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. 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 greedy grasshoppers, only to recruit a group of bugs that turn out to be an inept circus troupe. The film stars the voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller, Richard Kind, Denis Leary, David Hyde Pierce, Jonathan Harris, Madeline Kahn, Bonnie Hunt, John Ratzenberger, Brad Garrett and Michael McShane, with Roddy McDowall's final film appearance before his death.

The film is inspired by Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper.[3][4] 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. The ants in the film were redesigned to be more appealing, and Pixar's animation unit employed technical innovations in computer animation. During production, the filmmakers became embroiled in a public feud with DreamWorks Animation due to the production of their similar film Antz, which was released the same year. Randy Newman composed the music for the film.

The film was released on November 25, 1998, and was a box office success, surpassing competition and grossing $363 million in receipts. It received positive reviews from film critics, who commended the storyline, witty dialogue and animation, while others unfavorably compared it to Antz. 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 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 would-be 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 attacked by a bird; while fleeing, they save Dot, Atta's younger sister, 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 tells his gang how greatly the ants outnumber them and worries 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 goes after Flik and the Circus Bugs to inform them, convincing them 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 beats Flik 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 discovering in panic that it is real, and is captured and fed to its 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, who promise to return in the future.

Cast

 * Dave Foley as Flik, an inventive, but mostly accident-prone, ant.


 * Kevin Spacey as Hopper, the misanthropic leader of the grasshopper gang.


 * Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Princess Atta, the soon-to-be queen of the colony.


 * Hayden Panettiere as Dot, Princess Atta's younger sister and initially Flik's only friend in the ant colony.


 * Phyllis Diller as the Queen, the leader of the ant colony.


 * Richard Kind as Molt, Hopper's dimwitted younger brother.


 * David Hyde Pierce as Slim, a walking stick and Francis and Heimlich's friend.


 * Joe Ranft as Heimlich, a plump, German-accented caterpillar who longs to be a butterfly.


 * Denis Leary as Francis, a short-tempered ladybug who is constantly mistaken for a female.


 * Jonathan Harris as Manny, a praying mantis and magician in P.T. Flea's circus.


 * Madeline Kahn as Gypsy, a gypsy moth and Manny's beautiful wife and assistant.


 * Bonnie Hunt as Rosie, a black widow spider and Dim's tamer and friend.


 * Michael McShane as Tuck and Roll, twin pillbug brothers from Hungary.


 * John Ratzenberger as P.T. Flea, the owner of the circus.


 * Brad Garrett as Dim, a rhinoceros beetle that plays the "Ferocious Beast" in the circus act. He is Rosie's companion.


 * Roddy McDowall as Mr. Soil, the lead thespian.


 * Edie McClurg as Dr. Flora, the doctor of the ant colony.


 * Alex Rocco as Thorny, Princess Atta's assistant.


 * David Ossman as Cornelius, an elderly ant.