Hoppers Early Rotten Tomatoes Score Gives Pixar Their Best Movie in 9 Years

Pixar has been a staple of Disney’s feature film output for three decades now, starting with the perfection of Toy Story back in 1996. Since then, the near-annual release of an amazing new Pixar movie has been something film fans could largely set their watch to, meaning a new animated film that loved the craft and didn’t scrape the bottom of the barrel simply by being a “kid’s movie” would arrive. Even with less critically beloved films like the Cars trilogy, Pixar has been a stalwart place for quality, depending on who you ask.

A common criticism of Pixar in recent years, though, is that the studio doesn’t have the same level of consistency that it used to. Though films like Soul and Turning Red proved to be critically beloved, they were released alongside movies like Lightyear and Elemental that mave contirbuted to the idea that Pixar just isn’t what it used to be. The theory is set to be tested once again this week with the release of Hoppers, but the good news for Pixar is that the film is already earning rave reviews, their highest for the entire decade of the 2020s, and their highest for almost a full 10 years.

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As of this writing, with 59 total reviews submitted to Rotten Tomatoes, Hoppers is holding strong to a 97% approval rating (with the number fluctuating from 96% to 98% over the past few hours). If the film holds on to this number, which would be impressive as there will no doubt be hundreds of additional reviews coming in from critics through the rest of the week, it would be the highest Pixar score in nine years.

Currently, Hoppers is tied with 2017’s Coco, the Academy Award-winning film that was previously one of their highest-rated original films in recent years, at 97%. The film also sits just above Toy Story 4 (96%), plus Turning Red and Soul (both at 95%), which signals a potential return to form for the studio. Even with 2024’s Inside Out 2 holding to a 93% approval rating, Pixar’s work in the 2020s has been one with middling output compared to their entire library. Last summer’s Elio sits at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and was the lowest-grossing Pixar movie since Onward (which had its box office run ended by the COVID-19 pandemic).

If Hoppers manages to hold on to its 97% rating, or manages to climb even higher, it would put the film in the upper echelon of Pixar films on Rotten Tomatoes. Only two Pixar movies have a perfect 100% rating, Toy Story and Toy Story 2, with six films somewhere in the 97%, 98%, and 99% range, including: Finding Nemo (99%), Up (98%), Toy Story 3 (98%), Inside Out (98%), The Incredibles (97%), and Coco (97%).

Hoppers maintaining an approval rating that high could indicate that the studio is about to have a great year. With Hoppers arriving this week, and already paving the way to be a hit with good word of mouth, Pixar is primed for a big year, as this summer will also see the release of Toy Story 5. Though many fans may not be sold on the idea of another film in that series, it’s a consistent box office winner and a critical darling, meaning 2026 might be one of the best years for Pixar in a long, long time.