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A Bug's Life

  • 1998
  • G
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
333K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,074
134
Denis Leary, Dave Foley, Hayden Panettiere, and Joe Ranft in A Bug's Life (1998)
CT #1, post
Play trailer1:24
8 Videos
99+ Photos
Animal AdventureComputer AnimationQuestAdventureAnimationComedyFamily

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

  • Directors
    • John Lasseter
    • Andrew Stanton
  • Writers
    • John Lasseter
    • Andrew Stanton
    • Joe Ranft
  • Stars
    • Kevin Spacey
    • Dave Foley
    • Julia Louis-Dreyfus
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    333K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,074
    134
    • Directors
      • John Lasseter
      • Andrew Stanton
    • Writers
      • John Lasseter
      • Andrew Stanton
      • Joe Ranft
    • Stars
      • Kevin Spacey
      • Dave Foley
      • Julia Louis-Dreyfus
    • 446User reviews
    • 118Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 14 wins & 21 nominations total

    Videos8

    A Bug's Life
    Trailer 1:24
    A Bug's Life
    A Bug's Life
    Clip 1:35
    A Bug's Life
    A Bug's Life
    Clip 1:35
    A Bug's Life
    A Bug's Life
    Clip 1:25
    A Bug's Life
    A Bug's Life
    Clip 1:41
    A Bug's Life
    A Bug's Life
    Clip 1:50
    A Bug's Life
    A Bug's Life
    Featurette 1:08
    A Bug's Life

    Photos487

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    + 482
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    Top Cast66

    Edit
    Kevin Spacey
    Kevin Spacey
    • Hopper
    • (voice)
    Dave Foley
    Dave Foley
    • Flik
    • (voice)
    Julia Louis-Dreyfus
    Julia Louis-Dreyfus
    • Atta
    • (voice)
    Hayden Panettiere
    Hayden Panettiere
    • Dot
    • (voice)
    Phyllis Diller
    Phyllis Diller
    • Queen
    • (voice)
    Richard Kind
    Richard Kind
    • Molt
    • (voice)
    David Hyde Pierce
    David Hyde Pierce
    • Slim
    • (voice)
    Joe Ranft
    Joe Ranft
    • Heimlich
    • (voice)
    Denis Leary
    Denis Leary
    • Francis
    • (voice)
    Jonathan Harris
    Jonathan Harris
    • Manny
    • (voice)
    Madeline Kahn
    Madeline Kahn
    • Gypsy Moth
    • (voice)
    Bonnie Hunt
    Bonnie Hunt
    • Rosie
    • (voice)
    Michael McShane
    Michael McShane
    • Tuck
    • (voice)
    • …
    John Ratzenberger
    John Ratzenberger
    • P.T. Flea
    • (voice)
    Brad Garrett
    Brad Garrett
    • Dim
    • (voice)
    Roddy McDowall
    Roddy McDowall
    • Mr. Soil
    • (voice)
    Edie McClurg
    Edie McClurg
    • Dr. Flora
    • (voice)
    Alex Rocco
    Alex Rocco
    • Thorny
    • (voice)
    • Directors
      • John Lasseter
      • Andrew Stanton
    • Writers
      • John Lasseter
      • Andrew Stanton
      • Joe Ranft
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews446

    7.2332.9K
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    Featured reviews

    MichaelOates

    an animated delight

    This animated feature about ants, grasshoppers, and various other bugs is an inspirational testament of never giving up despite the odds stacked against you.

    The story begins as Flick, voiced by Dave Foley, the ant who always invents things one right after the other. After the grasshoppers come to invade the food supply, Flick comes up with the idea of getting warrior bugs to fight the grasshoppers. Not only will this idea give Flick respect it will allow him to get redemption as he has messed his prior invention up. This epic journey starts as Flick goes in search of the warrior bugs; he finds them in Circus bugs. Consumed for Princess Atta, voiced by Julia Louis Dreyfuss, and her approval, Flick hides the fact that these "warriors" are in fact circus bugs.

    I was smiling throughout this film because it was the one of the best animated features I've seen. Furthermore "A Bug's Life" far eclipses "ANTZ" because this film has a point, storyline, and direction.

    The ending is no surprise as far as the typical ending goes, but this is definitely a delight worth seeing on the big screen. I recommend this movie because it allows the mind to sit down and relax and without tension watch the movie in peace.
    9TheLittleSongbird

    Bug's Life is really funny!

    Critically, people say that Antz is better. Antz is a good film, but I enjoyed Bug's Life a bit more. I can't remember a Pixar animation, other than the two Toy Story films, that I was laughing so hard. The animation is clean, the story is original and doesn't preach. The voice overs are what make this movie. Dave Foley is an earnest ant that gets himself into trouble a lot. Hopper is a superb characterisation by the always wonderful Kevin Spacey, as is Haydn Panettiere as Dot . There is also sterling support from Dennis Leary, David Hyde Pierce and Madeline Kahn, and I could go on and on. The script is fantastic, so funny and sometimes even touching. It lacks the social messages of Antz, but what we have is rock-solid entertainment. 9/10. Bethany Cox
    8CharltonBoy

    Great animation

    A Bugs Life is a great film that is not just for kids but for adults too. The story is set around a colony of ants and their struggle against the evil Grasshoppers who come back every year and steal their food ( A Mirror of the Magnifiscent seven). There is some wonderfull computer animation and the voices are great too. You will love it!! 8 out of 10
    7corncob01

    Fantastic animation; mediocre story

    I thought this was the most sophisticated animation I have ever seen, 2-D or 3-D. The bird attack and the rain storm scenes were unbelievable. The bloopers were a riot!

    But again Hollywood pumps out a high-gloss, low-impact movie. For all its beauty, it was a pretty ho-hum story. They could have really played up the Seven Samurai angle by offering a more in-depth, poignant view of the life of these oppressed ants. Perhaps tugged on the heart-strings a little more. I found myself almost rooting for the grasshoppers against these simple, whining ants. A little more character development could have made this the greatest animated feature of all time.
    8Peach-2

    Wow.

    There is great detail in A Bug's Life. Everything is covered. The film looks great and the animation is sometimes jaw-dropping. The film isn't too terribly orignal, it's basically a modern take on Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, only with bugs. I enjoyed the character interaction however and the bad guys in this film actually seemed bad. It seems that Disney usually makes their bad guys carbon copy cut-outs. The grasshoppers are menacing and Hopper, the lead bad guy, was a brillant creation. Check this one out.

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    Related interests

    Ben Whishaw in Paddington (2014)
    Animal Adventure
    Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in Toy Story (1995)
    Computer Animation
    Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr in The Wizard of Oz (1939)
    Quest
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)
    Animation
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the bloopers shown at the end of the film, Princess Atta is shown cracking up during her scene with Hopper, ruining take after take until Hopper goes to his trailer in frustration. This is a spoof of Julia Louis-Dreyfus being known to do the same.
    • Goofs
      Before the "royal huddle" decides to send Flik away, if Princess Atta's mouth is watched when she says "He can't mess anything up", the word "screw" is what was animated as opposed to the word "mess".
    • Quotes

      Hopper: First rule of leadership: Everything is your fault.

    • Crazy credits
      During the credits, there are some faked "goofs" during filming such as characters bursting out laughing, accidentally knocking over the camera, etc. One particular highlight is Flik yelling "To infinity, and beyond!"
    • Alternate versions
      "A Bug's Life" was released theatrically in the widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The full-screen version, found on the VHS & DVD, was digitally re-rendered shot by shot, moving characters and objects closer together where necessary, to reframe and fit them into the 1.33:1 TV screen, According to Pixar more than half the movie was recomputed after changes in the camera's field of view or movement.
    • Connections
      Featured in Geri's Game (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      La Cucaracha
      (uncredited)

      Written by Pica Pica

      Lyrics by José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi

      Performed by the grasshoppers

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    FAQ20

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 25, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Bichos: Una aventura en miniatura
    • Filming locations
      • Pixar Animation Studios - 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Walt Disney Pictures
      • Pixar Animation Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $120,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $162,798,565
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $291,121
      • Nov 22, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $363,258,859
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 35m(95 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Atmos
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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