A Bug's Life - Megaminimondo

A Bug's Life - Megaminimondo

Production

A Bug's Life is an animated film made in CGI computer graphics in 1998, by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed and written by Andrew Stanton, the film in the animal adventure and comedy genre. The film was inspired by Aesop's fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper". Production began shortly after the release of Toy Story in 1995.

The screenplay was written by Stanton and comedy writers Donald McEnery and Bob Shaw from a story by Lasseter, Stanton and Ranft. The ants in the film were redesigned to be more attractive, and Pixar's animation unit employed technical innovations in computer animation. Randy Newman composed the music for the film. During production, a controversial public feud erupted between Pixar's Steve Jobs and Lasseter and DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg over the parallel production of his very similar film."Z la formica“, Released the same year. The film stars the voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Hayden Panettiere, among others.

The story of A Bug's Life - Megaminimondo

Flik and the marauding grasshoppers

The story of the film stars a clumsy and clumsy ant named Flik. Our hero is looking for "tough warriors" to save his colony from hungry grasshoppers. Ant Island is an ant colony led by the retired queen and her daughter, Princess Atta. Each season, all the ants are forced to feed a band of raiding grasshoppers led by the evil and arrogant Hopper. One day, when Flik, ​​an individualistic ant and inventor, invents a quick grain harvesting device, Hopper demands twice as much food as compensation. When Flik seriously suggests seeking help from other stronger insects, the other ants see it as an opportunity and send him away from the anthill.

Flik meets the insects of Circus Bugs

In the "city of bugs," which is a pile of trash under a trailer, Flik mistakes a troupe of Circus Bugs (who were recently fired by their greedy ringmaster, PT Flea) for the warrior bugs he seeks out. The bugs, in turn, mistake Flik for a talented agent and accept his offer to travel with him to Ant Island. During a welcoming ceremony upon their arrival, Circus Bugs and Flik both discover their mutual misunderstandings. The Circus Bugs try to leave, but are chased by a nearby bird; as they flee, they save Dot, Atta's younger sister from the bird, earning the respect of the ants in the process. At Flik's request, they continue the ploy of being "warriors" so the crew can continue to enjoy the hospitality of the ants. Hearing that Hopper is afraid of birds inspires Flik to create a fake bird to scare off the grasshoppers. Meanwhile, Hopper reminds his gang that the ants outnumber them and suspects they will eventually rebel.

Ants build a fake bird

The ants finish building the fake bird, but during a celebration, PT the flea arrives, looking for his company, and inadvertently reveals their secret. Outraged by Flik's deception, the ants exile him and desperately try to gather food for a new offering to the grasshoppers. However, when Hopper returns to discover the mediocre offering, he takes control of the island and demands the winter food supply of the ants, planning to assassinate the queen later on. Hearing the plan, Dot convinces Flik and the circus bugs to return to Ant Island.

Hopper's fury

After the circus bugs distract the grasshoppers long enough to save the queen, Flik sets up the bird and initially tricks the grasshoppers. Unfortunately, PT the flea also mistakes it for a real bird and manages to burn it. Furious Hopper takes revenge on Flik for deception and rebellion, saying that ants were born to serve grasshoppers.

The ants rebel

However, Flik replies that Hopper actually fears the colony, because he always knew what they are capable of. Flik's words give courage to the ants and insects of the circus to rebel against the grasshoppers and to fight them. The ants attempt to force Hopper out of Ant Island by using PT the flea as a circus cannon, but suddenly it starts raining. In the ensuing chaos, Hopper breaks free from the cannon and kidnaps Flik. After the Circus Bugs fail to catch them, Atta rescues Flik. As Hopper chases them, Flik lures him into the bird's nest that he, Dot, and the circus bugs encountered earlier. Thinking the bird is another bait, Hopper taunts him before realizing too late that it's real. It is then captured and fed to the bird's chicks.

The happy ending

With their enemies gone, Flik has improved his inventions along with the quality of life of Ant Island's ants. He and Atta become a couple, and welcome Molt, Hopper's younger brother, and PT Pulce as new members of the company. Atta and Dot become the new queen and princess respectively. The ants congratulate Flik as a hero and greet the circus company affectionately.

The difficulties of the animators

It was more difficult for the animators to make the A Bug's Life movie than the previous Toy Story, because the computers worked slowly due to the complexity of the insect character models. Lasseter and Stanton had two supervising animators to assist with directing and revising the animation: Rich Quade and Glenn McQueen. The first sequence to be animated was that of the circus culminating with PT the flea. Lasseter put this scene first in the pipeline, because he believed it was "less likely to change." Lasseter thought it would be useful to look from the perspective of an insect's perspective. Two technicians were forced to create a miniature video camera on Lego wheels, which they dubbed “Bugcam”. Attached to the end of a stick, the Bugcam could roll over grass and other terrain and return the perspective of an insect. Lasseter was fascinated by the way grass, leaves and flower petals formed a translucent canopy, as if insects lived under a stained glass ceiling. Later the team also sought inspiration from Microcosmos - The people of the grass (1996), a French documentary on love and violence in the world of insects.

The problems of narration

The transition from execution to storyboard took on an additional level of complexity due to the profusion of storylines. Where Toy Story primarily focused on Woody and Buzz, with the other toys serving primarily as helpers, A Bug's Life required in-depth storytelling for several large groups of characters. Character design was also a new challenge, as the designers had to make the ants look nice. Although the animators and the art department studied insects more closely, natural realism would have given way to the wider demands of the film. The team pulled out the jaws and designed the ants to stand upright, replacing their normal six legs with two arms and two legs. Grasshoppers, on the other hand, got a couple of extra appendages to look less attractive.

The video trailer

Voice actors

Original voice actors

Dave Foley: Flik
Kevin Spacey: Hopper
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: P.Princess Atta
Hayden Panettiere: Dot
Phyllis Diller: Regina
Richard Kind: Mollo
David Hyde Pierce: Stick
Joe Ranft: Heimlich
Denis Leary: Francis
Jonathan Harris: manty
Madeline Khan: Gypsy
Bonnie Hunt: Rosie
Michael McShane: Tuck / Roll
John Ratzenberger: PT Flea
Brad Garrett: Sun
Roddy McDowall: Dr. Suolo
Edie McClurg: Dr. Flora
Alex Rocco: Rough
David Ossman: Cornelius

Italian voice actors

Massimiliano Manfredi: Flik
Roberto Pedicini: Hopper
Chiara Colizzi: Fr.Princess Atta
Veronica Puccio: Dot
Deddi Savagnone: Regina
Vittorio Amandola: Mollo
Stefano Masciarelli: Stick
Robert Stocchi: Heimlich
Stefano Mondini: Francis
Franco Zucca: manty
Antonella Rendina: Gypsy
Alessandra Casella: Rosie
Henry Pallini: Tuck
Frank Mannella: Roll
Renato Cecchetto: PT Flea
Roberto Draghetti: Sun
Oliviero Dinelli: Dr. Suolo
Lorenza Biella: Dr. Flora
Ennio Coltorti: Rough
Werner DiDonato: Cornelius

Credits

Original title A Bug’s Life
Original language English
Country United States of America
Year 1998
Duration 93 minutes
Gender animation, comedy, adventure
Regia John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton (co-director)
Producer Darla K. Anderson, Kevin Reher
Production house Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios
Music Randy Newman