Hoppers Filmmaker Says Dave Franco’s Casting Was a “No Brainer” (And He’s Absolutely Right) [Exclusive]

Pixar‘s next big adventure is the delightful comedy Hoppers, which will follow the wild journey of a girl named Mabel who ends up in the mind of a robotic animal, and thus is introduced to a whole other world living right under our noses. One of the more mysterious roles is a character named Titus, the entitled son of the Insect Queen, who will be played by Dave Franco. ComicBook recently had the chance to speak to Hoppers director Daniel Chong all about the new movie, and it turns out Franco’s casting was simply a “no-brainer”.

“It was kind of a no-brainer. I mean, whenever we cast, we have, like, top names, and then we do a blind taste test with our leadership, with Pete. We have the character up on the screen, and then we play, like, clips of them from other movies just to see is that going to sound right,” Chong said. “Dave Franco, by far, was like, that is the guy. We kind of knew it already. We were hoping that everybody would be on board with him, so we just offered him the role, and, man, he killed it.”

“It was a high-octane performance we required of him, and he was sweating so much between takes because he had to yell and scream and be like, broad. And I remember, like, I felt like I had to apologize to him afterwards, like profusely, because I was like, I’m so sorry we put you through that,” Chong said. “It’s so intense, but he was just so, so happy to do it, and so generous with the performance. And, yeah, he definitely came back for more.”

Hoppers Is Already Earning Rave Reviews, And Could Be Pixar’s Next Original Hit

Pixar had monumental success with its legacy sequel Inside Out 2, and it has Toy Story 5 on deck in 2026, which should be another record-breaking affair. The issue has mostly been with Pixar’s original films over the past few years, though the issue isn’t with quality. Elemental ended up doing well at the box office despite the slow start, and it was an excellent film overall. Turning Red has become a fan favorite since its release, and Soul might be one of Pixar’s best films ever. That said, none of them were huge breakthrough hits like many have come to expect from the studio.

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Lightyear didn’t help that trend, and last year’s Elio, which many did enjoy, failed to resonate in a major way at the box office. Hoppers, however, has the chance to change that narrative, and ever since it was announced, there’s been a slow but present buzz around it that indicates fans are excited to see Pixar just have some fun with a wacky premise, which Hoppers certainly is.

The early reviews have commended the film’s comedy chops and bonkers entertainment value, and the vocal performances and oddball characters have earned big mentions as well. ComicBook’s Chris Killian called the film one of the best non-sequels Pixar has made in a minute, and many reviewers have said the film is one of the funniest, if not the funniest movie Pixar’s ever made. That’s no small compliment, and if Hoppers can capitalize on that warm reception and bring in audiences, it could change the view of Pixar’s original films as of late and get us more off-the-wall stories from one of the best studios around.

Hoppers releases in theaters on March 6, 2026.

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