Pixar’s Hoppers breakout lizard Tom was almost left out of Disney’s launch plans
Hoppers director Daniel Chong says Disney initially passed on the Tom clip that later helped turn Pixar’s original film into a meme.
For many fans, Pixar’s Hoppers was not introduced by its beavers. It was introduced by Tom, the tiny lizard whose phone tapping bit spread so widely that it became one of the movie’s defining images, which makes the latest behind the scenes reveal especially striking.
Director Daniel Chong has now said Disney originally turned down that Tom clip as the way to announce Hoppers. Speaking at the View Conference in Torino, Italy, Chong discussed the short piece, which he described in modest terms, and explained that the filmmakers had wanted to use it as the movie’s official reveal at D23 in 2024.
Disney did not go with that plan. Chong said he understood the choice, because the clip was not really representative of the film itself. Even so, the story stands out because Tom went on to become arguably the most popular character connected to Hoppers, despite the film centering on beavers.
How the Tom clip took off
The clip below is the same piece that eventually found another life. Instead of serving as Hoppers’ first announcement, it was attached to the end credits of Elio as a teaser for the upcoming Pixar release.
In it, Tom plays with a mobile phone and repeatedly hits the lizard emoji. After someone recorded that end credits moment and shared it online, the video took off as a meme.
That response helped push Tom far beyond a small supporting gag. The lizard became a notable part of Hoppers’ early marketing, and even received a Fortnite skin. For a movie that was not built on an established franchise, that kind of character recognition was a meaningful boost.
Why fans noticed this reveal
The Tom story also says something about the unusual position Hoppers occupied. Original movies have had a hard time standing out in a franchise heavy theatrical landscape, and Hoppers became an exception of sorts. It did not completely dominate the box office, but it made solid money and briefly turned into a broader pop culture talking point.
Producer Nicole Paradis Grindle said the filmmakers had found a small workaround for an original film, using Tom to raise Hoppers’ profile with audiences before release. The results were significant. Hoppers posted the strongest opening weekend for an original animated film since Coco.
So the new detail is an easy one for fans to latch onto. The bit that many viewers most closely associate with Hoppers was nearly not part of Disney’s rollout at all, before becoming one of the clearest reasons people were talking about the movie.
