An Unexpected Warner Bros/Disney Crossover Has Landed

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The entertainment industry is increasingly interconnected. Following a failed attempt by Netflix, Warner Bros. and Paramount are planning to merge, leading to more shared universes and crossovers. Recently, a Disney film included a subtle nod to a beloved Cartoon Network show. This unexpected moment was easy to miss, but eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted the connection online.

Pixar’s new animated film, Hoppers, is now playing in theaters, and it has a surprising connection to Cartoon Network. The movie is directed by Daniel Chong, who has previously worked on several Disney projects like Cars 2, Lightyear, Elio, Elemental, and Inside Out 2. Hoppers is proving to be one of his most unique films yet. Many viewers may not realize that Chong also created the popular Cartoon Network show We Bare Bears. As a fun easter egg, he included the three bears from We Bare Bears in a quick cameo in Hoppers, which you can check out below.

A ‘We Bare Bears’ toy featuring Grizz, Panda, and Ice Bear briefly appears in the Disney/Pixar movie ‘Hoppers’. Both ‘We Bare Bears’ and ‘Hoppers’ were created by Daniel Chong, who served as creator and director respectively.

— ToonHive (@ToonHive) March 11, 2026

The Success of Hoppers

The new Pixar film, Hoppers, debuted at number one in theaters this weekend, earning approximately $48 million. This is Pixar’s biggest opening weekend for an original film since Coco came out in 2017. The movie has been a hit with both viewers and critics, receiving over a 90% positive rating from both groups.

We recently spoke with director Daniel Chong about his film, Hoppers. He shared that they suspected the character Tom would be a hit, even before he became a popular meme. During an early preview screening, before the film was fully finished, the audience overwhelmingly chose Tom as their favorite character – both children and adults were enthusiastically shouting his name! This was surprising, as previous previews had favored characters like King George and Mabel. Tom had very little screen time at that point, yet he unexpectedly became the star. A month later, his popularity exploded online, and he went viral.

There aren’t any current plans for more episodes of We Bare Bears. While the spin-off We Baby Bears recently finished, the original series hasn’t announced a return. With one of the show’s creators, Chong, now working on movies, a revival seems unlikely, though anything is possible in animation.

What do you think?

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2026-03-12 23:46