| Bee Movie | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Edited by | Nick Fletcher |
| Music by | Rupert Gregson-Williams |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures[a] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150 million[1] |
| Box office | $293.5 million[1] |
Bee Movie is a 2007 American animatedsatirical comedy film directed bySimon J. Smith andSteve Hickner, and written byJerry Seinfeld,Spike Feresten,Barry Marder, andAndy Robin. Produced byDreamWorks Animation and Columbus 81 Productions, it stars Seinfeld andRenée Zellweger. The film centers on Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld), ananthropomorphichoney bee who tries to sue the human race for exploiting bees after learning from his new florist friend Vanessa Bloome (Zellweger) that humans sell and consume honey.
Bee Movie premiered in New York City on October 25, 2007, and was released in theaters in the United States on November 2 byParamount Pictures.[a] It grossed $293.5 million worldwide on a budget of $150 million. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its humor and voice cast but criticized its plot and lack of originality. Nevertheless, it has since gained acult following, partly driven byinternet memes of the film shared onsocial media, which most often lampoon its surreal premise, script and celebrity cameos.
Barry B. Benson, an idealistic younghoney bee who has theability to talk to humans, graduates from college, and is about to enter the hive's honey-making workforce, Honex Industries with his best friend, Adam Flayman. Barry is initially excited, but his ambitious, insubordinate attitude emerges upon discovering that his choice of job will never change once picked.
The two bees run into a group of Pollen Jocks, professional bees who collectnectar from flowers outside the hive, and they offer to take Barry with them if he is "bee enough". While on his first pollen-gathering expedition in New York City, Barry is separated by the rain, and ends up in the apartment of a human florist named Vanessa Bloome. Upon noticing Barry, Vanessa's boyfriend Ken attempts to kill him, although Vanessa intervenes and gently releases Barry outside, saving his life. Barry returns to express his gratitude to Vanessa, breaking the sacred law that bees must not communicate with humans. Barry and Vanessa develop a close friendship based on attraction, spending time together.
One day, when Barry and Vanessa are in a grocery store, Barry discovers that the humans have been stealing, and consuming the bees honey for centuries. He decides to travel to Honey Farms, which supplies the grocery store with its honey. Incredulous at the poor treatment of the bees, including the use ofbee smokers to incapacitate colonies, Barry plans to sue the humans to put an end to their exploitation of the bees, with Vanessa agreeing to help.
Barry's mission attracts widespread attention from bees and humans, with countless spectators attending the trial. Although Barry is up against tough defense attorney Layton T. Montgomery, the trial's first day goes well. That evening, Barry is having dinner with Vanessa when Ken shows up. As Barry leaves to use the restroom, Ken ambushes and attempts to get rid of him, only for Vanessa to intervene and break up with Ken.
On the second day of the trial, Montgomery unleashes an unrepentantcharacter assassination against the bees, leading to a deeply offended Adam to sting him. Montgomery immediately exaggerates the stinging to make himself seem the victim of an assault while simultaneously tarnishing Adam. Adam's actions jeopardize the bees credibility and his life, though he recovers in a hospital with a small, plastic sword as a replacement stinger. Barry wins the trial by exposing the jury to the torturous treatment of bees, preventing humans from stealing honey from bees ever again. Montgomery cryptically warns Barry that a negative shift of nature is imminent.
Human-obtained honey is returned in overload to every hive, leading to Honex stopping honey production, with all bees, including the vitally important Pollen Jocks, put out of jobs. Despite winning the legal lawsuit against humans, all of the world's plants begin to die out without anypollination, leading to anecological crisis. Barry and Vanessa learn that the last remaining flowers on Earth are being stockpiled inPasadena, California, for theTournament of Roses Parade.
To carry out their mission, they travel there to steal a flower covered float, and load it into a plane intending to bring them back to the hive so they can re-pollinate the world's plants. When the plane's captain explains that the flight will be delayed due to bad weather, Barry attempts to reason with the pilots, only for them to knock each other out while attempting to vacuum Barry. With the help of Barry and his colony, Vanessa lands the plane safely.
In recognition for his heroism, Barry earns his place as a Pollen Jock. With the pollen of the last flowers, Barry and the Pollen Jocks reverse the damage, and save the world's plants, restarting the bees honey production. Later on, Barry runs a law firm at Vanessa's flower shop titled "Insects at Law", which handles disputes between animals and humans. While selling flowers to customers, Vanessa offers certain brands of honey that are "bee-approved". At the same time, Barry celebrates his new life as a Pollen Jock, balancing his adventures with responsibility.
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The development ofBee Movie began in 2003, whenSteven Spielberg approachedDreamWorks Animation CEO and co-founderJeffrey Katzenberg afterJerry Seinfeld asked him to make an animated film featuring insects. Seinfeld spent a week in Los Angeles working on it. Teleconferencing system HP Halo was installed in Seinfeld's office in New York, enabling him to work on the film and interact between coasts. Seinfeld said he set the film in New York because it was "theTigris and Euphrates of comedy", and Katzenberg was the main reason for making the film.[3] The budget was approximately $150 million.[1] Spielberg appeared in two live-action trailers for this film in November 2006 and early 2007 where he interacted with Seinfeld, who wore a bee costume. Using these trailers as a basis, promotional live-action short skits surrounding the production of the movie, branded asBee Movie TV Juniors, would air onNBC during theirFallprimetime lineup.[4]
Bee Movie debuted in New York City on October 25, 2007,[1][5] followed by a premiere on October 28, in Los Angeles.[6] It was released in the United States on November 2.[7] The film was produced by DreamWorks Animation and Columbus 81 Productions, and distributed byParamount Pictures.[a][8][9]Bee Movie Game was released in October 2007 for multiple platforms.[10]
Brach's soldBee Movie candy corn, made with real honey, and also held a sweepstakes with the grand prize being a trip for four to New York City. General Mills placed cereal spoons and hand buzzers inside cereal boxes promotingBee Movie. Customers could save 50 cents if they bought twoFruit by the Foot,Fruit Gushers, andFruit Roll-Ups products featuringBee Movie on their packaging. McDonald's offered sixBee Movie toys in its Happy Meals, while the company's advertising pointed customers towards white meat chicken nuggets, apple dippers, and low-fat milk. The Happy Meal and Conservation International websites both invited kids to take the "Bee Good to the Planet" pledge to protect the environment, and McDonald's supported Conservation International's efforts to protect bee habitats in South Africa and Mexico.[11]
Paramount Home Entertainment releasedBee Movie onDVD (single- and double-disc) on March 11, 2008,[12] and onBlu-ray on May 20.[13] The DVD extras include the "Inside the Hive: The Cast ofBee Movie" and "Tech ofBee Movie" featurettes, "We Got the Bee" music video, "Meet Barry B. Benson" feature, interactive games, a filmmaker commentary, alternate endings, lost scenes, the live-action trailers, andJerry's Flight Over Cannes.[12][14] AnHD DVD version of the film was canceled after the discontinuation of that format.[15] The DVD release ofBee Movie was promoted with a $3 mail-in rebate offer fromBlue Diamond Growers and a coupon for $1 off Sue Bee honey products.
Bee Movie earned $126.6 million in the United States and Canada and $166.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $293.5 million.[1] DreamWorks Animation reported that the film made $27.3 million in home media revenues.[16]
The film was released withAmerican Gangster andMartian Child on November 2, 2007.[1][17]Bee Movie earned $10.2 million on its first day. The film debuted at second earning $39.1 million from 3,928 theaters.[18] Its second weekend earnings dropped by 32% to $26 million,[19][20] and followed by another $14.3 million the third weekend.[21]Bee Movie completed its theatrical run in the United States and Canada on February 14, 2008.[1]
Bee Movie has an approval rating of 49% based on 172 professional reviews on thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.6/10. Its critical consensus reads, "Bee Movie has humorous moments, but its awkward premise and tame delivery render it mostly forgettable."[22]Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assignedBee Movie a score of 54 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[23] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[24]
Michael Phillips of theChicago Tribune gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "It's on the easygoing level ofSurf's Up, and a full tick up from, say,Over the Hedge orThe Ant Bully. But given the Seinfeld pedigree it's something of a disappointment."[25] Peter Travers ofRolling Stone gave the film three out of four stars, saying "At its relaxed best, when it's about, well, nothing, the slyly comicBee Movie is truly beguiling."[26] Desson Thomson ofThe Washington Post said, "Bee Movie feels phoned in on every level. The images, usually computer animation's biggest draw, are disappointingly average. And as for the funny stuff, well, that's where you were supposed to come in."[27]
A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "The most genuinely apian aspect ofBee Movie is that it spends a lot of its running time buzzing happily around, sniffing out fresh jokes wherever they may bloom."[28] Claudia Puig gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Bee Movie is certainly not low-budget, but it has all the staying power and creative value of a B-movie. The secret life of bees, as told by Seinfeld, is a bore with a capital B."[26] Steven Rea ofThe Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film three stars out of four, saying "Bee Movie is notShrek, and it is notRatatouille either (by far the standout computer-animated feature of the year). But it has enough buzzing wit and eye-popping animation to win over the kids—and probably more than a few parents, too."[29]Richard Roeper gave the film a positive review, saying "This is a beautifully animated, cleverly executed, warm and funny adventure."[26]
Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, saying "All of this material, written by Seinfeld and writers associated with his television series, tries hard, but never really takes off. We learn at the outset of the movie that bees theoretically cannot fly. Unfortunately, in the movie, that applies only to the screenplay. It is really, really, really hard to care much about a platonic romantic relationship between Renee Zellweger and a bee, although if anyone could pull it off, she could."[30]Ty Burr ofThe Boston Globe gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The vibe is loose-limbed and fluky, and the gags have an extra snap that's recognizably Seinfeldian. If I believed in a sitcom afterlife, I'd swear the whole thing was cooked up by Kramer and George's dad."[31]
Bee Movie led the35th Annie Awards season with five nominations (includingBest Animated Feature).[32][33] At the65th Golden Globe Awards, it was nominated forBest Animated Feature Film.[34] The13th Critics' Choice Awards nominated the film forBest Animated Feature.[35][36]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards | February 8, 2008 | Best Animated Feature | Bee Movie | Nominated |
| Animation Production Artist | Michael Isaak | Nominated | ||
| Storyboarding In A Feature Production | Nassos Vakalis | Nominated | ||
| Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production | Patrick Warburton | Nominated | ||
| Music in an Animated Feature Production | Rupert Gregson-Williams | Nominated | ||
| Critics Choice Awards | January 7, 2008 | Best Animated Feature | Steve Hickner andSimon J. Smith | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 13, 2008 | Best Animated Film | Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner | Nominated |
| Golden Reel Award | 2008 | Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR for Animated Feature Film | Will Files(supervising sound editor/sound designer); Michael Silvers(supervising sound editor); Randy Thom(sound designer); Luke Dunn Gielmuda(supervising Foley editor); J.J. George(supervising music editor); Scott Guitteau, Kyrsten Mate(sound editors); Steve Slanec(ADR editor), Kevin Crehan(music editor) | Nominated |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | February 2, 2008 | Best Animated Motion Picture | Jerry Seinfeld, Christina Steinberg, and Cameron Stevning | Nominated |
| Kids' Choice Awards | March 29, 2008 | Favorite Animated Movie | Bee Movie | Nominated |
| Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie | Jerry Seinfeld as Barry B. Benson | Nominated |
Two lawsuits involvingBee Movie were filed. Multiple Swedish animation students, who were represented by an American attorney, sued because their developed concept in 2000, titledBeebylon, had similarities toBee Movie. A separate suit was brought by Florida-based cosmetics company Beeceuticals over the use of their trademarked phrase "Give Bees a Chance". Both of these lawsuits were rejected.[37][38]
Years after the film's release,Bee Movie has seen an unexpected rise in popularity as an absurd and surrealInternet meme. In 2015, posts of the film's dialog transcript (erroneously referred to as simply the "script") spread acrossFacebook.[39][40] On November 17, 2016, YouTube user Avoid at All Costs uploaded a video titled "The entire bee movie but every time they say bee it gets faster", where the entire film is sped up every time the word "bee" is spoken, condensing the film to only 7 minutes; the video amassed twelve million views.[41][42][43]
Vanity Fair later characterized the film's sudden popularity as "totally bizarre",[44] and later identified Jason Richards as one of the meme's larger promoters through his @Seinfeld2000 Twitter account.[44][45]Inverse felt the film's ironic internet popularity has helped the movie become critically reevaluated by millennial critics who now view the film as an unironic, genuinely well-made film.[46]
Seinfeld has commented on the film's reemergence as a meme as "kinda weird but pretty welcoming" and said "you just can't predict what the internet will do next, but you gotta love it", but expressed no interest in making a sequel toBee Movie despite its online popularity.[47]
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