kids' movies into particular turmoil: Many theatrical features were pushed to streaming, and their success on those platforms left studios wondering whether the appeal of at-home convenience would be impossible to reverse. Disney, Pixar's parent company, premiered the Pixar films Soul, Luca, and Turning Red on Disney+, and each was well received. But they were followed by the theatrically released expected smash Lightyear—a spin-off of the beloved Toy Story franchise—which underwhelmed at the box office. Elemental followed, weathering a low-grossing opening to become a sleeper hit. Discussing the studio's next film, Inside Out 2, the company's chief creative officer, Pete Docter, acknowledged the concerns: 'If this doesn't do well at the theater, I think it just means we're going to have to think even more radically about how we run our business.' He had nothing to worry about: Inside Out 2 was a financial sensation—by far the biggest hit of 2024. Yet here we are, one year later, and the question is bubbling back up: Is Pixar cooked? Its latest film, Elio, made only $20.8 million in its first weekend; the performance marked a record low for the company. (The number is smaller than what the first Toy Story earned 30 years ago.) In the weeks since its mid-June debut, Elio hasn't shown the strong box-office 'legs' that bolstered Elemental or proved that it has the earlier movie's major international appeal. It instead seems likely to earn less than $100 million domestically, based on its current performance. It would be the first Pixar movie not to clear that bar, pandemic releases aside. The debut of the studio's newest film used to be a seismic theatrical event, whether it was a sequel or an original story; the Pixar imprimatur was enough. The company has made icons out of a curmudgeonly old man, a garbage-compacting robot, and a rat obsessed with French cuisine. But its status as an instant star-maker seems to have dimmed; name recognition alone is no longer carrying the day. Elio hit theaters after a tumultuous creative process that saw the director, Adrian Molina, leaving the project and the script getting reworked. The film follows a quirky, outer-space-obsessed preteen who, after the death of his parents, dreams of being abducted by aliens. This goal comes to fruition, leading him on a bunch of wacky adventures with an assemblage of blobby cosmic creatures. While the science-fiction angle was always present, reports suggested that other elements were lost over time: Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) was initially supposed to be more 'queer-coded,' according to The Hollywood Reporter, to reflect Molina's own identity. Elio's mother was still alive, to be voiced by America Ferrera. The character's parents were written out in the reworked script, and Elio's disaffection became primarily rooted in loneliness rather than any sense of feeling 'different.' [Read: What the success of Inside Out 2 means for Hollywood] These creative shifts arose after an initial test screening reportedly ended with zero participants saying they'd want to see it in theaters. The changes didn't leave Elio unwatchable. It's a perfectly serviceable and cute diversion for kids, busy with playfully designed aliens; it's got some laser-blasting action that could appeal to preteens too. The protagonist does, however, come across as a little purposeless. The loss of Elio's parents is barely explained; his relationship with his aunt, Olga (Zoe Saldaña), is pleasant but lightweight. Elio's journey just doesn't have enough motivation to convince the audience that it's worth undertaking: After joining the extraterrestrials, he does little but bounce from quest to quest, pretending to be a high-ranking ambassador from Earth. Writing human characters has never been Pixar's forte, unless they're very cartoonish, and Elio suffers from that weakness. The studio has a rich history of introducing intense creative revisions in the middle of making a film. The original director of Ratatouille left the project, and the veteran hand Brad Bird took over; the end result was an artistic high point for Pixar. Brave was set to be the studio's first movie with both a female protagonist and a female director, Brenda Chapman; Pixar then removed Chapman midway through production, and the final film was a muddled effort. Still, the company's relative success with on-the-fly changes might have convinced higher-ups that Elio could be salvaged. Or maybe Docter, who is also one of Pixar's most successful filmmakers, saw Elio's box-office potential as a minor consideration after the sensation that was Inside Out 2. The company now has three more giant sequels on the horizon: Toy Story 5, Incredibles 3, and Coco 2, the last co-directed by Molina. Despite returning to its familiar franchises, the company isn't giving up on original storytelling. Several projects not based on preexisting properties are in the works; each one is animal-centric, a more typical mode for Pixar. But the fact that Elio underwent such extensive tweaks does suggest internal trepidation—and that Pixar could be shying away from more novel, personal works in favor of safer material. [Read: Pixar's talking blobs are becoming more and more unsatisfying] Elio's failure to resonate with audiences likely won't help matters. Would the movie have ever worked, however? I somehow doubt it. Pixar movies tend to thrive on the basis of their worlds; the galactic landscape—which emerged unscathed from all the tweaking—felt far too thinly sketched to me, even setting aside the low-stakes adventure taking place within it. Then again, my favorite Pixar film in recent years shares more in common with Elio than with Inside Out. Turning Red is a relatively grounded coming-of-age piece about a teenage girl. (She later turns into a giant red panda.) The director of Turning Red, Domee Shi, was brought in to salvage Elio after Molina stepped aside. But the latter film's rudderlessness emphasizes how crucial Shi's intimate connection to Turning Red was in making it so special—just as Molina's personal touch could have helped Elio feel more purposeful. The executives at Disney are likely pleased with the seeming priority shift. Big sequels and tales about cute animals tend to be an easy bet, as evidenced by Disney's own animated-movie track record. Pixar won't get by forever reheating its leftovers, though: It needs to foster filmmakers with specific points of view, such as Shi, to become the creative bedrock of its next generation. So much of the animation world is tilting toward adapting recognizable brands over inventive storytelling, with rivals such as Illumination finding success with Super Mario Bros.; Warner Bros. is threatening audiences with a ghastly looking update of The Cat in the Hat. Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families. Elio's failure in theaters may sting, but hopefully it won't entirely deter that mission. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Pixar's Must-See Era Is Over
Early last year, Pixar appeared to be on the brink of an existential crisis. The coronavirus pandemic had thrown the business of kids' movies into particular turmoil: Many theatrical features were pushed to streaming, and their success on those platforms left studios wondering whether the appeal of at-home convenience would be impossible to reverse. Disney, Pixar's parent company, premiered the Pixar films Soul, Luca, and Turning Red on Disney+, and each was well received. But they were followed by the theatrically released expected smash Lightyear —a spin-off of the beloved Toy Story franchise—which underwhelmed at the box office. Elemental followed, weathering a low-grossing opening to become a sleeper hit. Discussing the studio's next film, Inside Out 2, the company's chief creative officer, Pete Docter, acknowledged the concerns: 'If this doesn't do well at the theater, I think it just means we're going to have to think even more radically about how we run our business.' He had nothing to worry about: Inside Out 2 was a financial sensation —by far the biggest hit of 2024. Yet here we are, one year later, and the question is bubbling back up: Is Pixar cooked? Its latest film, Elio, made only $20.8 million in its first weekend; the performance marked a record low for the company. (The number is smaller than what the first Toy Story earned 30 years ago.) In the weeks since its mid-June debut, Elio hasn't shown the strong box-office 'legs' that bolstered Elemental or proved that it has the earlier movie's major international appeal. It instead seems likely to earn less than $100 million domestically, based on its current performance. It would be the first Pixar movie not to clear that bar, pandemic releases aside. The debut of the studio's newest film used to be a seismic theatrical event, whether it was a sequel or an original story; the Pixar imprimatur was enough. The company has made icons out of a curmudgeonly old man, a garbage-compacting robot, and a rat obsessed with French cuisine. But its status as an instant star-maker seems to have dimmed; name recognition alone is no longer carrying the day. Elio hit theaters after a tumultuous creative process that saw the director, Adrian Molina, leaving the project and the script getting reworked. The filmfollows a quirky, outer-space-obsessed preteen who, after the death of his parents, dreams of being abducted by aliens. This goal comes to fruition, leading him on a bunch of wacky adventures with an assemblage of blobby cosmic creatures. While the science-fiction angle was always present, reports suggested that other elements were lost over time: Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) was initially supposed to be more 'queer-coded,' according to The Hollywood Reporter, to reflect Molina's own identity. Elio's mother was still alive, to be voiced by America Ferrera. The character's parents were written out in the reworked script, and Elio's disaffection became primarily rooted in loneliness rather than any sense of feeling 'different.' These creative shifts arose after an initial test screening reportedly ended with zero participants saying they'd want to see it in theaters. The changes didn't leave Elio unwatchable. It's a perfectly serviceable and cute diversion for kids, busy with playfully designed aliens; it's got some laser-blasting action that could appeal to preteens too. The protagonist does, however, come across as a little purposeless. The loss of Elio's parents is barely explained; his relationship with his aunt, Olga (Zoe Saldaña), is pleasant but lightweight. Elio's journey just doesn't have enough motivation to convince the audience that it's worth undertaking: After joining the extraterrestrials, he does little but bounce from quest to quest, pretending to be a high-ranking ambassador from Earth. Writing human characters has never been Pixar's forte, unless they're very cartoonish, and Elio suffers from that weakness. The studio has a rich history of introducing intense creative revisions in the middle of making a film. The original director of Ratatouille left the project, and the veteran hand Brad Bird took over; the end result was an artistic high point for Pixar. Brave was set to be the studio's first movie with both a female protagonist and a female director, Brenda Chapman; Pixar then removed Chapman midway through production, and the final film was a muddled effort. Still, the company's relative success with on-the-fly changes might have convinced higher-ups that Elio could be salvaged. Or maybe Docter, who is also one of Pixar's most successful filmmakers, saw Elio 's box-office potential as a minor consideration after the sensation that was Inside Out 2. The company now has three more giant sequels on the horizon: Toy Story 5, Incredibles 3, and Coco 2, the last co-directed by Molina. Despite returning to its familiar franchises, the company isn't giving up on original storytelling. Several projects not based on preexisting properties are in the works; each one is animal-centric, a more typical mode for Pixar. But the fact that Elio underwent such extensive tweaks does suggest internal trepidation—and that Pixar could be shying away from more novel, personal works in favor of safer material. Elio 's failure to resonate with audiences likely won't help matters. Would the movie have ever worked, however? I somehow doubt it. Pixar movies tend to thrive on the basis of their worlds; the galactic landscape—which emerged unscathed from all the tweaking—felt far too thinly sketched to me, even setting aside the low-stakes adventure taking place within it. Then again, my favorite Pixar film in recent years shares more in common with Elio than with Inside Out. Turning Red is a relatively grounded coming-of-age piece about a teenage girl. (She later turns into a giant red panda.) The director of Turning Red, Domee Shi, was brought in to salvage Elio after Molina stepped aside. But the latter film's rudderlessness emphasizes how crucial Shi's intimate connection to Turning Red was in making it so special—just as Molina's personal touch could have helped Elio feel more purposeful. The executives at Disney are likely pleased with the seeming priority shift. Big sequels and tales about cute animals tend to be an easy bet, as evidenced by Disney's own animated-movie track record. Pixar won't get by forever reheating its leftovers, though: It needs to foster filmmakers with specific points of view, such as Shi, to become the creative bedrock of its next generation. So much of the animation world is tilting toward adapting recognizable brands over inventive storytelling, with rivals such as Illumination finding success with Super Mario Bros.; Warner Bros. is threatening audiences with a ghastly looking update of The Cat in the Hat. Pixar has long stood out by bringing something less trifling to theatergoing families. Elio 's failure in theaters may sting, but hopefully it won't entirely deter that mission.
