Bee Movie (2007)

Directors:

Steve Hickner
Simon J. Smith

Writers:

Jerry Seinfeld (written by) and
Spike Feresten (written by) ...

Release Date:

2 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

Tagline:

On November 2 Hold on to your honey

Plot:

Barry B. Benson, a bee who has just graduated from college, is disillusioned at his lone career choice: making honey. On a special trip outside the hive, Barry's life is saved by Vanessa, a florist in New York City. As their relationship blossoms, he discovers humans actually eat honey, and subsequently decides to sue us.

Plot Keywords:

Bee | Regret | Escape Attempt | Flying | Unlikely Hero

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 11 nominations

Cast

Jerry Seinfeld	...	Barry B. Benson (voice)
Renée Zellweger	...	Vanessa Bloome (voice)
Matthew Broderick	...	Adam Flayman (voice)
Patrick Warburton	...	Ken (voice)
John Goodman	...	Layton T. Montgomery (voice)
Chris Rock	...	Mooseblood (voice)
Kathy Bates	...	Janet Benson (voice)
Barry Levinson	...	Martin Benson (voice)
Larry King	...	Bee Larry King (voice)
Ray Liotta	...	Ray Liotta (voice)
Sting	...	Sting (voice)
Oprah Winfrey	...	Judge Bumbleton (voice)
Larry Miller	...	Buzzwell (voice)
Megan Mullally	...	Trudy (voice)
Rip Torn	...	Lou Lo Duca (voice)

Also Known As:

A História de uma Abelha (Portugal) (literal title) [pt]
Ari filmi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Bee Movie - A História de uma Abelha (Brazil) [pt]
Bee Movie - Das Honigkomplott (Germany) [de]
Bee Movie - Det store honningkomplot (Denmark) [da]
Bee Movie - Drôle d'abeille (France) [fr]
Bee movie - La historia de una abeja (Peru) [es]
Bee movie, la historia de una abeja (Argentina) [es]
Drôle d'abeille (Canada: French title) [fr]
I tainia mias melissas (Greece) [el]
Mehiläisen elokuva (Finland) [fi]
Mesilase film (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild suggestive humor, and a brief depiction of smoking.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | South Africa:A | Sweden:Btl | Australia:G | Canada:G (all jurisdictions) | Malaysia:U | Finland:K-7 | South Korea:All | Ireland:G | Germany:o.Al. | UK:U (cut) | Switzerland:0 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Argentina:Atp | Taiwan:GP | New Zealand:G | Brazil:Livre | Philippines:G | Italy:T | Portugal:M/6 (Qualidade)

Company:

DreamWorks Animation

Trivia:

Jerry Seinfeld has said that his character, Barry B. Benson, is named in tribute to the 1979 sitcom "Benson" (1979) in which he got one of his first TV roles playing the character "Frankie".

Goofs:

Continuity: At one point all the trees and plants have withered because of a lack of pollination. But when all the bees fly out to help guide in the plane, the tree in front of the hive is sporting big green leaves.

Quotes:

Janet Benson: No flying in the house!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#26.26)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Here Comes the Sun

Mildly Amusting Animated Effort

"Mildly amusing" is probably the best description of this recently-released (on DVD) animated feature. My reviews on animated movies are what I thought of it as an adult, and how adults would relate to it. For this one, I'd say this is not a film adults will run out and buy: rent - yes/maybe; purchase - no.

The animation and story might be something kids will still enjoy but most of the gags fall flat for adults, although it does have a few clever things in it. It just isn't up to some of the truly funny animated films of the past few years. That said, it was still fun to watch with some humorous drawings in the background that you have to watch for quickly.

As for the story, for a film with a lot of politically-correct messages, stereotypical characters, Liberal icons plugged, etc., it was surprising to see a commonsense "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" conclusion. Kudos for that, but there are just too many dumb parts in this story. The connection of a talking bee with a human girlfriend was too ludicrous to be entertaining, as were the courtroom scenes.

The animation was fair. Yes, a story with flowers as a key ingredient is going to be colorful, so there is plenty of color but it looked kind of washed out and blah to what it could have been (i.e. "Cars," "Polar Express," etc.). I expected more out of a Dreamworks film.

Overall, for adults: skip it. It just isn't funny enough to invest your time. For the little kids, sure - they'll like it. They like almost almost any animated movie.