A Bug's Life

A Bug's Life
Theatrical poster
Directed by	John Lasseter Co-director: Andrew Stanton Supervising technical directors: William Reeves Eben Ostby
Written by	Andrew Stanton Don McEnery Bob Shaw Story John Lasseter Andrew Stanton Joe Ranft
Produced by	Darla K. Anderson Kevin Reher
Starring	Dave Foley Kevin Spacey Julia Louis-Dreyfus Denis Leary Phyllis Diller Joe Ranft David Hyde Pierce Brad Garrett Richard Kind Bonnie Hunt Jonathan Harris Hayden Panettiere Madeline Kahn Roddy McDowall Michael McShane John Ratzenberger
Cinematography	Sharon Calahan
Edited by	Lee Unkrich
Music by	Randy Newman
Production company	Pixar Animation Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures
Release date	November 25, 1998 (1998-11-25)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$60 million
Box office	$363,398,565

A Bug's Life is a 1998 American CGI film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution in the United States on November 25, 1998. A Bug's Life was the second Disney·Pixar feature film and the third American computer-animated film after Toy Story and Antz. It tells the tale of an oddball individualist inventor ant who hires what he thinks are "warrior bugs" — actually circus performers — to fight off a huge swarm of grasshoppers who have made the ant colony their servants. The film was directed by John Lasseter and is also the last film appearances of Madeline Kahn and Roddy McDowall. The film is also notable as being the first and one of only two (the other being Cars) Pixar films to date to have an entirely non-human cast.

The story of A Bug's Life is a parody of Aesop's fable of The Ant and the Grasshopper. It is similar to the comedy Three Amigos, which is about out-of-work actors defending a town while thinking they are merely giving a performance. It also gives a nod to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (as well as its Hollywood remake, The Magnificent Seven), which is about Japanese villagers hiring a group of swordsmen to fight off rampaging bandits. It is also dedicated to the late Toshiro Mifune.

Plot

Every season, a colony of ants are expected to harvest food for a Mafia-like bunch of grasshoppers (or possibly just locusts that are referred to as grasshoppers). One ant, Flik, is an inventor whose creations usually do more harm than good. While trying out a mechanical harvester, he drops his machine, and winded up, it knocks the pile of food into a stream just before the grasshoppers arrive. Their leader, Hopper, gives the ants the rest of the season to make good on what they owe, but orders a double ration of food after Flik stands up to him in defense of the Queen's youngest daughter Dot. As a result of his bumbling, Flik is admonished by the colony's royal council. When Flik suggests that he try to recruit some "warrior bugs" to fight the grasshoppers, Princess Atta (Dot's older sister and the eventual successor to the Queen) allows him to do so, but only to keep him out of the way.

Reaching the insect "city," actually garbage under a trailer, Flik encounters a troupe of unemployed circus bugs whose latest performance has just ended in disaster, and mistakes them for the warriors he needs. At the same time, they believe him to be a talent scout who wants to book their act on the island. They return to the colony, much to Atta's surprise, and are immediately greeted as heroes who can end the grasshopper threat. Atta soon becomes suspicious after almost overhearing a conversation where both Flik and the troupe realize their mistakes. However, after they band together to save Dot from a hungry bird, she begins to think that the troupe may be able to stop the grasshoppers after all. She also starts to find herself falling in love with Flik.

At the grasshopper gang's hideout, Hopper's brother Molt suggests that they not go back, since they have more than enough food stored up and the weather will soon turn bad. Hopper reminds him and the whole gang that if they do not keep the ants living in fear, the ants might use their superior numbers ("a hundred to one," he estimates) to run the grasshoppers out of the colony for good. The gang sets out for the island to collect their due. When Flik discovers that Hopper is afraid of birds (due to him almost getting eaten by one a few years ago), he proposes that the colony build a model bird to scare him away (the plan is given through the circus bugs, so the royal council believes the "warriors" came up with the idea). The ants put their food-gathering work on hold to carry out this project, but after they finish and put the bird in the island's tree, circus ringmaster P. T. Flea arrives looking for his missing performers and accidentally exposes the truth. Upset at Flik's deception, Atta orders him permanently exiled from the colony, while the other ants hide the bird and rush to collect whatever food they can for Hopper. They are unable to meet the double quota he set, and when the gang arrives, Hopper takes over the anthill and forces the ants to bring him all the food on the island.

Dot overhears the gang's plans to kill the Queen once they have all the food, and she catches up with Flik and the troupe, after narrowly fleeing Hopper's crazed 'pet' Thumper. She persuades them to return and put the bird plan into action, with help from her and some of the other young ants. The model frightens the gang, which almost retreats, until P. T. intervenes (believing the bird to have mortally wounded one of his stars) and sets the model on fire with lighter fluid. Enraged, Hopper sends Thumper to brutally injure Flik, but Flik is still able to stand up and rally the other ants, revealing that the grasshoppers are nothing more but bullies and the ants are more powerful than they were led to believe. The entire colony swarms against the gang, forcing all - except Hopper, who gets caught - to leave. However, a thunderstorm begins, causing panic among the ants. Hopper grabs Flik and flies off, intent on killing him. Atta rescues Flik, and the two lure Hopper towards the bird’s nest.

Hopper corners Flik and begins strangling him, but Flik is saved when the real bird appears, picks up Hopper and feeds him to her chicks. Later, the colony adopts Flik's harvester to speed up grain collection. Atta becomes the new queen, passes the princess crown to Dot and chooses Flik as her mate. As the troupe leaves, Slim the stick insect notices that they have forgotten Heimlich the caterpillar, who emerges from the chrysalis in which he has encased himself. He pops out with a tiny pair of butterfly wings, far too small to lift him off the ground, but he is picked up by Francis the ladybug and Manny the praying mantis, and the troupe (with Molt, acting as a road crew assistant) departs with the colony’s thanks. Dot is joined by Queen Atta and Flik (who are shown holding hands), and the trio wave goodbye. The shot then pulls out to reveal that "Ant Island" is a small area in the forest surrounded by a little stream.

Cast

Main article: List of A Bug's Life characters

• Dave Foley as Flik, the main protagonist, a nerdy inventive ant who is desperate to make a difference to his colony's way of life, but tends to make things worse in the process. His inventions include a telescope created by wrapping a blade of grass around a dew drop; an automatic harvester; several items of traveller's gear; and the bird-shaped aircraft used to terrify the grasshoppers. He is friends with Dot and the Circus Bugs. He is in love with Princess Atta.
• Kevin Spacey as Hopper, the main antagonist of A Bug's Life. Hopper is a feared grasshopper who is blind in one eye due to a scratch caused by a recent encounter with a thug beetle. He leads a large gang of grasshoppers, who hold a Mafia-like control over the ants. Hopper is cunning, bad-tempered, and tyrannical. Whereas most of the grasshoppers consider the ants harmless, Hopper is aware that the ants outnumber them, and therefore plots to kill the queen ant to frighten them into submission. His catchphrase "Let's ride!" is uttered when the grasshoppers are about to take flight en masse.
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Princess Atta, the older princess ant of the royal family and heir to the throne. She is nervous about her new responsibilities and fears what the rest of the colony might think about her. During the film, it is shown that she develops a romantic interest in Flik, although initially she does not show much appreciation for him. Her appreciation changes for the better after the ants build the bird. The Queen eventually gives up her crown at the end of the film to Atta, whereupon Atta gives up her own crown to her younger sister Dot.
• Denis Leary as Francis, an aggressive ladybug and a clown in P.T. Flea's circus troupe. Francis is frustrated by constantly being mistaken for a female; an obvious pun on the name of his species. In such frustrations, he is shown to be belligerent and aggressive to the point of frightening others. Because it is he who played the most obvious part in Princess Dot's rescue, he becomes 'den-mother' to the scout-like organization of young ants called the "Blueberry Troop". As counselor to this organization, Francis becomes very fond of his charges. Francis seems to have a strong friendship with Slim and Heimlich. While transporting over long distances, Francis carries Slim.
• Hayden Panettiere as Dot, the younger princess ant of the royal family. She idolises Flik and resents being small. She starts the movie unable to fly, but ultimately finds herself able to fly when her survival depends on it. Dot acts as Flik's moral support, and he as hers. Dot fears the demented grasshopper Thumper, exposure to whom Hopper uses as a punishment. Dot is terrified of Thumper but with the help of the rhinoceros beetle Dim she scares the grasshopper away.
• David Hyde Pierce as Slim, a walking stick insect and a clown in P.T. Flea's circus troupe. It appears that he is unhappy with his position at the circus troupe, as his boss constantly casts him as a prop instead of a character, with such castings such as "the broom, the pole, the stick, [and] the splinter". He is shown to be best friends with Heimlich and Francis, and often treats other bugs with respect in contrast to Francis' aggressive nature. It is also implied that he could share a friendship with Rosie as they seem to stand next to each other a lot and often look to each other for help. Since Slim does not have wings and cannot fly, Francis usually carries him from location to location.
• Joe Ranft as Heimlich, a green caterpillar with a German accent and a clown in P.T. Flea's circus troupe. He is gluttonous and frivolous throughout, and contemptuous of anyone he considers less intelligent than himself. At one point, he remarks that he dreams of being a beautiful butterfly. At the end of the film, he sprouts a pair of tiny wings, but remains flightless due to his obesity. Whilst a caterpillar, Heimlich is carried by the rhinoceros beetle, Dim, for transport. He uses a few German words now and then, particularly when he is very scared.
• Richard Kind as Molt, Hopper's brother and self-proclaimed Vice President of the grasshopper gang. He is named 'Molt' for his exoskeleton's abnormal tendency to peel off. He is a loudmouth and provides a great deal of comic relief. Hopper detests his brother's antics and is shown remarking that had he not promised their mother on her deathbed that he would not kill Molt, he would have gladly murdered him. At the end, Molt joins P.T. Flea's circus troupe under the new name of Tiny.
• Phyllis Diller as The Queen of the ant colony. She is an ancient ant, who is due to give up her crown to her eldest daughter Atta. She admonishes her younger daughter, Dot, for trying to fly before her time. She has a pet aphid called Aphie, whom she adores. She is also shown to have an intimate, possibly romantic relationship with another elder ant, Cornelius.
• Jonathan Harris as Manny, a praying mantis with an English accent; the magician of P.T. Flea's circus troupe. Manny is Gypsy's husband. His magic act involves the 'Chinese Cabinet of Metamorphosis', which is really a Chinese food take-out carton. His magic act is not appreciated well by the flies in the usual audience; but the grasshoppers, when he is set to distract them, take it seriously. Manny is aggressive towards Flik at the beginning of their acquaintance, but grows to like him. During the rescue of the Queen, Manny performs his magic act to conceal the Queen and is almost strangled by Hopper when he refuses to give up the Queen's location. His personality is very melodramatic and dignified.
• Bonnie Hunt as Rosie, a black widow spider who is maternal toward the rhinoceros beetle, Dim, and the younger ants of the colony. She has apparently had twelve husbands. She will sometimes be involved in whatever Slim, Francis, and Heimlich are doing. She seems to share a friendship with Slim, to whom she is seen in proximity.
• Madeline Kahn as Gypsy, a gypsy moth who has beautiful patterns on either side of her wings. She is Manny's wife as well as his 'lovely assistant' during his magic act. She gives the signal for Flik's fake bird plan to commence when the plan to rescue the Queen is in session. During this, Manny performs his magic act, wherein Gypsy takes the place of the Queen as if to be a transformation in his Chinese Cabinet.
• Brad Garrett as Dim, a rhinoceros beetle who has a childlike, impressionable, but clear-sighted character. He is usually mothered by the black widow spider, Rosie. He is the largest insect of the circus troupe, and also the transport to Heimlich, Tuck, Roll, and Rosie. It is he who provokes the performers to revive Flik's belief in himself, when this has waned.
• Michael McShane as Tuck and Roll, twin pill bugs who speak a language other than English. According to the Official Pixar website they are Hungarian yet the language they speak is entirely fictional and the dance they do is a typical Russian Folk dance . Tuck and Roll occasionally argue, but are usually the best of friends. They act as cannonballs in P.T. Flea's circus troupe. They like the sound of the phrase "You fired!" (of whose meaning they have no idea), and continuously repeat it throughout the film. Although they look identical, their eyebrows are different. Tuck's is separate and Roll's is a unibrow.
• John Ratzenberger as P.T. Flea, the ringmaster of the circus troupe, who is unwilling to give refunds after his show has lasted two minutes. His finalé consists of an act called "Flaming Death", in which he was almost incinerated. This caused him to fire his entire troupe, until a foot-long line of flies arrived outside the circus tent, wanting to see the "Flaming Death" act again. He loves money. His name is based on the initials of circus owner Phineas Taylor Barnum.
• Roddy McDowall as Mister Soil, a member of the Ant Island council. He is the first council member we see, as he helps a band of ants get round a leaf which has blocked their path. He is a thespian, as the Queen explains, but his liking for drama is apparent from his first appearance. This was Roddy McDowall's last role before his death in 1998.
• Edie McClurg as Doctor Flora, the nurse of Ant Island, another member of the council.

References to other Pixar films

Main article: List of Pixar film references

Music

Main article: A Bug's Life (soundtrack)

Production

DreamWorks Animation's similar movie Antz was released a little more than a month before A Bug's Life. DreamWork's Jeffrey Katzenberg left Disney in 1994 and said the idea for Antz came from a 1991 story pitch by Tim Johnson that was related to Katzenberg in October 1994. However, Disney had been working on developing an ant movie since 1988. Pixar head John Lasseter pitched A Bug's Life the day Katzenberg left Disney in August 1994, and said he felt "betrayed" when he learned Antz was scheduled for release before A Bug's Life. According to Lasseter and Steve Jobs, Katzenberg offered to stop development of Antz if Disney moved the release date of A Bug's Life, which was coming out opposite DreamWork's The Prince of Egypt. Pixar refused.

The release date of Antz was moved up from March 1999 to October 1998 in response to Disney's refusal. Even though A Bug's Life was the first to be pitched, Antz was finished and released first. A Bug's Life, however, was more profitable.

Reception

Reviews for A Bug's Life were overwhelmingly positive at the time of the film's release. It received a 91% "certified fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It stayed Pixar's lowest-rated film for eight years until it was replaced by Cars with 75%.

Box office

A Bug's Life made approximately $162.7 million in its United States theatrical run, easily covering its estimated production costs of $45 million. The film made $200,600,000 in foreign countries. The film made a worldwide gross of $363.3 million, surpassing the competition from DreamWorks's Antz.

Home release

The DVD of the film was the first wholly-digital transfer of a feature film to a digital playback medium. No analog processes came between the creation of the computer images and their representation on the DVD.

The pan and scan or 'full screen' version of the video (on the DVD as well as VHS releases) has been reframed and restaged; rather than sacrifice image in some parts of the film, the frame has been extended or objects moved to fit the narrower aspect ratio. Pixar continued this process on its later video releases. Also, the different characters (Flik, Dot, Francis, etc.) were on one (by themselves) cover of the video cover, considered a collectible in many cases.

To show off its new DVD capabilities, a copy of the film was included with the Apple iMac DV, which made its debut in 1999. A laserdisc version was also released in Japan by Pioneer, one of the last.

The widescreen version of the film preserves its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. A Bug's Life is the first fully computer animated feature to be created with this ratio.

A set of "fluffs" and "outtakes" was included, in which various animated characters "blew" their dialog, or broke up laughing inappropriately. In one, Flik yells the line "To infinity, and beyond!", quoting Buzz Lightyear from an earlier Pixar film, Toy Story. Later, Woody leans into view with an upside down clapperboard to mark the end of a botched take.

Another DVD was released as a 2-disc Collector's Edition. This DVD is fully remastered and has substantial bonus features about the film. On May 19, 2009, a Blu-ray version was released. These versions included a DisneyFile Digital Copy.

Attached short film

Main article: Geri's Game

Theatrical and video releases of this film include Geri's Game, a Pixar short made in 1997, a year before this film was released.

See also

• List of A Bug's Life characters
• A Bug's Life (video game)

External links

• Information at Pixar's site
• A Bug's Life at IMDb
• A Bug's Life at AllMovie
• Template:Bcdb title
• A Bug's Life at Rotten Tomatoes
• A Bug's Life at Metacritic
• A Bug's Life at Box Office Mojo