A look behind Pixar’s body-swap movies

Piper Kurda returns to the Disney world as the voice of Mabel Tanaka, a 19-year-old animal lover whose consciousness is transferred to a robot beaver. Kurda is best known for starring in Disney Channel’s I Didn’t Do It and the hit sequel Teen Beach Movie 2, and has since appeared in May December and Netflix’s American Pie Presents: Girls Rules.

Bobby Moynihan plays the voice of King George, a beaver monarch whose authority is matched only by his anxiety. A longtime performer in ensemble comedies, Moynihan spent nine seasons on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and voiced characters on “Inside Head,” “DuckTales” and “Monsters University.”

Jon Hamm lends his voice to Mayor Jerry Generazzo, a selfish and selfish politician driven by greed and ambition. Hamm is best known for his Emmy-winning role as Don Draper on AMC’s Mad Men and has recently appeared on FX’s Fargo and Apple TV+’s The Morning Show, as well as films such as Top Gun: Maverick and Fletch.

Kathy Najimy voices Dr. Sam, Mabel’s biology professor and the brilliant but morally conflicted scientist behind the hopping technology. Najimy’s career spans decades in film, television and animation, with credits including “Sister Act,” “Hocus Pocus,” “Veep” and the voice of Peggy Hill on Fox’s long-running animated series “King of the Hill.”

Dave Franco plays the voice of the Insect King, the calculating mate of the Insect Queen who has ambitions beyond the nest. Franco’s recent work includes Neon’s “Together,” Amazon MGM’s “Somebody I Used to Know,” “The Rental,” and “Now You See Me 3.”

Eduardo Franco voices Loaf, a slow but steady beaver. Franco broke out as Argyle in Netflix’s Stranger Things and has appeared in films such as Booksmart, American Vandal and Afterparty.

Aparna Nancherla voices Nisha, Dr. Sam’s loyal colleague at the top-secret laboratory. Before joining the world of animated “Hoppers,” the actor and comedian has lent her voice to characters in films and television shows such as “The Great North,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Orion and the Dark,” “Mira,” and “BoJack Horseman.” She has also written for “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and “Totally Biased With W. Kamiu Bell,” among others.

Sam Richardson plays Connor, a cheerful biology graduate student in Dr. Sam’s lab. Richardson has a long voice acting career with credits on TV shows such as “The Wild Pack,” “Crapopolis,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Sausage Party: Foodtopia,” and “Velma.” His on-screen credits include “Veep” (as Richard Splett) and “Detroiters.”

Ego Nwodim provides the voice of the Fish Queen, who is said to be the boisterous, strict and fearsome leader of the Fish Kingdom. Nwodim is best known for his work on “Saturday Night Live,” beginning with the show’s 44th season in 2018 and ending with the show’s 50th season in 2025. Nwodim previously appeared in the television series “Galaxy War Room” and voiced characters in “Futurama,” “Baby Shark” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever.”

Nicole Sakura voices the Reptile Queens, a terrifying trio of nearly identical snake sisters. Sakura is known for her roles as Cheyenne Tyler Leigh on the NBC comedy “Superstore,” Amanda on “Shameless,” and Emily Davis on the horror video game “Until Dawn.”

Meryl Streep plays the voice of the Insect Queen, the most respected and feared member of the all-knowing council. A three-time Academy Award winner, Streep’s most famous roles include “Sophie’s Choice,” “Kramer vs. Kramer,” “The Iron Lady,” “The Devil Wears Prada” and “The Bridges of Madison County.” Streep holds the record for the most Academy Award and Globe nominations of any performer, with a career spanning 64 films and 18 television projects.

Stephen Purcell is the voice of the king of amphibians, the frog. Purcell, who is also a cartoonist, animator, game designer, and voice actor, is best known as the creator of the Sam & Max media series, which includes shows, comics, and game series. “Hoppers” is not Purcell’s first collaboration with Pixar. He co-wrote and co-directed “Brave” and developed the “Cars” miniseries “Cars on the Road.”

Bird King, a flirtatious flying goose, was voiced by actor Isaiah Whitlock Jr. until his death in December 2025 at the age of 71. In addition to her role on The Wire, Whitlock was known for her appearances in television shows and films such as Goodfellas, Chappell’s Show, Pieces of April, Enchanted, Cars 3, and Lightyear. He was also known for his collaborations with director Spike Lee, including “BlacKkKlansman,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “She Hate Me,” “25th Hour,” “Red Hook Summer,” and “Chi-Raq.”

Vanessa Bayer voices Diane, a shark and feared assassin summoned to assist the Council in its mission to stop Mayor Jerry. Beyer was a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” from 2010 to 2017, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award. Beyer has also previously appeared in “I Love That For You,” “Freakier Friday” and “Ibiza.”

Melissa Villaseñor plays the menacing Ellen, even though she’s mostly a grumpy grizzly bear. He is a writer, comedian, and actor known for “Hubie Halloween,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” and “Toy Story 4.” She also hosts the “Laughing With Myself” podcast.

Heidi Klum provides the voice of Diane in the German dubbed version of “Hoppers.” Her character is called “Heidi,” a play on Klum’s name and the German word for shark, “hai.” Klum is known for her career as a supermodel and later served as a judge on the reality shows “Project Runway,” “German’s Next Top Model,” and “America’s Got Talent.”