A Bug's Life (1998)

A misfit ant, looking for "warriors" to save his colony from greedy grasshoppers, recruits a group of bugs that turn out to be an inept circus troupe.

Directors:

John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton

Writers:

John Lasseter (original story), Andrew Stanton (original story),

Stars:

Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dave Foley	...	Flik (voice)
Kevin Spacey	...	Hopper (voice)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Atta (voice)
Hayden Panettiere	...	Dot (voice)
Phyllis Diller	...	Queen (voice)
Richard Kind	...	Molt (voice)
David Hyde Pierce	...	Slim (voice)
Joe Ranft	...	Heimlich (voice)
Denis Leary	...	Francis (voice)
Jonathan Harris	...	Manny (voice)
Madeline Kahn	...	Gypsy Moth (voice)
Bonnie Hunt	...	Rosie (voice)
Michael McShane	...	Tuck / Roll (voice)
John Ratzenberger	...	P.T. Flea (voice)
Brad Garrett	...	Dim (voice)

Storyline

Every year, a bunch of grasshoppers come to the anthill and eat what the ants have gathered for them. The "offering", as the ants call the ritual, is a part of their fate. One day in spring, when the offering's preparation has just been finished, Flik, unliked inventor ant, accidentally drops the whole offered seeds into the river. The grasshoppers come and give the ants a second chance to collect food until fall. Flik sets off to find bugs that are willing to fight the grasshoppers (nobody expects him to succeed anyway) and, due to a double misinterpretation, returns with a circus crew, giving everybody new hope. When the misunderstanding finally gets cleared out, there is only little time left for a new plan, which has to work, or else...

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Plot Keywords:

ant | grasshopper | circus | anthill | misfit | 

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Taglines:

An epic of miniature proportions.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Disney Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Bug's Life 3D

Box Office

Budget:

$120,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£4,204,678 (UK) (5 February 1999)

Gross:

SEK 34,351,136 (Sweden) (31 December 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the home video release there were 5 covers to pick from (Hopper, Flick, Dot, Francis, and Heimlich).

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Goofs

The sun is sufficiently far away that moving the outline of the bird a few feet higher in the air wouldn't appreciably alter the size of the shadow it casts.

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Quotes

Hopper: You think it's over?
Flik: No, no, no! No I-I can explain!
Hopper: All your little stunt did was buy them time.
Flik: No, please! Please, Hopper!
Hopper: I'll get more grasshoppers and be back next season, but you won't.
[suddenly, a bird looms over them]
Hopper: Well, what's this? Another one of your little bird tricks?
Flik: Yep!
Hopper: Are there a bunch of little girls in this one, too? Hello, girls!
[the bird shrieks]
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Inspiration- Akira Kurosowa

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Connections

Referenced in The Pixar Shorts: A Short History (2007)

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Soundtracks

"La Cucaracha"
(uncredited)
Lyrics by José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi
Sung by the grasshoppers

User Reviews

an animated delight

This animated feature about ants, grasshoppers, and various other bugs is an inspirational testament of never giving up despite the odds stacked against you.

The story begins as Flick, voiced by Dave Foley, the ant who always invents things one right after the other. After the grasshoppers come to invade the food supply, Flick comes up with the idea of getting warrior bugs to fight the grasshoppers. Not only will this idea give Flick respect it will allow him to get redemption as he has messed his prior invention up. This epic journey starts as Flick goes in search of the warrior bugs; he finds them in Circus bugs. Consumed for Princess Atta, voiced by Julia Louis Dreyfuss, and her approval, Flick hides the fact that these "warriors" are in fact circus bugs.

I was smiling throughout this film because it was the one of the best animated features I've seen. Furthermore "A Bug's Life" far eclipses "ANTZ" because this film has a point, storyline, and direction.

The ending is no surprise as far as the typical ending goes, but this is definitely a delight worth seeing on the big screen. I recommend this movie because it allows the mind to sit down and relax and without tension watch the movie in peace.