A Bug's Life (1998)

***A Bug's Life*** is a 1998 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was the second film produced by Pixar. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed and written by Andrew Stanton, the film involves a misfit ant, Flik, who is looking for "tough warriors" to save his colony from hungry grasshoppers, only to recruit a group of insects that turn out to be an inept circus troupe. The film stars the voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Hayden Panettiere among others. The film is inspired by Aesop's fable *The Ant and the Grasshopper*. Production began shortly after the release of *Toy Story* in 1995. The screenplay was penned by Stanton and comedy writers Donald McEnery and Bob Shaw from a story by Lasseter, Stanton, and Ranft. The ants in the film were redesigned to be more appealing, and Pixar's animation unit employed technical innovations in computer animation. Randy Newman composed the music for the film. During production, a controversial public feud erupted between Steve Jobs and Lasseter of Pixar and DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg due to the parallel production of his similar film *Antz*, which was released the same year. The film was released on November 25, 1998, and grossed $363 million in receipts, receiving positive reviews from critics. It was the first film to be digitally transferred frame-by-frame and released to DVD, and has been released multiple times on home video.

## Plot:

Ant Island is a colony of ants led by the retiring Queen and her daughter, Princess Atta. Every season, they are forced to give food to a gang of marauding grasshoppers led by Hopper. One day, when Flik, an individualist and inventor, inadvertently knocks the offering into a stream with his latest invention, a grain harvesting device, Hopper demands twice as much food as compensation. When Flik suggests in earnest that they seek help from other stronger bugs, the other ants see it as an opportunity to remove him and send him off.

At the "bug city", which is a heap of trash under a trailer, Flik mistakes a troupe of Circus Bugs (who were recently dismissed by their greedy ringmaster, P.T. Flea) for the warrior bugs he seeks. The bugs, in turn, mistake Flik for a talent agent, and accept his offer to travel with him back to Ant Island. During a welcome ceremony upon their arrival, the Circus Bugs and Flik both discover their mutual misunderstandings. The Circus Bugs attempt to leave, but are pursued by a nearby bird; while fleeing, they rescue Dot, Atta's younger sister from the bird, gaining the ants' respect in the process. At Flik's request, they continue the ruse of being "warriors", so the troupe can continue to enjoy the hospitality of the ants. Hearing that Hopper fears birds inspires Flik to create a false bird to scare away the grasshoppers. Meanwhile, Hopper reminds his gang how greatly the ants outnumber them and suspects that they will eventually rebel against them.

The ants finish constructing the fake bird, but during a celebration, P.T. Flea arrives, searching for his troupe, and inadvertently reveals their secret. Outraged by Flik's deception, the ants exile him, and desperately attempt to gather food for a new offering to the grasshoppers. However, when Hopper returns to discover the mediocre offering, he takes over the island, and demands the ants' winter food supply, planning to assassinate the Queen afterwards. Overhearing the plan, Dot persuades Flik and the Circus Bugs to return to Ant Island.

After the Circus Bugs distract the grasshoppers long enough to rescue the Queen, Flik deploys the bird; it initially fools the grasshoppers, but P.T. Flea, who also mistakes it for a real bird, burns it, exposing it as a decoy. Hopper has Flik beaten in retaliation, saying that the ants are humble and lowly life forms who live to serve the grasshoppers. However, Flik responds that Hopper actually fears the colony, because he has always known what they are capable of, inspiring the ants and the Circus Bugs to fight back against the grasshoppers. The ants attempt to force Hopper out of Ant Island using P.T. Flea's circus cannon, but it suddenly begins to rain. In the ensuing chaos, Hopper frees himself from the cannon, and abducts Flik. After the Circus Bugs fail to catch them, Atta rescues Flik. As Hopper pursues them, Flik lures him to the nest of the bird he, Dot, and the Circus Bugs encountered earlier. Thinking that the bird is another decoy, Hopper taunts it before realizing all too late that it is real. He is subsequently captured and fed to the bird's chicks.

With their enemies gone, Flik has improved his inventions along with the quality of life for Ant Island, he and Atta become a couple, and they give Hopper's younger brother Molt, and a few ants to P.T. Flea as new members of his troupe. Atta and Dot respectively become the new queen and princess. The ants congratulate Flik as a hero, and bid a fond farewell to the circus troupe.

## Cast:

* Dave Foley as Flik
* Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Princess Atta
* Hayden Panettiere as Dot
* Phyllis Diller as the Queen
* Kevin Spacey as Hopper

## Gallery:

FlikHopperPrincess AttaDotThe QueenMoltSlimHeimlichFrancisMannyGypsyRosieTuck and RollP.T. FleaDimMr. SoilDr. FloraThornyCorneliusThumperAxelLocoFly Brother #1Fly Brother #2ThudHarry MosquitoBaby MaggotsLead Blueberry ScoutBug Zapper Bug #1Bug Zapper Bug #2Slug