Will Pixar’s Hoppers Come to the Disney Parks?

Pixar’s Hoppers seems to be a homerun for Disney, earning an A CinemaScore and 94% on the popcornmeter and tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is resonating with audiences thanks to its crazy plot, lovable characters, environmental message, and its themes of cooperation and working together.

I had a chance to see the movie twice last week and absolutely loved it. I thought the story was engaging, the characters were charming, and the message was timely and creatively expressed. Naturally, as a Disney Theme Park content creator, my initial thought was “if this movie makes a lot of money, how will Disney incorporate it into the parks?” Disney has already introduced some Hoppers experiences into Disneyland to celebrate its opening weekend, but if the movie generates enough interest, how might Disney introduce Hoppers attractions into the park? That’s exactly what we’re going to be speculating on in this post.

Before I get into my ideas, I want to highlight the fact that this is all speculation. Disney hasn’t announced work on a Hoppers-themed project yet for the Disney Parks. I wanted this post to be a fun theorizing exercise on how Hoppers could be added to the Disney Parks if Disney chose to do so. This post is all armchair imagineering, and was meant to provoke a fun and lighthearted discussion on how these characters and this world could make it into the parks.

Now that that’s out of the way, let the speculation begin! Do note that there may be spoilers for the film in this post.

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Table of Contents

Hoppers Themes and Which Disney Parks They Fit Into

Hoppers is a movie that deals directly with the environment. Its themes and story are all about respecting the balance between nature and human environments. This pro-environmentalism message makes it the perfect IP to incorporate into Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

This isn’t just because it’s a movie about animals. Animal Kingdom was never just about animals. Its main message as a park is about conservation and respecting and caring for our environment, which includes taking care of animals. You can see this in attractions like Dinosaur or Kali River Rapids that have strong conservation themes.

This is why I think recent additions to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, such as Zootopia: Better Zoogether, fundamentally misunderstand the park. Having an IP that has animals in it doesn’t mean it fits in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It needs to have themes of preserving and protecting nature for it to fit. It’ll be interesting to see if the forthcoming Indiana Jones and Encanto rides fit this theme or if they are just shoehorned in because “they have animals”. I’m hoping for the sake of the park that these rides inhabit the former.

Hoppers, though, is a perfect fit for Disney’s Animal Kingdom! It’s actually such a perfect fit that I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney eventually introduces a Hoppers themed attraction to the park. However, the question then becomes where else could Disney put a Hoppers attraction.

The only other place I could see Disney making a Hoppers attraction is in Grizzly Peak in Disney California Adventure. Most of Hoppers takes place in the woods, and its woodland setting fits perfectly into the national park aesthetic of Grizzly Peak.

Disney already recognizes this, with the introduction of a Hoppers activity called Mabel’s Seek and Find into Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. In the activity, you’ll receive a keepsake map that will lead you on a quest to fulfill certain tasks as outlined in the map. Upon completion you’ll receive a commemorative sticker. It’s a fun little diversion, but its placement in Grizzly Peak has me thinking that maybe Disney is already thinking about turning some parts of that land into a Hoppers attraction.

Now some of you may be wondering if Disney could make an entire themed land around the movie. In the next section I’ll go into why I think this won’t happen, and why that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Why Hoppers Wouldn’t Make a Good Single IP Land

Unlike other single-IP themed lands like Zootopia in Shanghai Disneyland, Cars Land in DCA, or World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland, a Hoppers themed land wouldn’t work because the world of the movie isn’t unique, quirky, or different enough from our present world to merit the escapism that comes with creating a single IP land.

The Hoppers world looks and feels like it could be plopped in the middle of the United States and completely blend in. There’s nothing overtly unique or different about it. Cars Land is unique because of the changes they made to the real world to reflect what it would look like if it only contained cars, such as having a gas station for a restaurant or cones for a motel. Zootopia is unique because of how its world is influenced by the different mammals living in it, making it really different from our world. Frozen takes place hundreds of years ago, also making it different from our current world.

Now I’m not saying that real world locations can’t exist in theme parks. Pixar Pier is supposed to resemble the pierside attractions in California. Arabian Coast in Tokyo DisneySea has a middle east aesthetic. The Adventurelands around the world all represent the jungle, which many countries have. But these are different from single IP lands as they were made to be a catch-all for related stories, kind of like how the different Fantasyland attractions all tie in to the theme of Fantasy while being their own separate stories.

But single IP lands, in my opinion, need to be incredibly different from our present world in order for guests to feel the level of escapism and immersion that these lands need to succeed. Hoppers, unfortunately, just doesn’t do that. That being said, there are still parks where a Hoppers attraction could fit in. Let me go over them below.

Hoppers Takeover of Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

They already have a Hoppers installation in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this is the first place that Disney looks at for redevelopment into a Hoppers attraction.

Now I’m not saying they need to bulldoze the entire attraction to make a Hoppers one. Keeping the current structure of Redwood Creek Challenge Trail would be the best option because Hoppers’ world fits the aesthetic of the area.

I think it would be easy for them to re-theme the existing structures, add some plaques about conservation, and maybe add some interactive experiences and play elements to make the world of the movie come alive.

Imagine an interactive fountain that mirrors King George’s pond from the movie where kids can learn about how beavers make dams while also cooling off from the Southern California Heat. Or you could have statues of the different animal kings and queens that are interactive where you press a button and a paper comes out explaining how these specific animals contribute to their respective ecosystems.

The possibilities for engaging edutainment are limitless. If Disney wants to quickly incorporate Hoppers into the Disney theme parks, then this would be the easiest way to do it. I wouldn’t be surprised if something like this eventually comes to Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, and as long as they keep the edutainment side of it then I’m on board!

Hoppers Re-Imagining of Grizzly River Run

Turning our attention to another attraction in Grizzly Peak, I could see Disney adding a Hoppers aesthetic to the existing Grizzly River Run ride. Just like how Kali River Rapids is about deforestation, the Grizzly River Run ride could do something similar but use the characters from Hoppers to tell a unique story about conservation.

Maybe you can be “hopped” into the body of a beaver and be taken for a ride down the river as seen in the movie, ending in a drop through the big dam that is shown in the movie, all in the name of “saving the glade”. They could sprinkle in some animatronics throughout the ride, something that is sorely lacking from the existing Grizzly River Run. They could craft a pretty engaging original story based on the world of the movie using the existing river for the ride.

If Disney wants a more book report story for the ride, however, then the ride can follow the story of the movie. It would have to be fast paced as with most other book report rides, but the movie itself is fast paced so it could work. Imagine if you could float past the scene of Mabel, Jerry, George trying to evade Diane the Shark from the movie and then the big drop happens signifying the part of the movie when Mabel and the animals break the dam to save the human world.

The possibilities for this ride are endless, and Hoppers would breathe new life into this attraction in a way that hasn’t been seen since it opened. I know that this would continue the trend of Disney removing their original attractions for attractions based on IP, but for a change like that to be considered good, it has to be better than what it replaced.

Grizzly River Run is fun, but its lack of a story and animatronics makes for a pretty dull ride, despite the drop. Adding Hoppers to the ride will make this attraction more engaging, its finale more intense, and its payoff more rewarding. I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney is having discussions right now on this sort of thing, but I guess only time will tell.

I have one more idea for a Hoppers attraction up my sleeve, and for this one we’re going to hop (pun intended) to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Replace Zootopia: Better Zoogether with a Hoppers Show

Opened in 2025, Zootopia: Better Zoogether has divided fans and guests alike. I’m on the side that thinks that it doesn’t fit in the park. It has nothing to do with conservation and was simply placed in Animal Kingdom because Zootopia has animals in it and they wanted to capitalize on that franchise’s popularity. It would make a better fit for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, if I’m being honest.

Add to the fact that it’s also just a lazy, poorly written, unexciting show. I really think its the worst offering currently at Walt Disney World, which makes you wonder if Disney meant for this to just be temporary. Because of its weak reception, I would think that Disney may consider replacing this show with a Hoppers inspired show down the line.

You could have Mabel and King George teach about the importance of unity and how we can all work together to help the environment and our cities at the same time. It could take some notes from It’s Tough to Be a Bug and have it be a show that Mabel and King George are putting on with the help of the other animal kings and queens. Each king or queen could teach about their environment and how they all work together to preserve and protect nature and each other.

This would without a doubt fit the theme and vibe of Animal Kingdom better than Zootopia: Better Zoogether does. Hoppers is also a very funny movie, and humor is a key element of good 3D shows. It’s why attractions like MuppetVision 3D remain so beloved by Disney Parks fans. Combining its themes with its brand of comedy and you have all the ingredients to make a great edutainment show that can be both funny and heartfelt.

This I think is the best idea among the three that I have. Hoppers just so naturally fits the themes and aesthetic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom that it seems like a no-brainer. And if it also gets rid of that awful Zootopia: Better Zoogether show then that’s also a win-win for guests and fans of Hoppers.

Conclusion

While nothing is confirmed by Disney, it is exciting to speculate what the future of Hoppers could be in terms of representation in the Disney Parks. Hoppers just achieved the highest grossing opening weekend of the decade for an original film worldwide this weekend. Audiences are clearly connecting with the characters, so we may actually see a new attraction for it sooner rather than later. Whatever the future may hold for it, Disney has a hit on their hands. I’m excited to see where Disney takes the franchise.

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