11 March 12 - 18, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents photo studios where I learned to see the world in terms of light, texture and story,” he says. Meanwhile, Megibben credits his dis- tinctive visual sensibility to both his father’s career as a creative director at a local ad agency and his own formative experiences in East Dallas. “I’ve got to rep the east side of Dallas re- ally quick. I saw Toy Story at [the now-shut- tered] Casa Linda Theater on the other side of town [from Northrup and Reisch]. That was the beginning of my freshman year of college,” Megibben says. Their local upbringing heavily in- formed the work of all three artists on Hoppers. Northrup, who oversaw the sprawling background crowds of animals, insects and humans, spent his youth mountain biking the trails around the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. He understood the quiet majesty of wetlands and hidden natural pockets. When animating the wildlife of the movie’s Glade, he wanted to ensure the creatures possessed both humor and ap- peal while paying homage to their natural instincts. His team ran extensive visual tests, “going back and forth from very natu- ralistic to very stylized,” Northrup ex- plains, searching for a vibrant middle ground that truly popped. Northrup also worked closely with the Activist Trust, a group of youth activists who provided crucial feedback on early versions of the film. Their most consistent piece of advice perfectly mirrored the film’s ultimate message. “You can’t do this alone,” the organiza- tion said to the crew. “This takes commu- nity.” Responsibility to capture the essence of the community fell to artists like Megibben. As the film’s director of photography, he faced the delicate challenge of balancing breathtaking environmental realism with the sharp, rhythmic comedic timing of di- rector Daniel Chong. “The real challenge was meeting natural- ism versus the sense of humor that [Chong] brings to this,” Megibben says. “Everything had to support that sense of naturalism, but also never step on the humor.” By collaborating across departments, Megibben and his team developed clever ways to stylize and simplify backgrounds, ensuring the emotional beats and jokes al- ways landed. Meanwhile, Reisch and his effects team handled the heavy elemental lifting. Craft- ing the physical atmosphere of Hoppers re- quired immense dedication to studying the outdoors. Going out and looking at the nat- ural world in real life is, as Reisch puts it, “always just a humbling moment.” That careful observation pays massive dividends in the film’s climax. Reisch describes the entire third act as a visual “tour de force” featuring a complex, high-stakes interplay between the elements. Yet, even amidst the spectacular visual effects, the human element remained para- mount. Reisch points to the studio’s “internal pond rules,” which served as a mandate from Chong and producer Nicole Paradis Grindle, emphasizing the importance of teamwork. Hoppers asks its audience to look past differences and find common ground to solve massive problems. Reisch sees this re- flected in the animation process itself, not- ing that the magic of the medium relies entirely on “these small acts of heroism that we all do every single day in collaboration with each other.” You can hear that collaborative heart- beat pulsing through the film. When Ma- bel boldly declares, “We’re all in this together,” she speaks for the characters on screen, sure, but also for the hundreds of artists behind their creation. The film reminds us that “Animal homes, human homes — they’re all just one big place.” For Northrup, Megibben and Reisch, that big place started in Dallas. They took the lessons of the Trinity River, the collab- orative spirit of their youth and the inspi- ration of local movie houses, and projected them onto the biggest screen possible. Hoppers proves that whether you are trying to save a bald eagle’s nest from a superhighway or animating a digital bea- ver to save a cinematic forest, it always comes back to community. Disney/Pixar The vibrant animal characters in Hoppers are a testament to the collaboration of Dallas artists Ian Megibben, J.D. Northrup and Jon Reisch. Ride DART this St. Paddy’s. DART.org/SPD Dallas Observer-4_6042x5_4167
