Credit: Disney/Pixar
Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Hoppers, a comedy/sci-fi animated film released in March 2026, follows Mabel Tanaka, a 19-year-old college student who fights for animal and environmental rights in Beaverton, her hometown.
When Beaverton’s Mayor, Gerald “Jerry” Generazzo, announces his plan to build a highway through the Glade, a place sacred to Mabel due to the fond memories of her late grandma, Mabel takes matters into her own hands to stop Jerry at any cost.
Mabel’s courageous personality often leads her to act without considering the consequences. She follows her impulses, believing she is doing the right thing. This is one of Mabel’s fatal flaws, where she places herself in complicated situations that put her and others in danger.
This side of Mabel is referenced at the beginning of the movie. In the opening scene of the film, we see Mabel at her elementary school, wanting to release the classroom pets from her class and others, but instead she ends up getting in trouble.
Throughout the movie, we see Mabel grow from hotheaded to more mature by the end, showing audiences that it’s okay to have the passion to defend your community, but to do so with a plan that doesn’t put you or others in danger.
Caring for the Glade, the RGV and Palestine
Like Mabel, who had to fight the mayor of her town to save the Glade, environmental organizations in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), such as the South Texas Environmental Justice Network (SOTXEJN), have been fighting against mayors, elected officials and companies such as SpaceX and LNG.
It’s because of SOTXEJN’s dedication to fight for the RGV that the resemblance between Mabel and the people of the RGV can make us feel like we are all living a similar “story.”
One important element in the film is when Mabel “hops” into the anatomy of a life-like robotic beaver with the help of a machine crafted by her professors. This plan of action unfolded rapidly once Mabel learned that, to save the Glade, she must communicate with the beaver population to bring them back to their natural habitat.
While there are some bumps in the road, Mabel soon learns the ethics of the animal world through the mammal king and “fellow” beaver, King George.
There’s also a scene where Mabel discovers that Jerry has been putting artificial trees that emit shrill sound waves to push the animals out of the Glade. This plot element corresponds with many events occurring globally.
In Palestine, Israeli soldiers have illegally stolen and destroyed the majority of the land in Gaza, establishing a “yellow-line” and harming any Palestinians who attempt to return home.
Even though numerous ceasefire agreements have passed, Israel continually blocks medical equipment, fuel, water and other necessities in an effort to push out as many Palestinians as possible.
Protecting the Earth and Our Community Every Day
At the end of the movie, Jerry chose to listen to Mabel’s concerns, not because he had a change of heart, but because he was forced to understand animals after being forced to “hop” into a robotic beaver and see how much he was affecting their lives and their environment.
In Hoppers, the Glade becomes a protected wildlife preserve. Mabel gets to savor the satisfaction of having done everything she could to achieve this, which is something that activists in the RGV are actively fighting for every day to protect our community from becoming a playfield for billionaires and toxic gas companies who will only destroy our environment even further.
Because of this, we have to continue supporting organizations like SOTXEJN. Like Mabel, who had to go door-knocking to get signatures to save the Glade she loved. We have to protect this earth and never leave our community behind!
Rating: 5/5 Nopales
