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:

traveller | ant | grasshopper | circus | misunderstanding | 

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Taglines:

An epic of miniature proportions.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$162,798,565

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$363,398,565

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (Digital DTS Sound) Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the summer of 1994, Pixar's story department began turning their thoughts to their next film, while Toy Story (1995) was in post-production. The storyline of A Bug's Life (1998) originated in a lunchtime conversation between John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft, the studio's head story team. Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), and WALL·E (2008) were also conceived at this lunch. Lasseter and his story team had already been drawn to the idea of insects as characters. Insects, like toys, were within the reach of computer animation at the time due to their relatively simple surfaces. Stanton and Ranft wondered whether they could find a starting point in Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper. Walt Disney had produced his own version with a cheerier ending decades earlier in the 1934 short film The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934). In addition, Walt Disney Animation Studios had considered producing a film in the late 1980s entitled "Army Ants", that centered around a pacifist ant living in a militaristic colony, but it never fully materialized.

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Goofs

When the leaf template of the bird is placed in the sun's path to make a shadow on the ground, the direction of the bird is placed in the sky, different to the way the shadow is on the ground.

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Quotes

Fly: Hey, waiter, I'm in my soup.

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Crazy Credits

During the credits, there are some faked "goofs" during filming such as characters bursting out laughing, accidentally knocking over the camera, etc. One particular highlight is Flik yelling "To infinity, and beyond!"

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Connections

Featured in Pixar's 20th Anniversary Special (2006)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Wow.

There is great detail in A Bug's Life. Everything is covered. The film looks great and the animation is sometimes jaw-dropping. The film isn't too terribly orignal, it's basically a modern take on Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, only with bugs. I enjoyed the character interaction however and the bad guys in this film actually seemed bad. It seems that Disney usually makes their bad guys carbon copy cut-outs. The grasshoppers are menacing and Hopper, the lead bad guy, was a brillant creation. Check this one out.