A Bug's Life (1998)
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A misfit ant seeks out a troupe of circus bugs to help his colony fight off a gang of grasshoppers.
The story
A colony of ants, led by the elderly Queen and her daughter Princess Atta, lives on a small hill known as "Ant Island." Every summer, they are forced to give food to a gang of grasshoppers led by Hopper. The ants are currently divided by their treatment of Flik, a kind-hearted but often clumsy inventor. After Flik accidentally ruins the food offering, Hopper demands double the amount as compensation. To save the colony, Flik seeks out 'warrior' bugs to fight the grasshoppers. He eventually finds a troupe of circus bugs, who believe they have been hired as performers, and brings them back to the island to join the fight.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
On Ant Island, the ants are oppressed by a gang of grasshoppers led by Hopper. Flik, a clumsy inventor, tries to find 'warrior' bugs to defend the colony. He finds a troupe of circus bugs who, due to a misunderstanding, believe they are being hired as warriors. They join him and are initially hailed as heroes by the ants after saving Princess Atta's sister, Dot, from a bird. Flik builds a fake bird to scare the grasshoppers, but the plan is complicated when the circus bugs' former boss, P.T. Flea, arrives. After a series of mishaps, the ants are forced to face Hopper's demands. Flik and the circus bugs eventually unite with the ants to fight back. During the conflict, Flik uses a real bird to scare the grasshoppers, leading to the grasshoppers' defeat. The ants are liberated, Flik and Atta become a couple, and the circus bugs begin a new tour with the ants' help.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Lasseter
- Writers
- Andrew Stanton · screenplay; Donald McEnery · screenplay; Bob Shaw · screenplay; John Lasseter · story; Andrew Stanton · story; Joe Ranft · story
- Cast and characters
- Dave Foley · Flik; Kevin Spacey · Hopper; Julia Louis-Dreyfus · Princess Atta; Hayden Panettiere · Dot; Phyllis Diller · unknown; Richard Kind · Molt; David Hyde Pierce · Slim; Joe Ranft · Heimlich; Denis Leary · unknown
- Genres
- animated; comedy
- Themes
- unity; bravery
- Tone and mood
- adventure; humorous
- Premise and plot tags
- anthropomorphic animals; underdog story
- Source material / true-story basis
- Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper
- Reception
- The film was mostly well-received, praised for its animation, story, humor, and voice acting, and was a commercial success.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 78 · scale: 100 · review count: 23
- Awards and nominations
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Award · Best Animated Film · win; Broadcast Film Critics Association Award · Best Family Film · win; Satellite Award · Best Animated Film · win; Academy Award · Best Original Musical or Comedy Score · nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Original Score · nomination; BAFTA Award · Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first to be digitally transferred frame-by-frame and released on DVD.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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