Before the breakout success of Hoppers put his name on everyone’s lips, director and animator Daniel Chong had already proven himself capable of something genuinely special in animation. Six years ago, he made a movie that many fans of the genre quietly consider one of the most emotionally satisfying animated features of its era — and right now, you can watch it on Hulu.
That film is We Bare Bears: The Movie, the 2020 feature-length conclusion to the beloved Cartoon Network series. With Hoppers now being described as Pixar’s biggest original, non-sequel hit since Coco, a lot of people are suddenly very curious about what else Chong has made. The answer is worth your time.
yes i am the beavers https://t.co/krooJ91V69
— Daniel Chong (@threebarebears) March 11, 2026
If you’ve never seen We Bare Bears — the show or the movie — this is the moment to fix that. And if you already love it, Chong’s current success makes revisiting it feel like watching a filmmaker’s origin story click into place.
Who Is Daniel Chong, and Why Does Hoppers Matter?
Daniel Chong is the director and animator behind Hoppers, Pixar’s latest original animated feature. According to reporting from Collider, the film has become a breakout critical and commercial success — and specifically the studio’s biggest original, non-sequel hit since Coco, which was released back in 2017.
That’s a significant benchmark. Coco was not just a box office success — it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and became a cultural touchstone. For Hoppers to be mentioned in the same breath says something real about the kind of filmmaker Chong has become.
But Chong didn’t arrive at Pixar without a track record. His work on We Bare Bears — both the series and its 2020 feature film — established him as a storyteller with a distinct voice: warm, funny, emotionally grounded, and genuinely interested in characters who feel like outsiders trying to belong.
What We Bare Bears: The Movie Actually Is
We Bare Bears: The Movie serves as the finale to the original Cartoon Network animated series, which ran from 2015 to 2019. The show followed three bear brothers — Grizzly, Panda, and Ice Bear — navigating life in the San Francisco Bay Area, trying to fit into human society with varying degrees of success and chaos.
The movie picks up that thread and pushes it further. The bears find themselves targeted by a government agent who wants to capture and relocate them away from human civilization. It’s a road trip story at its core, but it carries real emotional weight — touching on themes of belonging, found family, and what it means to be seen as “other” in a world not built for you.
For a film that originated as a children’s animated series, it lands with surprising emotional force. That’s a hallmark of Chong’s sensibility as a creator.
Why This Film Holds Up — and Why Timing Matters Now
There’s a specific pleasure in discovering a filmmaker’s earlier work after falling in love with something new they’ve made. We Bare Bears: The Movie streaming on Hulu right now is essentially a window into how Chong developed the instincts that apparently made Hoppers such a success.
The connective tissue is visible. Both projects center on characters navigating spaces where they feel like they don’t fully belong. Both lean on heart over spectacle. And both reflect a filmmaker who understands that the best animated stories aren’t just for kids — they’re for anyone willing to feel something.
The fact that the film is currently available on Hulu makes this one of the easier recommendations to act on. No hunting for a physical copy, no obscure streaming service. It’s right there.
A Quick Look at Daniel Chong’s Creative Path
| Project | Year | Platform / Studio | Notable Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| We Bare Bears (series) | 2015–2019 | Cartoon Network | Creator; beloved animated series with devoted fanbase |
| We Bare Bears: The Movie | 2020 | Cartoon Network / Now on Hulu | Feature-length series finale; currently streaming |
| Hoppers | 2026 | Pixar | Biggest original Pixar hit since Coco (2017) |
What Makes This Worth Watching If You’re New to It
You don’t need to have watched all four seasons of the series to follow the movie. It’s designed to work as a standalone story, even if familiarity with the three bears deepens the emotional payoff.
What you’ll get is a film that moves quickly, makes you laugh, and earns its emotional moments without manipulating you into them. The animation style is clean and expressive. The voice performances feel natural. And the central conflict — three bears who just want to live their lives being told they don’t belong — resonates in ways that extend well beyond the children’s animation genre.
With Hoppers generating real buzz and putting Chong firmly in the spotlight, there’s never been a better time to understand where that talent came from. We Bare Bears: The Movie is the answer — and it’s streaming right now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who directed We Bare Bears: The Movie?
The film was directed by Daniel Chong, who also created the original We Bare Bears animated series for Cartoon Network.
Where can I watch We Bare Bears: The Movie right now?
The film is currently streaming on Hulu.
What is Hoppers, and why is it significant?
Hoppers is a 2026 Pixar animated feature directed by Daniel Chong. It has been described as a breakout critical and commercial success — Pixar’s biggest original, non-sequel hit since Coco.
Do I need to watch the We Bare Bears series before the movie?
When did the We Bare Bears series originally air?
The series ran on Cartoon Network from 2015 to 2019, with the feature film following in 2020.
How does We Bare Bears: The Movie connect to Chong’s work on Hoppers?
Both projects reflect Chong’s signature storytelling style — emotionally grounded characters navigating a world where they feel like outsiders — suggesting a clear creative throughline between the two films.
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