A Bug's Life (1998)

Directors:

John Lasseter
Andrew Stanton (co-director)

Writers:

John Lasseter (story) &
Andrew Stanton (story) ...

Release Date:

25 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Animation | Comedy | Adventure

Tagline:

An epic of miniature proportions.

Plot:

A misfit ant, looking for warriors to save his colony from grasshoppers, recruits a group of bugs that turn out to be an inept circus troup.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Quirky | Butterfly | Black Widow | Friendship

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 11 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Dave Foley	...	Flik (voice)
Kevin Spacey	...	Hopper (voice)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Atta (voice)
Hayden Panettiere	...	Dot (voice)
Phyllis Diller	...	Queen (voice)
Richard Kind	...	Molt (voice)
David Hyde Pierce	...	Slim (voice)
Joe Ranft	...	Heimlich (voice)
Denis Leary	...	Francis (voice)
Jonathan Harris	...	Manny (voice)
Madeline Kahn	...	Gypsy Moth (voice)
Bonnie Hunt	...	Rosie (voice)
Michael McShane	...	Tuck / Roll (voice)
John Ratzenberger	...	P.T. Flea (voice)
Brad Garrett	...	Dim (voice)

Also Known As:

Bugs (USA) (working title)
Bichos: una aventura en miniatura (Argentina) (Mexico) (Spain) [es]
Ötökän elämää (Finland) [fi]
1001 pattes (France) [fr]
A Bug's Life - Megaminimondo (Italy) [it]
Bichos (Spain) [es]
Bir böcegin yasami (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Bogár élete, Egy (Hungary) [hu]
Bug's Life (Japan: English title) [en]
Græsrødderne (Denmark) [da]
Große Krabbeln, Das (Germany) [de]
Luizenleven, Een (Netherlands) (dubbed version) [nl]
Småkryps liv, Ett (Sweden) [sv]
Uma Vida de Insecto (Portugal) [pt]
Une vie de bestiole (Canada: French title) [fr]
Vida de Inseto (Brazil) [pt]
Zou-zou-nia (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/4 | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Belgium:KT | Canada:G (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Finland:K-8/5 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. (w) | Hong Kong:I | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:G | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:G (certificate #36295)

Company:

Pixar Animation Studios

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: "The third scream" rather, can be heard when the grasshoppers take over Ant Island.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Hopper is flying away carrying Flick, Tuck & Roll pull off his right antenna. Just as Hopper ditches Tuck & Roll, you see him flying away with both antennae still intact. Then scene flashes to Tuck & Roll holding removed antenna.

Quotes:

Princess Atta: You don't think I've offended the warriors, do you?
Flik: *You*? No!
Princess Atta: Oh, good. Because, you see, when you first brought them here, I'd thought you'd hired a bunch of clowns!
Flik: [voice suddenly higher] You *did*?
[laughs nervously]

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

This movie is good eatin'!

"A Bug's Life" is like a favorite candy bar -- it's chock-full of great little bits that add up to something really tasty.

The story couldn't have been better; it's clever, has "heart" (emotion), and every character has a nice "arc" (a growth or change). By comparison, the only characters in "Toy Story" to have an "arc" are Buzz, who learns to love being a toy, and Woody, who overcomes his resentment of Buzz. There are tons of laughs and cute moments in "A Bug's Life". All of the actors turn in great voice work, and the animation, both the motion and detail, is superb.

This serious movie buff doesn't throw around "10"s lightly, but this movie certainly deserves the "10" I gave it.