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Source: Disney/Pixar
Pixar's animated films are known to go through numerous revisions once a project is approved. This is not surprising, as the filmmaking process itself takes a long time, from four to seven years. The studio's latest film, «Hoppers» , was a six-year project that director Daniel Chong worked on with great love before becoming one of the most successful films of 2026. When CinemaBlend spoke with several of the filmmakers, they revealed one memorable scene that (surprisingly) didn't even make it into the final cut. «Hoppers» until late in development. And for that, they can thank Pixar fans.
Plot «Hoppers» revolves around Mabel, a Japanese-American student who is fascinated by nature and animals. While it's certainly unusual for a Pixar film to feature a nearly adult woman, it was part of the idea from the start. As lead storyboard artist,« Hoppers »Margaret Spencer ahead of the film's release on streaming platforms:
I think [director Daniel Chong] always really wanted Mabel to be young and energetic and resilient. And I think it was really important to him that she be a female character. I don't know, it was just part of the film from the very beginning.
So, Mabel has remained virtually unchanged in age and character since the beginning of the film. «Hoppers» . That's all well and good, but here's what the film's story supervisor, John Cody Kim, told us.
Yes, and she was a very nature-loving character. But the thing is, we didn't have an opening scene where we see Mabel as a little girl rescuing animals from school. So we had to add that almost at the last minute. And suddenly, the audience became more sympathetic to Mabel.
Can you believe we almost missed little Mabel's appearance? The scene we're talking about is right at the beginning of the film. — but the next few sentences contain minimal spoilers. We see Mabel steal all the school pets before she's caught. Her parents then lecture her about her behavior. The scene transitions to a sweet moment between Mabel and her grandmother, where she asks her to listen to the sounds of nature. It's a perfect introduction to the character, and it's hard to believe it happened at the very last moment.
Source: Pixar
What's even more important for context? This scene was added after early versions of the film were screened. Audiences had their own thoughts about Mabel, and the scene was added after the animators took their feedback into account. Screenings are not uncommon. Pixar is known to screen its films while they're being made through a review forum called Braintrust, which is pretty cool in itself.
During the long production period Hoppers underwent many other changes. Chong originally conceived the film as a "spy thriller in the style of« Mission Impossible “"," and Jerry's character was more of a "cold" antagonist before the filmmakers made some changes to Jon Hamm's portrayal. But this information is perfect for the film, which will soon hit streaming platforms.
Disney+: From $11.99 per month with ad subscription. Disney+ is the home of all Pixar films, including (NOW!) «Hoppers» . Plans start at $11.99 per month for a new ad-supported plan. Remove ads and pay $18.99 per month, or save $16% by subscribing to $189.99 per year. View offer
The film "Hoppers"« just hit TV screens for Disney+ subscribers, and now's the perfect time to rewatch it. I'm sure I'll enjoy the opening scene even more, considering it was added late in the film.