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 (co-director)

Writers:

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

Stars:

Kevin Spacey, Dave Foley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 20 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

At an annual pace, a huge colony of ants is forced to collect every piece of food that grows on their island for a group of menacing grasshoppers. But that all changes when a misfit inventor ant named Flik accidentally knocks over the offering pile thus forcing the grasshoppers' devious leader Hopper to force the ants to redo their gathering of food. Despite the fact that his friends don't believe him and desperate to help save the colony, Flik volunteers to go out into the world and search for a group of 'warrior' bugs. Instead, what he got was a talented group of circus performers. But when the grasshoppers return and take control of the island, Flik must prove himself a true hero before it's too late.

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Plot Keywords:

ant | circus | anthropomorphic insect | grasshopper | queen | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original title was "Bugs".

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Goofs

In reality ants and termites are natural enemies more than any other insect as grasshoppers are only vegetarians rather than omnivores like ants and termites.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ant #1: [gasps] No, no, no, Oh, no. Oh, no.
[a leaf falls in front of one of the worker ants in the food line]
Ant #1: I'm lost! Where's the line? It just went away. What do I do?
Ant #2: Help!
Ant: We'll be stuck here forever!
Mr. Soil: Do not panic, do not panic. We are trained professionals. Now, stay calm. We are going around the leaf.
Ant #1: Around the leaf? I-I-I don't think we can do that.
Mr. Soil: Oh, nonsense. This is nothing compared to the twig of '93.

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Crazy Credits

The film lists "production babies", which are the children born to the staff members of Pixar Animation Studios during the production of the project.

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Alternate Versions

Two versions of the film have been released, each one with different fake outtakes over the end credits. The version released before December 18th, 1999 features a set, and the one released after that date has another. This was done because Disney hoped it would encourage people to view the film a second time. This version has only appeared on the VHS, and can only be viewed as a separate bonus feature on the DVD.

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Connections

References Castle in the Sky (1986)

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Soundtracks

The Time of Your Life
Written and Performed by Randy Newman

User Reviews

An amusing animated fantasy for all ages

Several of Walt Disney Pictures' best animated films of recent years have been released or distributed through Pixar, an animation studio that specializes in computer generated animation and "A Bug's Life", their follow up to the hugely successful "Toy Story" ranks as one of the best and funniest Walt Disney Pictures animated films. Released during the same month as a similar computer generated animated film, "Antz", "A Bug's Life" suffers no bad comparisons because I consider it to be just as good as amusing as "Antz." The main focus of the film is Flik, a worker ant who has a very inventive mind and keen eye for detail. He means well but his attempts at helping his fellow ant colony with his ideas and inventions usually cause accidental disaster. One day, the ant colony set up a tribute display for a bad grasshopper named Hopper and his gang but Flik accidentally knocks it down. Hopper is very upset by this and he threatens to kill off the entire colony if they don't build him another provisions pile by the time he inspects the area again. Flik decides to help. He has only a few days to find some "warrior" bugs that can stand up to Hopper and his gang. He comes across a group of disgruntled bugs that had just been fired from their gigs at a flea circus. Flik decides to bring them back to the colony and recruit them as warrior bugs. An inventive idea for a children's film with much of the same humor and ideas that helped to make "Toy Story" an animated classic.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bugs

Filming Locations:

Pixar Animation Studios - 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$120,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$291,121, 22 November 1998

Gross USA:

$162,798,565

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$363,258,859

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (Digital DTS Sound) Dolby Digital SDDS Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1