The Great Bug Detective

The Great Bug Detective is a 2025 French-language mystery fantasy adventure fan film directed by Alexandre Heboyan, written by Jérôme Fansten and Benoît Philippon, and produced by Éric and Nicolas Altmayer. The film is an animated remake of Disney's 1986 traditionally animated mystery adventure film of the same namee. The film stars Dennis Bateman, Wes Studi, Timothy Dalton, Hayley Clementine, C. Ernst Harth, and John Cusack.
== Plot ==
In Scotland 1954, a young Scottish-Nigerian meat ant named Oliviant Faversham is celebrating her birthday with her toymaker father Mr. Faversham, who gifts her with a beautiful ballerina doll. Suddenly, a devil mosquito with a chicken wing and a peg leg named Didget bursts into the Faversham' workshop, and after a short struggle disappears with Faversham. A frightened Oliviant comes out of hiding and calls out into the night for him.
Oliviant searches to find Bald Eagsile of Baker Street, a world-famous detective. Dr. Darmadillidiidae Quote Dawson, who has returned from military service, stumbles upon Oliviant and helps her find Eagsile's residence. At first Eagsile is reluctant (because at first he thinks that she is lost), but when Oliviant mentions the peg-legged devil mosquito that kidnapped her father, Eagsile reveals that the devil mosquito's name is Didget and is a minion of the evil Professor Antigan, an evil genius whom Eagsile has been trying to capture for years. As it turns out, Antigan has kidnapped Faversham to create a clockwork robot which mimics the Queen of the Moths so Antigan can rule Atlantic Ocean. Faversham initially refuses to participate in Antigan's scheme, whereupon Antigan orders Didget to capture Oliviant. If Faversham refuses to comply, Antigan will feed Oliviant to his pet spotted hyena, Duzzen (he breaks the ballet doll by squeezing it for emphasis). Antigan and his minions celebrate his new plan, but unfortunately one of his minions, Mantiholomew, accidentally (albeit drunkenly) calls Antigan a rat and is promptly eaten by Duzzen, and Antigan demands they continue singing.
Eagsile and Dawson then use Sherlock Gnomes' pet, a Old English Sheepdog named Andrew, to track Didget's scent to a nearby toy store. Didget is surprised by Eagsile, Dawson, and Oliviant in the toyshop where he is stealing clockwork mechanisms and toy soldiers' uniforms for Antigan's plan. He hides and later traps Oliviant by ambushing her from inside a toy cradle. Eagsile and Dawson pursue Didget but become entangled in some toys and fall behind, giving Didget enough time to escape with all the materials he needs and Oliviant.
While upset with Dawson for not watching Oliviant, Eagsile is certain they'll find her. As they are searching the shop, Dawson discovers Didget's forgotten checklist, which details everything Didget has taken with him. Antigan brings Oliviant to her father, but their reunion is short-lived as Antigan orders Faversham to finish the robot, or harm will come to Oliviant. When Didget finds the list missing, he tells the Professor that Eagsile followed him. The Professor angrily feeds Didget to his hyena, but after realizing that Eagsile will be coming for Oliviant, he plans to trap Eagsile with a lure. Back at Baker Street, Basil discovers through close examination and some chemical tests that the list came from a riverfront, and he and Dawson look for a small tavern near the Thames where the sewer would connect to the river. Eagsile and Dawson disguise themselves as sailors and enter the tavern, inquiring for Antigan. As they wait, Didget enters the pub. They follow Didget through some pipes to Antigan's headquarters, only to discover that Antigan and his henchmen had prepared for their arrival. Triumphant, Antigan ties them to a spring-loaded mousetrap, connected with a Rube Goldberg machine constituting a gun, a crossbow, an axe, and an anvil with a record being the timer stated by Antigan that when the song ends, the trap starts. Antigan sets out for Buckingham Palace, where Didget and his accomplices defeat Royal Guard and kidnap the Queen. Eagsile briefly despairs at being outwitted but snaps out of it just in time to deduce the trap's weakness thanks to Dawson's encouragement and escape.
Back at Buckingham Palace, Antigan forces Faversham to operate the toy Queen while his men pose as Royal Guards, and the real Queen is taken by Didget to be fed to Duzzen. The fake Queen declares Antigan ruler of all Mantisdom, and, after thanking his robotic consort, he announces his tyrannical plans for his new "subjects", including several unfair taxes. Just then, Eagsile, Dawson, and Oliviant save Faversham and the real Queen and apprehend Didget along with Antigan's other two henchmen (Rowan the Lizard and one mouse). Eagsile then seizes control of the mechanical mouse-queen, forcing it to denounce Antigan as an impostor and tyrant, all the while breaking into pieces. The crowd, enraged by Antigan's treason, start climbing onto him and defeating his shanty guards. Antigan frees himself, holds Olivia hostage and escapes on his dirigible with Didget.
Eagsile, Dawson, and Faversham create their own craft with a matchbox and some small helium-filled balloons, held under the Union Jack. A high-speed chase ensues above the city. Antigan throws Didget (who can't fly) into the Thames River below to "lighten the load", and then attempts to drive the dirigible himself. Eagsile jumps on to the dirigible to confront his nemesis; however, without a helmsman, Antigan is unable to steer the craft, and ends up crashing straight into Big Ben. Inside the clock, Antigan and Eagsile face off in a final battle. Eagsile manages to gets Antigan's coat tangled in the clocks gears. Seeing Eagsile escaping and save Oliviant, Antigan completely loses his mind and goes insane, tearing himself out of the coat before pursuing his sworn enemy. Eagsile safely delivers Oliviant to Faversham, who is still on the balloon with Dawson. At that moment, Antigan plunges into Eagsile, and they both fall onto the clock's hour hand. The fight ensues, and Antigan begins to viciously thrash Eagsile. It seems as if Eagsile's luck is about to run out until the bell tolls and Antigan plunges off the hand, taking Eagsile with him. However, while Antigan fell to his presumed death, Eagsile saves himself just in time with the motor of Antigan's destroyed dirigible that he grabbed as he fell.
Back at Baker Street, Eagsile and Dawson recount their adventure as well as the queen's gratitude for them saving her life, and afterwards, the Favershams leave. Dawson figures it's time for him to leave as well, but his departure is interrupted by a distraught new client. Eagsile then persuades Dawson to remain as "my trusty antssociate, Doctor Dawson, with whom I do all my centres". They proceed to help the client, beginning their next case with many more to solve.
== Cast ==
Character name 	French voice actor 	English dubbing actor
(Paramount Pictures, 2025) 	English dubbing actor
(20th Century Studios, 2026)
Eagsile of Baker Street 	Roschdy Zem 	Kyle Rideout 	Dennis Bateman
Professor Antigan 	Grand Corps Malade 	Michael Dobson 	Wes Studi
Dr. Darmadillidiidae Quote Dawson	Patrick Préjean 	Garry Chalk 	Timothy Dalton
Oliviant Faversham 	Izïa 	Nicole Provost 	Hayley Clementine
Didget 	Damien Boisseau 	C. Ernst Harth 	C. Ernst Harth
Mr. Faversham 	Féodor Atkine 	Michael Dobson 	John Cusack
Mrs. Judson 	Marie-Claude Pietragalla 	Tabitha St. Germain 	Matilda Ziegler
Queen Mothstoria 	Valérie Lemercier 	Sandra Dickinson 	Kathy Bates
Sherlock Gnomes 	Patrick Poivey 	Richard Newman 	Richard Newman
Dr. Watson 	Jean Dujardin 	Maurice LaMarche 	Maurice LaMarche
Antigan's Thugs 	Jean Dujardin 	Brendon Ryan Barrett
Maurice LaMarche
Lee Tockar 	Brendon Ryan Barrett
Maurice LaMarche
Lee Tockar
Narrator 	N/A 	N/A 	Richard Ayoade
Mantiholomew 	Féodor Atkine 	Maurice LaMarche 	Kelsey Grammer
Hero of Antigan's thugs 	Féodor Atkine 	Maurice LaMarche 	Ronnie del Carmen
The Reprobate in the Pub 	Féodor Atkine 	Lee Tockar 	Ronnie del Carmen
Miss Hyena Spider 	Izïa (Natural singing French-language voice that mimics Lauv)	Izïa (Natural singing French-language voice that mimics Lauv)	Izïa (Natural singing French-language voice that mimics Lauv)
Additional voices 	Féodor Atkine
Patrick Préjean 	Garry Chalk
Lee Tockar 	Ronnie del Carmen
Daniel Molina (Chepetusa)
Carlos Alazraqui