Discarding 98% of Storyboards and Four Years of Refinement... The Craftsmanship of Korean Animators Behind 'Hoppers'

A Quirky Animation About a Beaver Robot’s Undercover Mission
John Cody Kim Builds a Worldview Without Clear Boundaries Between Good and Evil
Sungyon Cho Contrasts Spaces and Situations Through Lighting and Color

Animation Movie 'Hopers' Still Cut

The Disney·Pixar animated film 'Hoppers' is quirky and extraordinary. The story follows Mabel, a girl who loves animals, as she transfers her consciousness into a beaver robot to infiltrate a wild ecosystem. She teams up with a beaver, bear, deer, lizard, and others to protect a lake threatened with closure due to a highway construction project.

Beneath the lively surface, where adorable animals frolic, lies an unpredictable story that oscillates between black comedy and thriller, underpinned by a profound philosophy of coexistence with nature. The main creators who brought this vision to life both visually and narratively are Story Supervisor John Cody Kim and Lighting Artist Sungyon Cho. Kim was responsible for developing the plot and characters, while Cho handled the lighting design of the visuals.

Supervisor Kim stripped away the simplistic dichotomy of good and evil from the story’s foundation. Rather than portraying humans as one-sided perpetrators and animals as unconditional victims, he depicted each side’s logic of survival in a more multidimensional and conflicting manner. Notably, he avoided portraying Mayor Jerry, the central figure in the conflict, as a flat villain. He said, “He simply pushes for highway construction to alleviate traffic congestion,” and added, “Like in Studio Ghibli’s animations, you could say it is a worldview without clear boundaries between good and evil.”

John Cody Kim, Story Supervisor

The most carefully considered aspect was balancing Mabel’s belief in protecting nature with her impulsive tendencies. Supervisor Kim explained, “It took four years just to find a solution that would resonate with audiences,” and added, “In early tests, her aggressive side was too prominent, so we added scenes of her rescuing animals at school as a child to give her actions a sense of justification.”

This multidimensional narrative was visually completed through Artist Cho’s meticulous work. To emphasize the animals’ cuteness, Cho gave their fur a plush, stuffed-animal-like texture rather than a wild, rough appearance. Special attention was also paid to creating Mabel’s deep, dark eyes to highlight her East Asian features.

Sungyeon Cho, Lighting Artist

By utilizing lighting and color, the contrast between spaces and situations was clearly defined. Artist Cho explained, “For scenes set in forests illuminated by natural light or everyday spaces where Mayor Jerry cooks pancakes, we created a warm atmosphere using painting techniques reminiscent of brushstrokes. In contrast, the laboratory where animals are kidnapped was rendered in dark green tones, like in the film ‘Jurassic Park,’ to create a sense of fear.” She added, “When animals communicate with each other, we depict the whites of their eyes, while in front of humans, only their black pupils are visible, which adds a layer of fun.”

Behind such meticulous processes were countless trials and intense efforts. For the scene in which Mabel, as a beaver robot, uses her smartphone’s text-to-speech function to communicate with Mayor Jerry, thousands of drawings were created and repeatedly reviewed in meetings, covering entire walls. Supervisor Kim stated, “Ninety-eight percent of the storyboards ended up in the trash,” and added, “Only through constant failure and revisions can we find the kind of quirky and impactful humor that sticks with the audience.”

Still cut from the animated film 'Hopers'

This series of inefficient processes serves as a reminder of the value of handcraft in the era of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Artist Cho asserted, “While AI can be used as a tool to assist with simple repetitive tasks, the craftsmanship of adjusting every brushstroke by hand will never disappear.” Supervisor Kim also emphasized, “AI can never replace artists in the realm of narrative creation, which requires imagination.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.