User blog:ARTaylor/20 Years of A Bug's Life

Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the premiere of A Bug's Life. The film, the second from Pixar Animation Studios, is inspired by the story of The Ant and the Grasshopper with some influence by Three Amigos. The story follows a misfit ant named Flick who searches for a group of warrior bugs in order to battle invasive grasshoppers who take their food every year, only to be fooled by a group of inept circus performers who only seem like warriors.

During production, the producers of this film had a public feud with Dreamworks Animation Studios who were developing the film Antz at the same time. Both films feature similar characters and stories. A Bug's Life focused more on younger children and families while Antz focused more on older children and adults. Antz fared slightly better with critics, though A Bug's Life was still a hit. In the end, it was A Bug's Life that was more well received by audiences making it the bigger earner financially.

The film was nominated for a number of awards including Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score. It inspired a video game as well as several rides across the numerous Disney theme parks. Today, while still considered a well-made film, it is thought of as one of Pixar's lesser efforts.

The film was written and directed by John Lasseter, who also plays a bug who tries to warn his friend, played by co-director Andrew Stanton, against flying into a bug zapper. It features the talents of Jonathan Harris as magician praying mantis Manny, Brad Garrett as circus rhinoceros beetle Dim, Carlos Alazraqui as grasshopper Loco, Jack Angel as mayfly Thud, as well as Bob Bergen, Jennifer Darling, Jess Harnell, and Philip Proctor doing additional voices.