* Clip of Tom Lizard tapping glowing screen became social

media sensation

* Movie has received Pixar's best reviews in a decade,

analyst says

* Original animation struggles to draw audiences used to

streaming

By Dawn Chmielewski and Rollo Ross

LOS ANGELES March 5 (Reuters) - Walt Disney's ( DIS )

Pixar Animation Studios is hoping a viral meme featuring a

googly-eyed lizard character from its new film, "Hoppers,"

translates into box office success when the movie opens this

weekend in theaters.

The studio unwittingly spawned the social media hit when a

28-second clip of the goofy-looking sea-green reptile repeatedly

tapping a glowing screen to trigger an automated voice that says

"lizard" appeared in the end credits of another Pixar film,

"Elio," released last June.

The clip went viral. It inspired music mixes to songs from

Far East Movement and The Ting Tings on TikTok, a "Lizard Click"

website with a button that repeats the word "lizard" in a

robotic voice, and thousands of social media posts that, within

two months, attracted some 316 million views, according to

Disney ( DIS ).

"I don't know that you can ever predict these things. As

soon as you try to make something go viral, that's like certain

death," said Pixar's Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter. "We

just thought it was funny. We thought this character is quirky

and weird."

Pixar quietly laid claim to the character in a social media

post in August, simply saying, "his name is Tom."

"People fell in love with Tom the Lizard," said Martha

Morrison, head of marketing for Walt Disney Studios. "Then, we

were sort of figuring out when's the right time to identify that

Tom the Lizard is part of our movie."

The film is about a young animal lover, Mabel, who uses new

technology to "hop" her consciousness into a robotic beaver and

communicate directly with animals.

While audiences have flocked to cinemas to see animated

sequels, such as Disney's ( DIS ) "Zootopia 2," which is approaching $2

billion in worldwide ticket sales, original films with

unfamiliar characters and stories, like "Elio," have struggled

at the box office, bringing in a modest $20.8 million on opening

weekend.

"Hoppers" is on track to open to $35 to $40 million in the

U.S. and Canada, according to one estimate.

Original animation has always been a harder sell, but that's

been particularly true since the COVID-19 outbreak, when Disney ( DIS )

released animated films like "Soul," "Luca" and "Turning Red"

straight to its Disney+ streaming service. Families got

accustomed to seeing new animated films from the comfort of

their own living rooms.

"You know, it's tough right now because people on the one

hand say they want original stuff, but they, with their

pocketbooks, kind of vote more for the sequels," said Docter. "I

think what it is, you have to balance like stuff that people go,

'I recognize that, I see that in my own life, but it also feels

like nothing I've ever seen before,' which is a really difficult

needle to thread."

Tom Lizard has become an ambassador for "Hoppers," showing

up in person at screenings, DJ-ing an event for social media

influencers and photo-bombing ESPN ( DIS ) broadcasts in San Francisco

during Super Bowl week.

The appearances are part of a broader marketing push that

includes advance screenings and sneak peeks, in addition to

commercials that aired during the Super Bowl and the Milano

Cortina Winter Olympics.

The goal is to be in as many places as possible, convey the

film's unique brand of humor and create a sense of urgency for

movie-goers to head to the theaters, said Morrison.

Box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian said "Hoppers" has

received the best reviews for a Pixar movie in a decade.

"Original animated films such as 'Dog Man,' 'The Wild Robot'

and most recently 'GOAT' have all done very well because they're

actually good movies," said Dergarabedian. "That's a currency

that can deliver dividends for the long term."

(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski and Rollo Ross in Los Angeles)