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Pixar's "Hoppers" is packed with hidden details and Easter eggs that even the keenest eyes might have missed! Join us as we count down the sneakiest secrets tucked away in this animated adventure, from clever callbacks to beloved Pixar classics to surprising connections you never saw coming. How many of these did you actually catch on your first watch?
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00:00Hey! What's your name, beaver?
00:02Uh, Mabel?
00:03You wanna live here? You better learn pond rules.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're looking at small details and Easter eggs that you likely missed in Pixar's Hoppers.
00:13Plenty of spoilers here.
00:14There's a lot, and the scene is very short, so it might be something someone will have to freeze frame
00:18later.
00:21Number 10. Names Crush.
00:23Hoppers opens with a daring jailbreak.
00:25By that, we mean that animal lover Mabel attempts to liberate several school pets from their cages.
00:31The first captive she busts out is a long-suffering turtle.
00:34Although it isn't said out loud, the turtle's tank reads,
00:37Hi, my name is Crush.
00:39That's apparently a popular name among turtles, as Marlon comes across one called Crush in Finding Nemo.
00:46So Mr. Turtle...
00:47Whoa, dude. Mr. Turtle is my father.
00:50Names Crush.
00:51Crush? Really?
00:53Funnily enough, this setup reflects the tank gang's aspirations to escape from the dentist's office.
00:59How many times have you tried to get out?
01:01Ah, I've lost count.
01:02Fish aren't meant to be in a box, kid.
01:04It does things to you.
01:08Mabel gets caught, meaning little Crush won't join Nemo in the sea.
01:12For a brief second, though, Crush tasted sweet freedom raining down from above.
01:16The Luxo Ball also makes an appearance in the opening,
01:19continuing a long-standing Pixar tradition.
01:35The Luxo Ball resurfaces in the end credits, along with a few other Easter eggs.
01:40Over the Pixar Animation Studios credit, you'll find emojis for the iconic starred Ball,
01:45the Luxo Lamp, and even one of the little green men from Toy Story.
01:49We guess that last one counts as a nod to Pixar's next film, Toy Story 5.
01:53Halt!
01:54Who goes there?
01:54Whoa, whoa, whoa!
01:55I come in peace?
01:58It's been too long, cowboy.
01:59We're also curious if King George's pink stereo could appear in the Toy Story sequel.
02:04It does look pretty toyetic, after all.
02:07In any case, Toy Story 5 will largely focus on tech, which similarly ties into Hopper's.
02:12Me and the toys have been working all summer to try and get Bonnie to make friends.
02:16Yeah.
02:16But then you had to ruin it.
02:18You're not even listening to me.
02:19I'm always listening.
02:21See?
02:21Now look here.
02:22Me and the toys have been working all summer.
02:23Now in Spanish.
02:24Con los jambes los jordan.
02:25Al otro lado.
02:26What?
02:26Yeah, I got dibs on behind the dresser.
02:28Like Bonnie, the animals become screen-obsessed.
02:31Few find emojis more enthralling than Tom Lizard.
02:34He's voiced by Tom Law, which brings us to our next entry.
02:38I have some things I'd like to say.
02:40Lizard, lizard, lunchtime, snack, giant snake, ants, bite, bag, slippery log, dancing frog.
02:45Enough!
02:46Number 8.
02:46A We Bare Bears reunion.
02:48Tom Law was a writer, storyboard artist, and occasional voice actor on the Cartoon Network
02:54series We Bare Bears.
02:56The director of Hopper's is none other than that show's creator, Daniel Chong.
03:00Yeah, we're building a very different kind of entity now.
03:02It's a movie.
03:04But it's the same kind of thing, you know?
03:06It's us having fun in a room, laughing, and coming up with crazy ideas together, and
03:11we know how to do that, you know?
03:13Law isn't the only We Bare Bears alumnus with whom Chong re-teamed for Hopper's.
03:17Of course, there's Bobby Moynihan, who voiced Panda before being crowned King George in this
03:22movie.
03:22Oh, I am clear in the rest of the day.
03:24Let's hear that from Mabel, everyone!
03:26It's much easier to miss the voice of Ice Bear, Dimitri Martin, as a bunch of birds
03:31tweeting in a tree.
03:31Eric Edelstein can also be heard in the film, although he isn't the grizzly bear this time
03:37around.
03:37That would be Melissa Villasenor, who also voiced Karen Beverly in Toy Story 5.
03:42I couldn't believe how deep they wanted my voice, though.
03:45That's what was so fun about playing L in the bear.
03:47It's, it's...
03:48He told me, sound like Ray Romano, like that level.
03:51So I had a...
03:52I mean, yeah.
03:53It's...
03:54I had a lot of fun.
03:54Number 7, Mabel's Phone Case.
03:57There are a couple more Toy Story 5 references in Hopper's.
04:01On the back of Mabel's phone case, you can spot a Little Green Man sticker.
04:04You'll also see a sticker for the Wilderness Explorers from Up.
04:08See these?
04:09These are my Wilderness Explorer badges.
04:11You may notice one is missing.
04:14This is my Assisting to Elderly badge.
04:17If I get it, I will become a Senior Wilderness Explorer.
04:21The Wilderness must be explored!
04:24Go!
04:25Go!
04:25Roar!
04:27Whether or not Mabel was ever a Wilderness Explorer herself, she has a few other things
04:32in common with Russell.
04:33Not only are they of Asian descent and share a deep affection for nature, but both find
04:38parental figures in the Elderly.
04:40Excuse me.
04:41Pardon me.
04:42Old man coming through.
04:45I'm here for him.
04:47For Mabel, it's her grandmother.
04:48Mabel also befriends an old man as she goes door-to-door collecting signatures.
04:53He's friendlier than Carl Fredrickson.
04:55Although instead of a signature, he gives Mabel a grocery list, which does pay off if you
05:00stay through the credits.
05:01I could help you cross the street.
05:04No.
05:05I could help you cross your yard.
05:08No.
05:09I could help you cross your porch.
05:12No.
05:12Number 6.
05:14The Beaver King
05:15As King George explains the pond rules to Mabel, she inquires as to how exactly he inherited
05:20the crown on his head.
05:21In a nutshell, George explains that he was initially exiled from his home.
05:25After his father's death, though, there was a power struggle in George's family.
05:30Pond rule number one.
05:31Don't be a stranger.
05:32It's harder to be mad at someone if you know their name.
05:34Looking good, Ron.
05:35Oh, thank you, sir.
05:37You too, Fran.
05:37Tom, Laquan, Rosie.
05:39Despite some hesitation, George decided to return and reclaim his place as king, ruling
05:44over the mammals of the forest.
05:46George's backstory sounds a lot like another Disney character's, Simba from The Lion King.
05:52Simba.
05:53I'm a little surprised to see you.
05:57Alive.
05:59Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart.
06:03Oh, Simba, you must understand.
06:04The pressures of ruling the kingdom are no longer yours.
06:09George's explanation as to why some animals must eat others to survive even calls Mufasa's
06:14Circle of Life speech to mind.
06:16George also lives by a popular Disney motto.
06:19No, not Hakuna Matata.
06:20But we're all in this together.
06:22How is that a rule?
06:23Well, it means...
06:26No matter who you are,
06:29you look out for others who need looking out for...
06:34Number five.
06:35The Avatar comparisons come full circle.
06:37The filmmakers behind Hoppers don't try to hide the fact that the idea of someone using
06:42an artificially created body to engage with nature sounds like Avatar.
06:46So let me get this straight.
06:47You created a fake animal.
06:49Yes.
06:49Which makes the other animals think you're an animal.
06:52Yes.
06:53Guys, this is like Avatar.
06:55This is nothing like Avatar.
06:56The irony is that for years, people have been comparing Avatar to animated movies that preceded
07:02it.
07:03The clash between humans and nature in Avatar most notably echoes Fern Gully, not to mention
07:08Disney movies like Pocahontas, The Jungle Book, and Tarzan.
07:16James Cameron himself even mentioned the anime Ghost in the Shell as an inspiration, both
07:21featuring someone who transfers their consciousness to a human-made body.
07:25Sometimes I suspect I'm not who I think I am.
07:28Like maybe I died a long time ago and somebody took my brain and stuck it in this body.
07:32Maybe there never was a real me in the first place and I'm completely synthetic like that
07:36thing.
07:37You've got human brain cells in that titanium shell of yours.
07:40You're treated like other humans, so stop with the angst.
07:43You can say that Hoppers has brought things full circle, going from Avatar mirroring animated
07:47movies to an animated movie knowingly taking a page from Avatar.
07:51Disney owns it all now, anyway.
07:53I mean, look at all that cheddar.
08:00We're not sure what's funnier.
08:01That Pixar got Meryl Streep to play a literal queen butterfly, that we didn't at all recognize
08:07her voice, or that her character's exit is as sudden as her introduction.
08:11Their treachery ends here, now!
08:14Let's squish the humans!
08:17Wait, uh, squish?
08:19What makes Streep's presence even funnier is that this isn't the first time she's voiced
08:24an insect queen in an animated film.
08:26Almost two decades ago, she voiced the queen ant in The Ant Bully.
08:43Weirdly enough, the queen ant reveals herself in that film as she emerges from a pair of butterfly wings.
08:48The insect queen in Hoppers is far more tyrannical, however, as is her offspring.
08:53In yet another bizarrely full circle moment, the insect crown is ultimately passed on to an ant during the climax
09:00of Hoppers.
09:01Foragers, Scouts, Drones, Nurses, Regurgitators, all are different but an essential part of the whole.
09:08This is where we ants draw our strength.
09:10Number 3. For the Birds and For Ralph
09:13During the council meeting, animals from all over gather.
09:17Among them is a group of birds with a design you might recognize.
09:21This egg-shaped flock is the same one from the Pixar short For the Birds.
09:36Nestled on a power line, the identical birds shun an outsider, only to meet a foul fate.
09:42That 2000 film would win director Ralph Eggleston an Academy Award.
09:46Sadly, Eggleston passed away in 2022, with Elemental being dedicated to his memory.
09:51The following year, Inside Out 2 worked in a tribute to Eggleston through number 87.
09:56Yeah, I see you 87. A cat! A little off-topic, but I'll take it.
10:02While he was sick, Eggleston also did some early development paintings for Hoppers.
10:06The filmmakers thus decided to honor Eggleston's memory, remodeling the birds from his award-winning short for this scene.
10:13All the people I get to work with love working on movies, so that's the most fun part.
10:18I really love making movies.
10:20Number 2. Mabel's Bedroom
10:22Although most of the film takes place outdoors, we are given a brief glimpse of Mabel's bedroom.
10:28Mabel has collected more than a few easter eggs, including a character who we'll be seeing in Toy Story 5.
10:34Buzz, you stay here. I'm going with them.
10:36You don't think I can do it?
10:37Yes! No!
10:40Nice poncho.
10:41It's good to see them fighting again.
10:43It sure is.
10:45Again, Pixar has to keep up their tradition of teasing the studio's next movie.
10:49That's not the only Pixar character present, as a skeleton from Coco can be spotted as well.
11:04Mabel's room isn't exclusive to Pixar characters, either. There are also three bears that look an awful lot like Grizzly,
11:11Panda, and Ice Bear from We Bare Bears.
11:13A part of us wishes that we could have spent more time in Mabel's room, if only to see if
11:17some of these objects come to life when she leaves.
11:20Okay, everybody. Coast is clear.
11:30Ages 3 and up. It's on my box. Ages 3 and up.
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11:50Number 1. Dr. Sam's Chalkboard.
11:53Although the Hopper's program is shut down, Dr. Sam has a few new experiments lined up.
11:59Turning Mabel's attention to the other side of her chalkboard, Dr. Sam reveals what Daniel Chong describes as a, quote,
12:05super Easter egg.
12:06And subtle, like, little, little touches that they would do. All that stuff adds up to you believing that's a
12:12real character.
12:12And that's magic, you know, to see that happen.
12:15According to producer Nicole Grindle, it references five different movies.
12:19Most notably, the chalkboard features a drawing of a dog and a collar with a speaker.
12:24It looks just like the collar that Doug and other dogs use to communicate with humans in Up.
12:39In that film, Doug said that his master, Charles Muntz, made him the collar.
12:43Perhaps this is just a case of great minds thinking alike, or maybe there is a connection between Muntz and
12:49Dr. Sam.
12:50The Pixar theory thickens.
12:51I'm in the middle of class. A class that you are enrolled in.
12:56Did you catch any other Easter eggs in Hoppers? Let us know in the comments.
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