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If you know me, you’d know that the world’s most important and intelligent person (me) would tell you I’m incredibly fun to be around. I’m practically the reincarnation of Olaf, according to some of the wisest minds of our generation (also me).

So when the internet collectively decided that “Tom might be the best side character in a Disney movie,” my ears went on high alert.

Because, for a lizard, Tom seemed alright. He’s funny. He’s adorable. And, most importantly, he’s just unpredictable enough to keep things interesting. My kind of guy.

But was he really good enough to dethrone Olaf as Disney’s greatest sidekick?

Sadly, I couldn’t find out immediately because Dhurandhar: The Revenge completely wiped Hoppers off every cinema near me.

Thankfully, it recently arrived on JioHotstar in India, so my family and I finally watched it.

I went in with high expectations.

Now I have thoughts.

And if you’ve been here long enough, you’ll know that’s basically all I have.

1. Tom Beats Olaf?

I know I usually begin by talking about the story, but let’s be honest—we have much bigger problems to deal with here.

Tom the Lizard was practically the mascot of this movie. Half the internet watched Hoppers because of him.

The tiny green lizard single-handedly reduced the entirely justified hatred directed at lizards.

…But as an actual character?

He did… nothing.

Remove Tom from the movie and ask yourself one question:

Does the plot change?

Even by 0.5 percent?

Absolutely not.

Yes, he may have started the “Not All Lizards” movement online, but he doesn’t even come close to Olaf as a side character.

Truthfully, I don’t think Tom was a side character at all.

He was a filler character.

A filler character with an incredible personality… and even more wasted potential.

Would I watch an entire movie centered around Tom?

Without hesitation.

But within Hoppers, he never lived up to the expectations the internet created.

So yes.

Olaf remains Disney’s undisputed king of side characters.

Pascal from Tangled comfortably takes second place.

At least Pascal’s personality actually pushed the story forward.

2. The Story

Look, I’m a writer.

Finding similarities between stories is basically an occupational hazard.

To me, Hoppers feels like the kid-friendly version of Avatar.

• A scientific experiment.
• A human entering another species’ body.
• Learning to understand “the other side.”
• Fighting humans to save nature.

The skeleton is remarkably similar.

Where Hoppers succeeds is in changing the emotional motivation behind it. Those changes make the story feel lighter, sweeter, and far more suited to younger audiences.

Did I enjoy it?

Absolutely.

Did it constantly remind me of Avatar?

Also yes.

3. The Characters

Without question, the characters are this movie’s greatest strength.

• Mabel
• George
• The Bear
• The different animal kings
• The Mayor
• Tom

They’re the reason the movie has become so popular online.

Honestly, they deserve an entire article of their own, so I’ll save that discussion for another day.

One thing I will say, though—

As an Indian, I genuinely think the Hindi dub is miles more entertaining than the English original.

The jokes land better.

The energy feels bigger.

It was simply more fun.

4. The Villain

One thing I genuinely appreciated was the fake-out.

For most of the movie, you’re convinced the Mayor is the villain.

Then you realise…

He isn’t evil.

He’s just an idiot.

Which, honestly, was refreshing because he would’ve made a painfully weak main villain anyway.

Instead, the real mastermind turns out to be a baby butterfly obsessed with power.

Now…

A tiny caterpillar demanding world domination is about as threatening as a puppy that just discovered barking.

Thankfully, they put that little menace inside the Mayor’s body.

Otherwise nobody would’ve taken the world’s tiniest dictator seriously.

5. The Ending

Hated it.

I wanted humanity to suffer. Maybe even end. I wanted them to squish the Mayor. He deserved it.

We all kind of deserve it, don’t we? 😬

Final Verdict

Hoppers is charming.

The characters are memorable.

The Hindi dub is genuinely fantastic.

Tom is hilarious.

But the internet oversold him.

He’s not Disney’s greatest sidekick.

Not even close.

Olaf still wears the crown.

And until Disney gives Tom a movie where he’s actually allowed to matter…

The snowman sleeps peacefully.