There are plenty of upcoming 2026 movies to get hyped for this March, and Pixar’s new flick, Hoppers, is definitely one of them. The voice cast of this original animated feature is stacked. Jon Hamm is playing Mayor Jerry, Meryl Streep is the Insect Queen, Dave Franco is voicing her son, Titus, and we'll also hear Vanessa Bayer, Bobby Moynihan, and Piper Curdo, to name a few. Still, one voice in particular will stand out to longtime Pixar fans. There's a moment that practically begs you to shout at the screen, “I know that voice!” It’s Mabel’s mom, voiced by none other than Lori Alan.
Disney Pixar’s new original animated film Hoppers is about a tenacious young woman named Mabel Tanaka who hijacks “hopping” technology that was invented to let humans communicate with wildlife and transfers her consciousness into an animatronic beaver. Determined to save the animals’ homes from human development led by Jon Hamm's Mayor Jerry, Mabel uses the technology to befriend beavers like King George and rally other creatures against the threat to their habitat.
In the film, Mabel has a strong bond with her family, especially her grandmother. While she and her mom do not share much screen time, if you are anything like me, the moment you hear the voice will drive you crazy. I sat there and tried and failed to figure out who was playing Mabel's mom, and even the Internet was not helpful in my pursuit.
So when CinemaBlend had the chance to speak with Hoppers director Daniel Chong during our visit to Pixar Studios, I had to ask him directly who voiced Mabel’s mom. As it turns out, in the world of Pixar, Lori Alan is practically a household name.
It's voiced by Lori Alan, and she plays Bonnie's mom, and she was very excited that she's playing another mom.
The moment Chong said her name, a lightbulb went off in my head. Of course—that’s the voice of Bonnie’s mom from the Toy Story franchise. You can even catch a snippet of her voice in the recently dropped Toy Story 5 trailer (it already has me tearing up). However, that’s not the only Pixar mom Alan has portrayed. She also voices Riley’s mom’s sadness character in Inside Out and Inside Out 2. Producer Nicole Grindle jumped in:
Yes, she is Pixar's mom.
I bet it's kind of fun to be labeled as ‘Pixar’s mom.’ It immediately had me thinking about how many other moms in Pixar that Lori Alan has voiced. Now, excuse me while I go on an Easter egg hunt, and see if I'm missing any other mom's she's played.
To note, Alan is not just known for her voice work in Pixar films. She is probably best recognized as the voice of Pearl Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants or as Diane Simmons from Family Guy. Gaming fans may also know her as the voice of the Boss in the Metal Gear Solid franchise.
Hopefully, now, when you sit down to watch Hoppers on March 6, you won’t be distracted trying to place Lori Alan’s voice. Instead, you'll be ready to dive into Mabel’s adventure—hopping into beavers, rallying the forest creatures, and taking on Mayor Jerry. This film is full of heart, humor, and surprises that deserve your full attention. Tickets are on sale now at AMC and other theaters.
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