They Call Us Hoppers

Jeff and Phil welcome back Daniel Chong, director of the Disney/Pixar animated feature Hoppers . They discuss the silly, unlikely pitch for "Penguin Avatar" that actually got the green light; centering an angry Asian young woman at the heart of this adventure (and why this movie arrives amidst an incredible moment for animated Asian movie heroines); and all the fun world-building that goes into crafting a story set in the animal kingdom. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Hoppers . This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans , a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.

You can listen to They Call Us Hoppers online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

They Call Us Hoppers is an episode from They Call Us Bruce by Jeff Yang & Phil Yu.

This episode is 30:26 long.

This episode was published on Mar 6, 2026.

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