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About the Film
Meet Flik.
Independent-thinker ant. The only insect capable of throwing a kink in the food chain. After one of Flik's inventions goes terribly wrong, he embarks on a mission to help save the colony from a gang of freeloading grasshoppers in order to get back in good graces with the Queen. But when the group of "warrior bugs" that Flik recruits turns out to be a bumbling circus troupe, he must believe in himself and his inventions to save Ant Island once and for all.
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The Story Process
The journey of A Bug’s Life
started with a huge question: how to follow up Toy Story? Pixar’s wildly successful feature debut had everyone watching the studio’s next move. The filmmakers knew they couldn’t repeat themselves. They needed a story that would inspire them all over again and wanted a story best told in computer animation. They chose to make a wide-screen epic about an
incredibly small world.a_bugs_life-story -
The Characters
Taking off from Aesop’s
fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper," A Bug’s Life expanded into the diverse cast of insect characters that became the flea circus. But the filmmakers realized they had too many protagonists to juggle. The story needed a single hero with an empathetic point of view. That’s when the character of Flik got promoted off the anthill.
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The World
Inspiration for A Bug’s Life
was everywhere, an organic world of both remarkable detail and
simplicity existing right at our feet. The filmmakers wanted to create a
hyperreal nature—a perspective from the bug’s point of view, not ours. At
the same time they sought to evoke our childhood fascination with the
miniature worlds that made us feel like giants.a_bugs_life-world -
Filmmaker's Roundtable
How do you avoid
the dreaded sophomore jinx? What happens when you dramatically
change the story in mid-production? How did Joe Ranft win the
audition for Heimlich? Watch the Pixar filmmakers discuss what
went into—and came out of—A Bug’s Life.abl_round_table -
Sound Design
A world of insects required
“a whole lot of wingflaps,” according to sound designer Gary Rydstrom. Wingflaps helped convey the characters' personalities, and Rydstrom found himself mixing the sounds of everything from wet paper towels to
World War II airplanes to a real dragonfly they found at Skywalker Ranch, which made “a huge and amazing sound.”a_bugs_life-sound -
Research
Capturing the world from
a bug's perspective is no easy task. So Pixar's creative team watched "bug cam" footage—shots of flora and fauna from an insect's point of view. They found that a single clover looked like an enormous tree. Cracked mud resembled the Grand Canyon. But most impressive was the translucency of the bug world. When the sun was out and an insect walked on a leaf, its shadow could be seen through the leaf from below. This stained-glass effect inspired the film's vibrant colors.
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Awards
Academy Awards
Nominated for Music (Original Musical or Comedy Score): Randy NewmanAnnie Awards
Nominated for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature
Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production: John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton
Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production: William Cone
Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft, Don McEnery & Bob ShawArs Electronica
Award of Distinction for Computer Animation / Visual EffectsBlockbuster Entertainment
Award for Favorite Animated Family MovieBroadcast Film Critics Association
Winner of Critics' Choice Award for Best Family Film
Winner of Critics' Choice Award for Best Animated FeatureCasting Society of America
Winner of Artois Award for Animated Voice Over: Ruth LambertHollywood Foreign Press Association
Winner of Golden Trailer Award for Best Animation / Family: Craig Murray ProductionGolden Globe Awards
Nominated for Best Original Score - Motion Picture: Randy NewmanGrammy Awards
Winner for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Randy Newman, composer
Nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media - "The Time of Your Life": Randy Newman
Nominated for Musical Album for Children
Nominated for Spoken Word Album for ChildrenInternational Press Academy
Winner of Golden Satellite Award for Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed MediaLos Angeles Film Critics Association
Winner for Best Animation: John Lassetera_bugs_life-awards -
Credits
DIRECTED BY
John LasseterCO-DIRECTED BY
Andrew StantonPRODUCED BY
Darla K. Anderson, Kevin ReherORIGINAL STORY BY
John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joe RanftSCREENPLAY BY
Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery, Bob ShawMUSIC BY
Randy NewmanSTORY SUPERVISOR
Joe RanftSUPERVISING FILM EDITOR
Lee UnkrichSUPERVISING TECHNICAL DIRECTORS
William Reeves, Eben OstbyDIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Sharon CalahanPRODUCTION DESIGNER
William ConeART DIRECTORS
Tia W. Kratter, Bob PauleySUPERVISING ANIMATORS
Glenn McQueen, Rich QuadeSHADING SUPERVISOR
Rick SayreSUPERVISING LAYOUT ARTIST
Ewan JohnsonPRODUCTION SUPERVISOR - TECHNICAL
Graham WaltersPRODUCTION SUPERVISOR - EDITORIAL
Bill KinderPRODUCTION SUPERVISOR - STORY, ART & LAYOUT
BZ PetroffEXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER
Chris Montan"THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE"
Written and Performed by Randy NewmanCASTING BY
Ruth Lambert, Mary Hidalgo-AssociateCAST
Flik
Dave FoleyHopper
Kevin SpaceyAtta
Julia Louis-DreyfusDot
Hayden PanettiereQueen
Phyllis DillerMolt
Richard KindSlim
David Hyde PierceHeimlich
Joe RanftFrancis
Denis LearyManny
Jonathan HarrisGypsy
Madeline KahnRosie
Bonnie HuntTuck & Roll
Michael McShaneP.T. Flea
John RatzenbergerDim
Brad GarrettMr. Soil
Roddy McDowallDr. Flora
Edie McClurgThorny
Alex RoccoCornelius
David Ossmana_bugs_life-credits
