A Look Back at Pixar: A Bug’s Life
One of Pixar’s lesser regarded films deserves a re-watch. A Bug’s Life was ahead of its time every step of the way, especially when it comes to depictions of women.
How long has it been since you’ve seen A Bug’s Life (1998)? How long has it been since you even thought about A Bug’s Life? I personally have historically had a positive opinion of the film, but it’s not something I would choose to watch from my shelf (or more recently, the Disney+ queue) over other animated features. I’d watch it if it happened to be on TV when I was channel browsing, but I wouldn’t seek it out.
Frankly, what a mistake — We’ve all been sleeping on this film.
Inviting the Audience into the World of Bugs
The opening image for A Bug’s Life appears to be a view of the sky from below. We see the sun, and a bird flies lazily past. Suddenly, a leaf enters the frame and ripples spread out from where it lands — The camera tilts up, revealing we had been staring into a clean, reflective puddle. The reality of the scene is immediately less blue; we are at the bottom of a mostly dried, cracked river bed done in light tans. On the grassy bank, is a tree. As bright, brassy music that would feel equally at home in An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) begins to play, the camera approaches the tree from below.
