Bee Movie

Directors: Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith
Writers: Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, Andy Robin
Released: 2007
Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellwegger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Barry Levinson

NIKKI says: I'll admit, I wasn't expecting much from Jerry Seinfeld playing a bee in yet another animated movie about a little guy making good. Am I the only one sick to death of Pixar/Disney/Dreamworks/whoever taking one premise and just remaking it with different bugs? It goes like this:

Little bug tries to get by in his community. Sees something he doesn't like, usually this has to do with his desire for freedom, or world exploration. He battles the authorities, which can be parents, bosses, children, other bugs. He has a difference to make, dammit. And then he makes it and becomes a hero and Randy Newman sings a song about him.

Over it. Bee Movie follows pretty much that exact premise. But, this time around, I lost the battle against the Dreamworks Demon of Cuteness, and fell in love with Barry and his story. I think much of it falling had to do with the film's humour, which is very smart. And with the film's overall lack of condescension and sap. They actually tranquilise Winnie the Pooh at one point! And a guy pulls a box-cutter on Barry! They didn't do that in Finding Nemo, I bet.

Perhaps it was Seinfeld's humour that boosted this one for me? He's comedian with obvious ability to look at minutiae of human behaviour. Sticking his voice inside the mouth of an animated bee with a lot to say on that exact subject really kinda works.

This will be one of the few new animated films I'll watch over and over. The only other one I can think of is Toy Story, and maybe Ants. They're really running out of bugs.

4.5/5