Frankly, my dear, I do give a dam about this great Pixar film.

When the young animal activist Mabel finds out her biology teachers have developed robot animals called “Hoppers,” in which they’re able to occupy them through machines, she responds: “This is like “Avatar.” And they say: “This is nothing like “Avatar!”

That’s the set-up for Disney and Pixar’s latest animated feature, and it’s a strange, funny, and complex entry-more risk taking than the otherwise likable “Elio” and “Elemental”-and that’s what qualifies it as one of the studio’s very best. Don’t get used to the “Bambi” genre of cute animals; get used to the cartoonish antics, honest environmental messages, and daring “Avatar” chances that emerge within.

The hopper Mabel (voiced by Piper Curda) takes control of is a beaver, and she wants to use it to stop Mayor Jerry (voiced by Jon Hamm) from developing a freeway over the glades. But in order to do that, she needs to find more beavers to inhabit that area, and she does.

The scientists (Kathy Najimy as Dr. Sam, Aparna Nancherla as Nisha, and Sam Richardson as Connor) are able to surveil Mabel in her beaver form, and only through their technology can they understand the animals and see how they look and act like cartoon characters. Starting with the lovable beaver monarch George (voiced by Bobby Moynihan), who has a crown but doesn’t want to be called King George. “How did he get a little crown?,” one may ask. Either this is supposed to be a cartoon without logic or a kid lost a toy crown at a picnic. There are dolls and stuffed animals that have them. And I’m sure that’s also how he also has a kids boombox for aerobics.

He has three Pond Rules.

1.) “Don’t be a stranger.” You have to know every animal in your area.

2.) “When you gotta eat, eat.” Even beavers must acknowledge that bears have to eat. And as Mufasa said in “The Lion King:” We are all connected in the great circle of life.”

3.) “We’re all in this together.” Nobody gets left behind.

But George is just one monarch, as there are other kinds of rulers. There’s the Bird King (voiced by the late Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), the Fish Queen (voiced by Ego Nwodim), the Amphibian King (voiced by Steve Purcell), who is a frog, the Reptile Queens (voiced by Nichole Sakura), who are three sister snakes, and the Insect Queen (voiced by Meryl Streep), who is an evil Butterfly with an eviler son and soon to be the Insect King Titus (voiced by Dave Franco). And unlike Mabel and George, they think killing Jerry will solve everything. I’m surprised none of them came into a screening of “Bugonia” and celebrated its ending. Birds and insects do come inside buildings now and then.

“Hoppers” is the feature debut of Daniel Chong, who is best known for creating the hit Cartoon Network animated series “We Bare Bears.” This is a major step-up for him, as he and screenwriter Jesse Andrews both like to kid with the audience, but also be taken seriously at the same time. And like “Inside Out,” “Soul,” and “Turning Red,” this acts like a cartoon tackling on serious matters, which, in this case, regards the balance of nature and the main heroine trying to restore it and herself in the process.

With a line of terrific voice work from Curda, Moynihan, Hamm, Franco, Streep, Najimy, and Karen Huie (as Mabel’s deceased and loving grandmother), flexible and gorgeous animation, an emotional weight, and the right target audience of both kids and adults, you know the studio hasn’t forgotten its roots. And you also know when it wants to take risks within both Sci-Fi and environmental genres (the best and probably creepiest for smaller kids takes place during the rising action).

Pixar’s last entry “Elio” was a box office disappointment, while “Inside Out 2” was a worldwide hit, which indicates that moviegoers seem to be more interested in sequels than originals. But there’s no way that people will be missing “Hoppers,” especially since they saw “Zootopia 2,” which I’m pretty sure also used beaver heroines in the fight for reptiles. You better buck up and give a dam about this one, because it’s a winner. Obligatory beaver humor.