Mr. Grasshopper

Mr. Grasshopper is one of the deuteragonists and major characters in James and the Giant Peach.
==Background==
===Physical appearance===
Mr. Grasshopper is a giant talking grasshopper who is the best friend of Mr. Centipede. He was once an ordinary grasshopper before he and the other bugs were magically turned life-size. Likewise, he dresses and speaks like a highly sophisticated and obsequious gentleman, as he also wears a monocle. He is quite tall and can jump real high and fly. His long legs give him enhanced speed and strength. The others often look to him for answers, but Mr. Centipede does not care for him, which causes them to argue constantly until they eventually became friends later on. He is very skilled at playing the violin.
===Personality===
Mr. Grasshopper acts as a wise, grandfather figure to James Henry Trotter. He often acts as a voice of reason to James other insects, using rationale and reasoning to assess the situation. This can sometimes lead him to frequent arguments with Mr. Centipede, who acts a bit more recklessly and solves problems in a more brash manner.
==Appearances==
===James and the Giant Peach===
He first appears when a transformed James comes inside their hiding place. When Centipede cuts the peach loose, and it falls in the ocean, James thinks of capturing seagulls to use them to make the peach fly. Grasshopper shows an interest in what New York City offers and lends a helping hand throughout the journey. When they get attacked by a robot shark, its torpedoes break the strings supporting the seagulls, and Mr. Grasshopper takes James on his back and flies up to retrieve them. When a couple of shark torpedoes are fired at James and Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug flies up and whacks the shark torpedoes away with her pocketbook.
Later, when Centipede accidentally steers the peach off course to the North Pole, Grasshopper furiously confronts him about it and gets the other bugs to turn on him. When Centipede challenges him after he admits his lies, Grasshopper sternly kicks him in the face, making him lose a tooth in response. He sarcastically points out that they only need to determine their coordinates and use triangulation to get to New York. Unfortunately, he then points out that there's no hope since they don't have a compass (mostly because although they simply need to go south, a compass is required to determine which direction *is* south). He later feels remorseful when Centipede jumps into the frozen lake, thinking he committed pesticide because of what he did to him. When Centipede returns with one, he and Grasshopper make up, and the two become good friends.
Before arriving in New York and wanting to make up for what he did to Mr. Centipede earlier, Mr. Grasshopper relieves him of his post by bringing him a chair and blanket (despite Mr. Centipede telling him that he doesn't want to quit his task). When Mr. Centipede falls asleep (after thanking Mr. Grasshopper for his kindness), he plays the violin in solace, but James hears and was pleased to listen, after learning it was Grasshopper all along. They are later attacked by the Rhino, and he and the other bugs are separated from James during the attack, but later reunite with James, who had by then transformed back into his normal form. They also help get rid of James's cruel aunts, Spiker, and Sponge. Miss Spider binds them in her string and Mr. Grasshopper spins them around with his feet, making the string cover them completely. After the kids eat the peach, the bugs make its core their home for them and James, and Mr. Grasshopper becomes a grandfather figure to James.
In the credits, a newspaper headline shows Mr. Grasshopper as a professional violinist, playing in concerts around the city.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*In the book, he used his limbs to make the sound of a violin, instead of actually playing one.
*The way Mr. Grasshopper let James ride on his back to retrieve the seagulls is inspired by the birthday candle shown at the beginning of the film.
*In the movie, while explaining to James on how "music is the voice of the soul", he briefly recites Partita for Violin No. 3 in E Major: Gavotte en Rondeau by Bach.
Category:James and the Giant Peach characters
Category:Males
Category:Characters
Category:Disney characters
Category:Musicians
Category:English characters
Category:Adults
Category:Animated characters
Category:Animated characters in live-action films
Category:Grandparents
Category:Grasshoppers and crickets
Category:Anthropomorphic characters
Category:Characters who break the Fourth Wall
Category:Transformed characters
Category:Elderly characters
Category:Heroes
Category:Deuteragonists
Category:Bugs
Category:Insects