Film Review on Disneys; “A Bugs Life”

The movie a “Bugs Life” seems to be, on the surface, much like the average Disney movie; happy, with themes of family, friendship, and love blanketing the entire story. In this film, the protagonist; Flik finds himself questioning the position of the other ants in the colony, he dabbles in the creation of technology, is horribly clumsy and doesn’t seem to quite fit in amongst the other ants. While the ants spend their time collecting food for themselves, they also set aside some for the grasshoppers, who are much larger, stronger and so coerce the ants into collecting food for them. Through this context Disney sets into a play a scenario that has the ants rebelling against their grasshopper oppressors, with Flik being at the forefront of this rebellion. This battle that unfolds parallels a Marxist revolution, with Disney making some strong political statements throughout the film. This is fueled by the characters who are polarized as the capitalist oppressors and the collective Marxists, while a myriad other modern day characters take prominent roles, reinforcing ideologies and stereotypes.

The collective that is the Ants, functions as a single unit, operating within the confines of what is the ant colony, they are restricted in their mentality and shy away from any form of individualism. This is highlighted as the queen berates Flick in one of the scenes, she says; “I never thought I’d see the day where an ant put himself before the rest of his colony”. That statement carries with it many communist ideals, likening the best interest of the colony to that of a real world communist state. Such is the extreme that when a leaf blocks the progression of the ants food line, panic ensues. However, the ants are presented as happy, content with working for themselves, and even for collecting food for the grasshoppers, there is little questioning as to their purpose but a simple acceptance of what is so. This order is upset when Flik questions their purpose and the need to simply accept the oppression, and the abuse of the grasshoppers. The ants, who are a metaphor for the proletariat, through much drama and some ingenuity take down their grasshopper oppressors using their large numbers as an advantage. Flik is seen as the hero here and his qualities one would assume as being ideal. Through this portrayal we could assume that Disney seems to say that friendship, perseverance, love and collective unity can be perceived as, “good”. However we could also argue that the communist/socialist ideals it portrays are also glorified, and that capitalism is portrayed incorrectly, in a negative light as abusive and oppressive.

The grasshoppers, in this movie, take on a more conventional Marxist ideal of capitalism. They are greedy, decadent, and abuse the power they have over the ants. Subjugation is what the grasshoppers want, and therefore continue to get the ants to collect food for them, despite not even requiring it. “It’s not about food, it’s about keeping those ants in line”, is the philosophy the head grasshopper believes in employing. Such mentality is characteristic of Marxist views on capitalism, with an emphasis placed on greed and subjugation; the ants that is the majority work to keep the few grasshoppers content and in power. A class system is also present in this movie, where one could assume the grasshoppers to be of a higher class or nobility compared to the working class majority. The once held belief that one is born rich and noble or poor is challenged in this movie, advocating the possibility of social mobility. The head grass hopper says, “ideas are very dangerous things, you are mindless soil shoving losers, put on the earth to serve us”. This quote carries with it the capitalist requirement that the working class not question their roles, but continue to serve in subjugation to the upper classes. The grasshoppers are also presented as being tough, rowdy, uncivilized and always ready to start a fight or brawl. In one scene the grasshoppers are seen relaxing, drinking alcohol in a southern environment, ordering Mexican drinks and dancing to Hispanic music. This association reinforces cultural stereotypes and associates Hispanic culture with drunken, rowdy, revelry. All these characteristics, coupled with the fact that the grasshoppers seem to be constantly on the move can be likened to a biker gang. The noise that emanates from their wings also sounds distinctively similar to that of a large motor cycle. One could therefore assume that Disney is reinforcing a cultural stereotype; which is that biker gangs are rowdy and cause trouble in their wake.

Disney uses other stereotypes within the context of its film, the associations of which help Disney audiences relate to its films better. For instance, the Queen ant acts somewhat like a fallen yesteryear starlet even flirting with some of the other ants that were fanning her. This aged-diva demeanor sediments her role in the film, as she acts with calm and decorum in the face of crisis, while still proving to be able to enjoy herself. The circus insects further add to this notion, representing a circus troupe compromised of European and other amusing characters, the two acrobats being distinctively Eastern European in their inability to speak English and their identical appearance. The caterpillar has a German accent while his love for food is insatiable, his behavior is however rather effeminate and one could class the caterpillar as being one of Disney’s gay characters. The other circus characters follow under similar stereotypes often related to other circus roles, such as the magician(the praying mantis) and his beautiful assistant (the butterfly). The flea also falls into the category of the greedy capitalist as he pushes the performers in order to raise more money. One of the ants that looks after the children has an American “Mid west” accent, this evokes a sense of motherliness associated with the pie-baking, stay at home, mid west housewife.

Disney dabbles in the real world, lifting stereotypes and gender roles then placing them within the context of its films. Gender roles as seen in this movie exist. Atta, the princess, while she shows courage, acts with the same flustered quality that would be typical of the stereotypical, mild mannered woman. One could wonder as to the effect of Disney’s portrayal of such characters and its effect on emphasizing these stereotypes. As its main audience is children, are they subliminally informing children that such characters will behave as such, and good and bad will have these presented qualities? Disney also preaches political values and goals that have been concealed over a very sugary appealing animated surface, are they justified in presenting these to children? Yet, despite all this controversy associated with Disney the main messages the company sends through is what is heard and understood by the majority. This is that friendship, love and teamwork triumph over all else. This is itself a positive enough message to send to the many children that watch Disney and is often paramount over any other messages that come through, leaving the audience with an overwhelming belief in fantasy, and a world where everything goes right.

Mark de Silva