A Bug's Life (2000 film) "What if..."

A Bug's Life is a 2000 computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was the fourth feature-length film produced by Pixar. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Andrew Stanton and Simon Wells, the film involves a misfit ant, Flik, who is looking for "tough warriors" to save his colony from a protection racket run by Hopper's gang of grasshoppers. Unfortunately, the "warriors" he brings back turn out to be an inept troupe of Circus Bugs.

The film was initially inspired by Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper. Production began shortly after the release of Toy Story 2 in 1999. The screenplay was penned by Stanton and comedy writers Donald McEnery and Bob Shaw from a story by Lasseter, Stanton, and Joe Ranft. The ants in the film were redesigned to be more appealing, and Pixar's animation unit employed technical innovations in computer animation. John Debney composed the music for the film. During production, a controversial public feud erupted between Steve Jobs and Lasseter of Pixar and PDI co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg due to the parallel production of his similar film Antz, which was released the different years.

The film was released on March 17, 2000, received positive reviews and grossed $363 million at the box office. It was the first film to be digitally transferred frame-by-frame and released on DVD, and has been released multiple times on home video.

Plot
A colony of ants, led by the elderly Queen and her daughter Princess Atta, lives in the middle of a seasonally dry creekbed on a small hill known as "Ant Island". Every summer, they are forced to give food to a gang of domineering grasshoppers, led by Hopper. One day, an accident-prone inventor ant named Flik accidentally knocks the offering into the water with his latest invention, a grain harvester. Discovering this, Hopper demands twice as much food as compensation. When Flik earnestly suggests the ants enlist the help of bigger bugs to fight the grasshoppers, Atta sees it as a way to get rid of Flik and sends him off.

Flik travels to "the city", a heap of trash under a trailer. Happening upon the aftermath of a chaotic bar fight, Flik mistakes a troupe of jobless Circus Bugs for the warrior bugs he seeks. The bugs, in turn, mistake Flik for a talent agent, and agree to travel with him back to Ant Island. During a welcome ceremony upon their arrival, the Circus Bugs and Flik discover their mutual misunderstandings. The Circus Bugs attempt to leave, but are pursued by a nearby bird; while fleeing, they rescue Atta's younger sister Dot from the bird, gaining the ants' respect. At Flik's request, the Circus Bugs continue the ruse of being "warriors", thus enabling them to continue enjoying the ants' hospitality. Learning that Hopper fears birds inspires Flik to create a false bird to scare away the grasshoppers. Meanwhile, Hopper reminds his gang of the ants' superior numbers, and suspects that the ants will eventually rebel if not kept in line.

The ants finish constructing the fake bird. During the subsequent celebration, the Circus Bugs' old boss P.T. Flea arrives, wanting to rehire them. This inadvertently reveals Flik's lies; outraged, the ants exile him and the Circus Bugs, and desperately attempt to gather food for a new offering. Hopper returns and sees the mediocre offering; he takes over the island, and demands the ants' own winter food supply, planning to execute the Queen afterwards. Overhearing the plan, Dot persuades Flik and the Circus Bugs 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., who is also fooled, sets the bird on fire. Realizing the deception, Hopper retaliates by having Flik beaten, proclaiming that the ants are lowly life forms who live to serve the grasshoppers. Flik asserts that Hopper actually fears the colony, because he has always known what they are capable of. This inspires the ants and the Circus Bugs to fight back against the grasshoppers, driving all but Hopper away.

The ants shove Hopper into the circus cannon to shoot him off of the island, but rain suddenly begins to fall. In the ensuing chaos, Hopper frees himself from the cannon and abducts Flik. The Circus Bugs and Atta pursue, with the latter catching up to Hopper and rescuing Flik. Flik lures Hopper to the real bird's nest; believing the bird is another fake, Hopper taunts it, until it grabs him and feeds him to its chicks.

With the grasshoppers gone, Flik improves his inventions to help gather food for the island. He and Atta become a couple, and they send a few ants and Hopper's friendly brother Molt to help P.T. and the Circus Bugs on their new tour. Atta and Dot become the new Queen and Princess, respectively. The ants congratulate Flik as a hero, and bid a fond farewell to the circus troupe.

Voice cast
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 * Dave Foley as Flik, a brave but accident-prone inventor ant wanting to make a difference.
 * Kevin Spacey as Hopper, the leader of the grasshopper gang oppressing the ants.
 * Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Princess Atta, the nervous queen-in-training of the ant colony and Flik's love interest.
 * Hayden Panettiere as Dot, Atta's younger sister and Flik's friend.
 * Denis Leary as Francis, a hot-tempered male ladybug clown in the circus, who is frequently mistaken for a female.
 * Joe Ranft as Heimlich, a large, gluttonous caterpillar clown with a German accent in the circus who desires to be a butterfly.
 * David Hyde Pierce as Slim, a stick bug/walking stick clown often used as a stand-in for stick-like props in the circus.
 * Jonathan Harris as Manny, an elderly praying mantis]] magician with an English accent in the circus.
 * Madeline Kahn as Gypsy, a colorful gypsy moth who is Manny's wife and assistant in the circus.
 * Bonnie Hunt as Rosie, a black widow spider and Dim's "tamer" in the circus.
 * Michael McShane as Tuck and Roll, two twinacrobat pillbug brothers from Hungary and act as cannonballs in the circus.
 * John Ratzenberger as P.T. Flea, the ringmaster of the circus troupe.
 * Brad Garrett as Dim, a rhinoceros beetle that plays the "ferocious beast" in the circus.
 * Richard Kind as Molt, Hopper's dimwitted younger brother.
 * Phyllis Diller as The Queen, an elderly ant who is Atta and Dot's mother.
 * Roddy McDowall as Mr. Soil, the ant colony's resident thespian.
 * Edie McClurg as Dr. Flora, the ant colony's doctor.
 * Alex Rocco as Thorny, a small, deep-voiced ant and Atta's grouchy assistant.
 * David Ossman as Cornelius, a very old ant with a walking stick.
 * David Lander as Thumper, Hopper's insane "mob enforcer" grasshopper.
 * Rodger Bumpass as Harry Mosquito
 * Ashley Tisdale as the leader of the Blueberry Scouts, a troop of ant children that Dot belongs to.
 * Jan Rabson and Carlos Alazraqui]] as Axle and Loco, a duo of grasshoppers from Hopper's gang.
 * Bob Bergen as Aphie, the Queen's pet aphid.