The highly anticipated new Pixar release, Hoppers, is almost here! Before the film’s release in theaters on March 6, we chatted with actors Bobby Moynihan and Piper Curda, director Daniel Chong and producer Nicole Grindle to learn all about hidden Easter eggs in the movie, the casting process, and previous Pixar film inspirations!
The new animated science fiction adventure comedy follows an animal lover named Mabel, voiced by Piper, who uses technology to turn her consciousness into a robotic beaver to communicate with animals and save their habitats from destruction. Bobby voices King George, a beaver monarch, and the movie also features the voices of Jon Hamm, Dave Franco, Meryl Streep, and more!
Piper, who you may recognize from Disney in A.N.T. Farm and Teen Beach 2, said she grew up watching Pixar movies on DVD, including her favorite Finding Nemo. She loved the bonus features that included the animation and filmmaking process and says it’s a dream come true to now be in this position, starring in a Pixar movie of her own!
Piper: “Going back and watching the Finding Nemo features and being like I am doing this now and this is so crazy.”
Bobby, who rose to fame as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, loved Tom Hanks growing up, especially as the voice of Woody in Toy Story, and loves taking away lessons from legendary actors.
Because voice acting is different from starring on screen, both Piper and Bobby said their best advice is to start by just recording yourself on your phone and showing it to family and friends to build up your confidence. Piper also revealed she loves posting on TikTok and just being herself, which definitely played a factor in being casted.
Bobby: “Just record yourself doing a bunch of different voices and show it to people.”
Nothing is more fun than catching Easter eggs in films, and there are a lot of them in Hopper. Daniel and Nicole alluded to a Pixar lamp, an homage to Finding Nemo, and even a hidden character from the upcoming Toy Story 5. Just means you’ll have to watch and try to find them all!
Casting for voice actors is a very different process, so Daniel said he was looking for performers who were comfortable being silly. He said one of the biggest things to look for is someone sounding funny when they yell, which Piper fit the bill for perfectly!
Daniel: “Comedy was how we led the team for the casting process.”
With regards to the animation process, Nicole said a lot of the visual elements were sketched out during the brainstorming and storyboarding sessions. Especially in Pixar, life is injected into characters through this animation, and the entire cast and crew cannot wait for people to see this story come to life!
Nicole: “The team did a lot of the development of the story in the storyboarding process and brainstorm sessions.”
Thank you, Daniel, Nicole, Bobby, and Piper, for chatting with Young Entertainment! Watch the rest of the interview and while you’re there, be sure to like and subscribe to our channel for the latest news in young entertainment.
Consider this:
- People usually respond best in auditions when you are confident and being yourself!
