Bee Movie
Encyclopedia
Bee Movie is a 2007 computer animated family
comedy film
starring Jerry Seinfeld
, Renée Zellweger
, Matthew Broderick
, Megan Mullally
, John Goodman
, Chris Rock
, Kathy Bates
, and Patrick Warburton
. Produced by DreamWorks Animation
, it is directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner.
Bee Movie is the first motion-picture script to be written by Seinfeld, who co-wrote it with Spike Feresten
, Barry Marder, and Andy Robin
. The film was produced by Jerry Seinfeld
, Christina Steinberg and Cameron Stevning. The production was designed by Alex McDowell
, and Christophe Lautrette was the art director. Nick Fletcher
was the supervising editor and music for the film was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams
.
The cast and crew include some veterans of Seinfeld's long-running NBC
sitcom Seinfeld
, including writer/producers Feresten and Robin, and actors Michael Richards
(Seinfeld character Cosmo Kramer
), Patrick Warburton
(Seinfeld character David Puddy), and Larry Miller
(who plays the title character on the Seinfeld episode "The Doorman
"). Coincidentally, NBC was host to the broadcast television
premiere of the film on November 27, 2010.
) is "just an ordinary bee
" in a hive
located in Sheep Meadow, Central Park
in New York City
. Barry recently graduated from college
and is about to enter the hive's Honex Industries (a division of Honesco Corporation and owned by the Hexagon Group) honey-making workforce. Along with his best friend Adam Flayman (Matthew Broderick
), Barry is initially very excited, but his latent, non-conformist attitude emerges upon finding out that his choice of job will never change once picked. This prompts Barry to leave the hive and see the world on a daily run with the macho, elite "Pollen Jocks", though Adam tries to talk Barry out of it. He thoroughly enjoys his new freedom, and is impressed by the process of nectar collection and pollination, but after being stuck to a tennis ball
during a game and flying through a panicky family's car he decides humans are crazy and that he should go home. Unfortunately, it begins to rain and he crash lands on a windowsill. The apartment's occupants have just come home and they close the window before Barry can escape. After freaking out the people inside and nearly being squashed, he is rescued by a female florist human named Vanessa Bloome (Renée Zellweger
) and gently put back outside. This unexpected act of kindness intrigues Barry, who goes back in to thank the woman even though doing so would violate Bee Law #1, "Don't talk to humans". Despite both of their expectations they develop an instant bond, bordering on attraction, and start hanging out together frequently. Of course all of their friends and family are completely upset by this relationship.
While they are going through a grocery store
, Barry is shocked to discover that the humans have been stealing and eating the bees' honey
for centuries, and decides to journey to Honey Farms, which supplies the grocery store with its honey. On the Honey Farms truck, he meets a mosquito named Mooseblood (Chris Rock
). A windshield wiper flings the two in a tube and Barry tells Mooseblood about Honey Farms while Mooseblood tells him about how humans have always swatted mosquitoes. Mooseblood departs when he sees a Blood Mobile pass by, while Barry goes on to witness the artificial process by which the honey is gathered. He ultimately realizes that his true calling in life is to set the world right by suing the human race for stealing their precious honey
. This is later shown on Hive at Five's especially on Bee Larry King starring a bee version of Larry King (voiced by Larry King
). The trial initially goes well, until the main defense lawyer (John Goodman
) goads Adam into stinging him by accusing Barry of several things which are insulting to the bees (having a pet-like relationship with Vanessa, being an illegitimate son, since all bees are sons of the queen bee and having incestuous flirtings with the female bees, since all bees are siblings) in order to show the less lovable side of bees, but Barry counters by producing the smoke-machine used by Honey Farms to drug and subdue their bees.
Barry wins the lawsuit
, and all honey
in the world is confiscated and returned to the bees. However, the defense lawyer warns them they are disrupting nature's balance meaning that the bees quit their jobs, which Adam comments to Vanessa that it might be true since bees had been living their previous lives over 27 million years. Too late, Barry and Vanessa realize that they were right: the sudden, massive stockpile of honey has put every bee out of a job, including the vitally important Pollen Jocks. Without bees pollinating
the flowers, all plant life begins dying with the entire food chain close behind. To set things right, he and Vanessa find a way to save all the flowers by going to the Tournament of Roses Parade
in Pasadena, California and bringing back with them all the pollen-filled flowers to re-pollinate the world. Barry and Vanessa fly the flowers as luggage on a flight from Los Angeles International Airport
to John F. Kennedy International Airport
. The flight begins to take a detour due to lightning, which would be fatal to the flowers, and in trying to intervene Barry accidentally knocks out the terrified pilots. Vanessa joins him and tries unsuccessfully to fly the plane, but in the meantime millions of bees have rallied together and arrive at the last minute to help them safely land.
Armed with the pollen of the last flowers, Barry and the Pollen Jocks manage to reverse the damage and save the world's flowers, also restarting the bees' beloved honey production. Nothing is mentioned about the fate of companies like Honey Farms, though humans and bees are seen treating each other visibly better, and honey is supposed to be 'Bee approved'. Barry becomes a member of the Pollen Jocks while Adam is working as a krelman, helping to pollinate the plants while also running a law firm inside Vanessa's flower shop, as well as helping Vanessa, switching the name from "Vanessa's Flowers" to "Vanessa and Barry: Flowers; Honey; Legal Advice". As the film closes, his office door reads "Insects at Law." Mooseblood also works in his office with him as a lawyer(stating that he is already a bloodsucking parasite and only needed a briefcase
), which is shown when Barry is interviewing a cow about the human exploitation of her milk.
Megan Mullally was originally voicing the Queen of the Hive and had even recorded her lines, yet due to film cuts, her character was cut. Jerry Seinfeld still wanted her to have a part in the movie, so he gave her the role of the Honex Tour Guide. At one point, Uma Thurman
, Rebecca Soler
, Lisa Kudrow
, David Letterman
, and Raven Symone were all attached; however, they dropped out for various reasons..
". The scene, in which Barry is floating in a pool of honey while his parents ask him what his plans for the future are, is a direct reference to The Graduate
in which Dustin Hoffman
in a swimming pool faces the same questions from his parents. A scene where Barry is trying to chase a honey truck has Barry mimicking movements of Harrison Ford
in Raiders of the Lost Ark
. When Ray Liotta
is at the stand in court, Barry says, "This isn't a good fella. This is a bad fella!", referring to Liotta's role in Goodfellas
. In the courtroom Mr. Montgomery is reading The Secret Life of Bees
. Winnie-the-Pooh
can be seen with Piglet as the man knocks out Pooh with a suction cup, and his honey (spelled "Hunny") is confiscated. When Barry questions the owner of Honey Farms (the honey company in the movie), it appears that the owner also owns the fictitious companies "Honeyburton" and "Honron". which parodies Halliburton
and Enron
. A brown bear that was released in the court bore a strong resemblance to Vincent the bear of Over the Hedge
made a cameo but with no voice. It also contains a reference to George Lucas' company THX
. Sting makes a cameo appearance- he is accused of "casually stealing bee culture"- referring to his stage name "Sting", and is also noted that he isn't a policeman
, either. When it is time to shut down honey production, the plant supervisor instructs one of his underlings with the statement "Turn your key sir!"; this is reference to "Sir, we are at launch, turn your key! Turn your key, sir!" from the movie WarGames
(coincidentally Matthew Broderick who plays Adam Flayman portrays David Lightman in WarGames).
The scene where Barry and Vanessa continually slap each other and repeatedly state "Snap Out Of It", bears a striking similarity to an episode of The Adventures of Lano and Woodley
"Tonight You Die" where Australian comedians Colin Lane and Frank Woodley do exactly the same thing. Near the end of the film, a flight controller in the JFK Airport control tower exclaims if he's "kuckoo-ka-choo", a reference to "I Am the Walrus
" by The Beatles
in response to the aircraft oddly hovering above ground.
Barry's parents are watching BeeNN, a direct parody of CNN
. Barry is interviewed by a TV host named Bee Larry King (voiced by the actual Larry King
) and mentions that there is a human called Larry King that also has his own talk show
. In the beginning of the film, Barry is asked to sign a waiver before flying out with the "Pollen Jocks". Barry signs with his left hand. Jerry Seinfeld is actually left-handed.
At the graduation ceremony in the beginning of the movie, the seating areas all break up and move into a single file to go on the Honex tour. The traveling seating areas are similar to the real-life traveling theater system used in the Universe of Energy
at Epcot
.
portrays the direction agent, and Steven Spielberg
suggests to Seinfeld in the second trailer to just do it as a cartoon
. Upon the release of the first trailer, it was announced that three of the live-action teasers would be released in total.
In the second trailer, Steven Spielberg is taking a picture of himself and a pretty female assistant director
, referencing the camera gag Ellen DeGeneres
pulled on him during the 79th Academy Awards
. Also in the second trailer, the bear
that jumps out at Barry is Vincent the Bear from Over the Hedge
, another DreamWorks
movie.
The third trailer was released with Shrek the Third
, but this was an animated teaser. The fourth trailer was released on the Bee Movie official website, and revealed most of the film's plot.
In addition, two weeks before the release, NBC
aired 22 behind-the-scenes skits called "Bee Movie TV Juniors," all of which are staged and tongue-in-cheek in nature.
The popular internet site Gaia Online
featured a great deal of promotional material for the film.
on 20 May 2008.
and 54/100 on Metacritic
. In a lackluster review, People
magazine said, "Much of Bee is gently funny, the vocal performances are distinctive and the digital animation glistens, but in the end the characters and story lack — wait for it; sting."
Bee Movie was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 65th Golden Globe Awards
.
Barry B. Benson was the announcer for Best Animated Short on the Oscars for 2008. But beforehand, he showed the audience some of his "prior" roles, including every bee in the swarm in The Swarm.
and Shark Tale
. The film had an average of $9,679 from 3,928 theaters. In its second weekend, the film held well with a 33% drop to $25,565,462 and claiming the top spot, resulting in a $6,482 average from expanding to 3,944 theaters. Its widest release was 3,984 theaters, and closed on February 14, 2008 after 104 days of release, grossing $126,631,277 domestically along with an additional $160,963,300 overseas for a worldwide total of $287,594,577. Produced on a $150 million budget, the film was a moderate box office success worldwide, but was not successful in the United States and is DreamWorks Animation
's lowest-grossing computer-animated film to date. It was #3 in the UK Box office (behind Enchanted and The Golden Compass).
Jerry Seinfeld
rejected the plagiarism claims during his PR tour for Bee Movie in Sweden. "I'm doing my best not to laugh and I'm taking it as serious as I can. But it's a little bit hard. It is entirely possible that somebody else came up with an idea about making a movie about bees. I knew nothing of this until this very morning and I hope they are not too upset."
Family film
A family film is a film genre that is designed to appeal to a variety of age groups and, thus, families.In December 2005, Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came first in a poll of the 100 Greatest Family Films. The genre today generates billions of dollars per annum.Family...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
, Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
, Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick is an American film and stage actor who, among other roles, played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Adult Simba in The Lion King film series, and Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers.He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his...
, Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
, John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
, Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
, Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
, and Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton
Patrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect...
. Produced by DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
, it is directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner.
Bee Movie is the first motion-picture script to be written by Seinfeld, who co-wrote it with Spike Feresten
Spike Feresten
Spike Feresten is an American television writer, screenwriter and television personality.-Origins and early career:Feresten was born September 3, 1964 in Fall River and raised in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, where he attended public schools. Feresten then attended Berklee College of Music in...
, Barry Marder, and Andy Robin
Andy Robin
Andy Robin is a writer and director and student at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He started his career at Saturday Night Live and spent several seasons on NBC's Seinfeld, initially solo, later partnering with collaborator Gregg Kavet...
. The film was produced by Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
, Christina Steinberg and Cameron Stevning. The production was designed by Alex McDowell
Alex McDowell
Alex McDowell, RDI is British production designer and film producer.McDowell was born in Borneo to parents of English origin. He wanted to become a painter and studied at the Central School of Art in London. He founded Rocking Russian Design in 1978 and started his career designing album covers...
, and Christophe Lautrette was the art director. Nick Fletcher
Nick Fletcher
Nicholas "Nick" Fletcher is a Welsh film editor of animation best known as for editing the 1998 American film The Prince of Egypt by Dreamworks. He joined DreamWorks in 1995 as Supervising Editor on animated features The Prince of Egypt and Shark Tale. He most recently worked as editor on the Bee...
was the supervising editor and music for the film was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams
Rupert Gregson-Williams
Rupert Gregson-Williams is an award winning British film score composer. Educated at St John's College, Cambridge choir school and Lancing College, he is the brother of multi-nominated and awarded film composer Harry Gregson-Williams and former member of Hans Zimmer's Media Ventures team of...
.
The cast and crew include some veterans of Seinfeld's long-running NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, including writer/producers Feresten and Robin, and actors Michael Richards
Michael Richards
Michael Anthony Richards is an American actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld....
(Seinfeld character Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
), Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton
Patrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect...
(Seinfeld character David Puddy), and Larry Miller
Larry Miller (actor)
Lawrence J. "Larry" Miller is an American actor, voice artist, comedian, podcaster, and columnist.-Early life:Miller was born in Valley Stream, New York, attended Valley Stream South High School graduating in 1971. He attended Amherst College...
(who plays the title character on the Seinfeld episode "The Doorman
The Doorman
"The Doorman" is the one hundred and fourth episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 18th episode for the 6th season. It aired on February 23, 1995.-Plot:...
"). Coincidentally, NBC was host to the broadcast television
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
premiere of the film on November 27, 2010.
Plot
Barry B. Benson (Jerry SeinfeldJerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
) is "just an ordinary bee
Honey bee
Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis...
" in a hive
Beehive
A beehive is a structure in which bees live and raise their young.Beehive may also refer to:Buildings and locations:* Bee Hive, Alabama, a neighborhood in Alabama* Beehive , a wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings...
located in Sheep Meadow, Central Park
Sheep Meadow, Central Park
The preserve known as Sheep Meadow has a long history as a gathering place for large scale demonstrations and political movements. It is currently a favorite spot for families, sunbathers, picnickers, kite flyers, and other visitors to come relax and admire the New York City skyline...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Barry recently graduated from college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
and is about to enter the hive's Honex Industries (a division of Honesco Corporation and owned by the Hexagon Group) honey-making workforce. Along with his best friend Adam Flayman (Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick is an American film and stage actor who, among other roles, played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Adult Simba in The Lion King film series, and Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers.He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his...
), Barry is initially very excited, but his latent, non-conformist attitude emerges upon finding out that his choice of job will never change once picked. This prompts Barry to leave the hive and see the world on a daily run with the macho, elite "Pollen Jocks", though Adam tries to talk Barry out of it. He thoroughly enjoys his new freedom, and is impressed by the process of nectar collection and pollination, but after being stuck to a tennis ball
Tennis ball
A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis,approximately 6.7 cm in diameter. Tennis balls are generally bright green, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous fluffy felt which modifies their aerodynamic properties...
during a game and flying through a panicky family's car he decides humans are crazy and that he should go home. Unfortunately, it begins to rain and he crash lands on a windowsill. The apartment's occupants have just come home and they close the window before Barry can escape. After freaking out the people inside and nearly being squashed, he is rescued by a female florist human named Vanessa Bloome (Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
) and gently put back outside. This unexpected act of kindness intrigues Barry, who goes back in to thank the woman even though doing so would violate Bee Law #1, "Don't talk to humans". Despite both of their expectations they develop an instant bond, bordering on attraction, and start hanging out together frequently. Of course all of their friends and family are completely upset by this relationship.
While they are going through a grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
, Barry is shocked to discover that the humans have been stealing and eating the bees' honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
for centuries, and decides to journey to Honey Farms, which supplies the grocery store with its honey. On the Honey Farms truck, he meets a mosquito named Mooseblood (Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
). A windshield wiper flings the two in a tube and Barry tells Mooseblood about Honey Farms while Mooseblood tells him about how humans have always swatted mosquitoes. Mooseblood departs when he sees a Blood Mobile pass by, while Barry goes on to witness the artificial process by which the honey is gathered. He ultimately realizes that his true calling in life is to set the world right by suing the human race for stealing their precious honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
. This is later shown on Hive at Five's especially on Bee Larry King starring a bee version of Larry King (voiced by Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
). The trial initially goes well, until the main defense lawyer (John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
) goads Adam into stinging him by accusing Barry of several things which are insulting to the bees (having a pet-like relationship with Vanessa, being an illegitimate son, since all bees are sons of the queen bee and having incestuous flirtings with the female bees, since all bees are siblings) in order to show the less lovable side of bees, but Barry counters by producing the smoke-machine used by Honey Farms to drug and subdue their bees.
Barry wins the lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
, and all honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
in the world is confiscated and returned to the bees. However, the defense lawyer warns them they are disrupting nature's balance meaning that the bees quit their jobs, which Adam comments to Vanessa that it might be true since bees had been living their previous lives over 27 million years. Too late, Barry and Vanessa realize that they were right: the sudden, massive stockpile of honey has put every bee out of a job, including the vitally important Pollen Jocks. Without bees pollinating
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
the flowers, all plant life begins dying with the entire food chain close behind. To set things right, he and Vanessa find a way to save all the flowers by going to the Tournament of Roses Parade
Tournament of Roses Parade
The Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...
in Pasadena, California and bringing back with them all the pollen-filled flowers to re-pollinate the world. Barry and Vanessa fly the flowers as luggage on a flight from Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
to John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
. The flight begins to take a detour due to lightning, which would be fatal to the flowers, and in trying to intervene Barry accidentally knocks out the terrified pilots. Vanessa joins him and tries unsuccessfully to fly the plane, but in the meantime millions of bees have rallied together and arrive at the last minute to help them safely land.
Armed with the pollen of the last flowers, Barry and the Pollen Jocks manage to reverse the damage and save the world's flowers, also restarting the bees' beloved honey production. Nothing is mentioned about the fate of companies like Honey Farms, though humans and bees are seen treating each other visibly better, and honey is supposed to be 'Bee approved'. Barry becomes a member of the Pollen Jocks while Adam is working as a krelman, helping to pollinate the plants while also running a law firm inside Vanessa's flower shop, as well as helping Vanessa, switching the name from "Vanessa's Flowers" to "Vanessa and Barry: Flowers; Honey; Legal Advice". As the film closes, his office door reads "Insects at Law." Mooseblood also works in his office with him as a lawyer(stating that he is already a bloodsucking parasite and only needed a briefcase
Briefcase
A briefcase is a narrow box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a handle. Lawyers commonly use briefcases to carry briefs to present to a court, hence the name...
), which is shown when Barry is interviewing a cow about the human exploitation of her milk.
Cast
- Jerry SeinfeldJerry SeinfeldJerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
as Barry B. Benson - Renée ZellwegerRenée ZellwegerRenée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
as Vanessa Bloome - Matthew BroderickMatthew BroderickMatthew Broderick is an American film and stage actor who, among other roles, played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Adult Simba in The Lion King film series, and Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers.He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his...
as Adam Flayman - Chris RockChris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
as Mooseblood the Mosquito - Patrick WarburtonPatrick WarburtonPatrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect...
as Ken - Kathy BatesKathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
as Janet B. Benson - Barry LevinsonBarry LevinsonBarry Levinson is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His films include Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers and Rain Man.-Early life:...
as Martin B. Benson - John GoodmanJohn GoodmanJohn Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
as Layton T. Montgomery - Megan MullallyMegan MullallyMegan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
as Trudy, Honex Tour Guide - Rip TornRip TornElmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
as Lou Lo Duca and the Pollen Jocks General - Oprah WinfreyOprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
as Judge Bumbleton - Michael RichardsMichael RichardsMichael Anthony Richards is an American actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld....
as Bud Ditchwater - Larry KingLarry KingLawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
as Bee Larry King - Larry MillerLarry Miller (actor)Lawrence J. "Larry" Miller is an American actor, voice artist, comedian, podcaster, and columnist.-Early life:Miller was born in Valley Stream, New York, attended Valley Stream South High School graduating in 1971. He attended Amherst College...
as Dean Buzzwell - Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
as Title Narrator and Graduation Announcer - Brian HopkinsBrian HopkinsBrian J. Hopkins is an English former footballer.-Playing career:Hopkins played for Keele University before joining Port Vale as an amateur in August 1957. He made his debut in a 6–1 home win over Aldershot on 21 December 1957 and got his second game in a 1–0 defeat at Coventry City on Christmas...
as Sandy Shrimpkin and TSA Agent - John DiMaggioJohn DiMaggioJohn William DiMaggio is an American voice actor. A native of North Plainfield, New Jersey, he is known for his gruff, deep voice and New Jersey accent, which he uses to voice mainly villains and anti-heroes.-Filmography:...
as Bailiff, Janitor - Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
as Jeanette Chung, Mother, Cow - Simon J. SmithSimon J. SmithSimon J. Smith is a British voice actor, director, animator, camera operator and layout artist for DreamWorks Animation and PDI. Smith came to PDI/Dream Works in 1997 as Head of Layout for the company’s feature film division...
as Truck Driver and Chet - Robert JayneRobert JayneRobert Jayne , sometimes credited as Bobby Jacoby, is an American actor.Starting his career as a child, he has appeared in many television series. His credits include: Knots Landing, The Greatest American Hero, St. Elsewhere, Manimal, The Love Boat, Highway to Heaven, Murder, She Wrote, Diff'rent...
as Bee (uncredited) - Ray LiottaRay Liotta[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
as Himself - Sting as Himself
- Carl KasellCarl KasellCarl Kasell is an American radio personality, most widely known as a newscaster for National Public Radio and as the official judge and scorekeeper of the weekly news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!.-Early life:...
as Himself (uncredited)
Megan Mullally was originally voicing the Queen of the Hive and had even recorded her lines, yet due to film cuts, her character was cut. Jerry Seinfeld still wanted her to have a part in the movie, so he gave her the role of the Honex Tour Guide. At one point, Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
, Rebecca Soler
Rebecca Soler
Rebecca Soler is an American voice actress who works on the properties of 4Kids Entertainment.-Notable Voice Roles:* Red Dead Redemption - Miranda Fortuna* Chaotic - Sarah* Magical DoReMi - Reanne Griffith...
, Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
, David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
, and Raven Symone were all attached; however, they dropped out for various reasons..
Cultural references
The movie contains several references to film classics. Its very title is homophonous with the expression "B movieB movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
". The scene, in which Barry is floating in a pool of honey while his parents ask him what his plans for the future are, is a direct reference to The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
in which Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
in a swimming pool faces the same questions from his parents. A scene where Barry is trying to chase a honey truck has Barry mimicking movements of Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
in Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
. When Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta
[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
is at the stand in court, Barry says, "This isn't a good fella. This is a bad fella!", referring to Liotta's role in Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
. In the courtroom Mr. Montgomery is reading The Secret Life of Bees
The Secret Life of Bees
This is about the 2002 Sue Monk Kidd novel. For the 2008 film, see Secret Life of Bees The Secret Life of Bees is a 2002 historical novel by American author Sue Monk Kidd. It received much critical acclaim and was a New York Times bestseller...
. Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
can be seen with Piglet as the man knocks out Pooh with a suction cup, and his honey (spelled "Hunny") is confiscated. When Barry questions the owner of Honey Farms (the honey company in the movie), it appears that the owner also owns the fictitious companies "Honeyburton" and "Honron". which parodies Halliburton
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
and Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
. A brown bear that was released in the court bore a strong resemblance to Vincent the bear of Over the Hedge
Over the Hedge (film)
Over the Hedge is a 2006 computer animated family action comedy film based on the characters from United Media comic strip of the same name. Directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, and produced by Bonnie Arnold, it was released in the United States on May 19, 2006.The film was produced by...
made a cameo but with no voice. It also contains a reference to George Lucas' company THX
THX
THX is a trade name of a high-fidelity audio/visual reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, and car audio systems. The current THX was created in 2001 when it spun off from Lucasfilm Ltd...
. Sting makes a cameo appearance- he is accused of "casually stealing bee culture"- referring to his stage name "Sting", and is also noted that he isn't a policeman
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, either. When it is time to shut down honey production, the plant supervisor instructs one of his underlings with the statement "Turn your key sir!"; this is reference to "Sir, we are at launch, turn your key! Turn your key, sir!" from the movie WarGames
WarGames
WarGames is a 1983 American Cold War suspense/science-fiction film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy....
(coincidentally Matthew Broderick who plays Adam Flayman portrays David Lightman in WarGames).
The scene where Barry and Vanessa continually slap each other and repeatedly state "Snap Out Of It", bears a striking similarity to an episode of The Adventures of Lano and Woodley
The Adventures of Lano and Woodley
The Adventures of Lano and Woodley is an Australian comedy television show starring the comedic duo of Lano and Woodley , consisting of two series which aired on ABC TV from 1997 to 1999...
"Tonight You Die" where Australian comedians Colin Lane and Frank Woodley do exactly the same thing. Near the end of the film, a flight controller in the JFK Airport control tower exclaims if he's "kuckoo-ka-choo", a reference to "I Am the Walrus
I Am the Walrus
"I Am the Walrus" is a 1967 song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon claimed he wrote the first two lines on separate acid trips. The song was in the Beatles' 1967 television film and album Magical Mystery Tour, and was the B-side to the #1 hit "Hello,...
" by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in response to the aircraft oddly hovering above ground.
Barry's parents are watching BeeNN, a direct parody of CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. Barry is interviewed by a TV host named Bee Larry King (voiced by the actual Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
) and mentions that there is a human called Larry King that also has his own talk show
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
. In the beginning of the film, Barry is asked to sign a waiver before flying out with the "Pollen Jocks". Barry signs with his left hand. Jerry Seinfeld is actually left-handed.
At the graduation ceremony in the beginning of the movie, the seating areas all break up and move into a single file to go on the Honex tour. The traveling seating areas are similar to the real-life traveling theater system used in the Universe of Energy
Universe of Energy
The Universe of Energy is a pavilion located in the eastern half of Future World at Epcot. The pavilion contains one attraction, its second since its 1982 opening, entitled Ellen's Energy Adventure, starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy...
at Epcot
Epcot
Epcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...
.
Soundtrack
- "Pomp and Circumstance MarchesPomp and Circumstance MarchesThe "Pomp and Circumstance Marches" , Op. 39 are a series of marches for orchestra composed by Sir Edward Elgar....
" - "Here Comes the SunHere Comes the Sun"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. It is regarded as one of the most popular Beatles songs. The song was written while Harrison was away from all of these troubles...
" - Sheryl CrowSheryl CrowSheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop... - "Sugar, SugarSugar, Sugar"Sugar, Sugar" is a pop song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim. It was a four-week 1969 number-one hit single by fictional characters The Archies. Produced by Jeff Barry, the song was originally released on the album Everything's Archie. The album is the product of a group of studio musicians...
" - The ArchiesThe ArchiesThe Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show... - "Thinkin' Bee" - Jerry SeinfeldJerry SeinfeldJerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
& Matthew BroderickMatthew BroderickMatthew Broderick is an American film and stage actor who, among other roles, played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Adult Simba in The Lion King film series, and Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers.He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his...
Trailers
Two teaser trailers were released for the film that feature Seinfeld dressed in a bee costume, trying to shoot the film in live-action. Eddie IzzardEddie Izzard
Edward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
portrays the direction agent, and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
suggests to Seinfeld in the second trailer to just do it as a cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
. Upon the release of the first trailer, it was announced that three of the live-action teasers would be released in total.
In the second trailer, Steven Spielberg is taking a picture of himself and a pretty female assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
, referencing the camera gag Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
pulled on him during the 79th Academy Awards
79th Academy Awards
The 79th Academy Awards ceremony , honored the best films of 2006 and took place on February 25, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on ABC. Ellen DeGeneres hosted the ceremony for the first time. The producer was Laura Ziskin. The announcers were Don LaFontaine and Gina Tuttle.The nominees were...
. Also in the second trailer, the bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
that jumps out at Barry is Vincent the Bear from Over the Hedge
Over the Hedge (film)
Over the Hedge is a 2006 computer animated family action comedy film based on the characters from United Media comic strip of the same name. Directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, and produced by Bonnie Arnold, it was released in the United States on May 19, 2006.The film was produced by...
, another DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
movie.
The third trailer was released with Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007...
, but this was an animated teaser. The fourth trailer was released on the Bee Movie official website, and revealed most of the film's plot.
In addition, two weeks before the release, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
aired 22 behind-the-scenes skits called "Bee Movie TV Juniors," all of which are staged and tongue-in-cheek in nature.
The popular internet site Gaia Online
Gaia Online
Gaia Online is an English-language, anime-themed social networking and forums-based website. Gaiaonline was founded in 2003. but the name was changed to GaiaOnline.com in 2003 from go-gaia by its owner, Gaia Interactive...
featured a great deal of promotional material for the film.
Books
- Bee Movie: The Story Book ISBN = 978-0061251795
- Bee Movie: The Honey Disaster ISBN = 978-0061251665
- The Art of Bee ISBN = 978-0811859516
- Bee Movie: Deluxe Sound Storybook ISBN = 978-0696233845
- Bee Movie (Ultimate Sticker Books) ISBN = 978-0756632144
- Bee Movie (I Can Find It) ISBN = 978-0696233852
- Bee Movie: The Junior Novel ISBN = 978-0061251788
- Bee Movie: What’s the Buzz? ISBN = 978-0061251771
- Bee Movie Mad Libs ISBN = 978-0843126754
- Bee Movie: Bee Meets Girl ISBN = 978-0061251740
Home media
Bee Movie was released on DVD on March 11, 2008 in both Fullscreen and Widescreen formats and a 2 Disc Special Edition DVD. The single-disc extras include Inside The Hive: The Cast of Bee Movie featurette, Tech of Bee Movie featurette, "We Got The Bee" Music Video, Meet Barry B. Benson feature, interactive games, and more. The special edition DVD Extras will include all that, along with a filmmaker commentary, alternate endings, lost scenes with commentary, the live action trailers, and Jerry's Flight Over Cannes. HD DVD version was cancelled after the demise of HD DVD. Paramount released the movie on Blu-ray DiscBlu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on 20 May 2008.
Critical reception
Critical response was mixed, with 51% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and 54/100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. In a lackluster review, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine said, "Much of Bee is gently funny, the vocal performances are distinctive and the digital animation glistens, but in the end the characters and story lack — wait for it; sting."
Bee Movie was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 65th Golden Globe Awards
65th Golden Globe Awards
The 65th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2007, were scheduled to be presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on January 13, 2008...
.
Barry B. Benson was the announcer for Best Animated Short on the Oscars for 2008. But beforehand, he showed the audience some of his "prior" roles, including every bee in the swarm in The Swarm.
Box office
The film opened in second place to American Gangster, but its gross of $38,021,044 had it more in line with the studios' lowest-grossing features, such as Over the HedgeOver the Hedge (film)
Over the Hedge is a 2006 computer animated family action comedy film based on the characters from United Media comic strip of the same name. Directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, and produced by Bonnie Arnold, it was released in the United States on May 19, 2006.The film was produced by...
and Shark Tale
Shark Tale
Shark Tale is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. In the story, a young fish named Oscar falsely claims to have killed the son of a shark mob boss to win favour with the mob boss' enemies and advance his own community standing...
. The film had an average of $9,679 from 3,928 theaters. In its second weekend, the film held well with a 33% drop to $25,565,462 and claiming the top spot, resulting in a $6,482 average from expanding to 3,944 theaters. Its widest release was 3,984 theaters, and closed on February 14, 2008 after 104 days of release, grossing $126,631,277 domestically along with an additional $160,963,300 overseas for a worldwide total of $287,594,577. Produced on a $150 million budget, the film was a moderate box office success worldwide, but was not successful in the United States and is DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
's lowest-grossing computer-animated film to date. It was #3 in the UK Box office (behind Enchanted and The Golden Compass).
Awards and nominations
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Name | Outcome |
| 35th Annie Awards 35th Annie Awards The 35th Annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animation for 2007, was held on February 8, 2008 at UCLA's Royce Hall. This was the first change of venue for the awards in nine years, being held at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California since 1998 until last year. Ratatouille was the biggest... |
Annie Award for Best Animated Feature Annie Award for Best Animated Feature The Annie Award for Best Animated Feature is an Annie Award, awarded annually to the best animated feature film and introduced in 1992. In 1998 the award was renamed Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature, only to be reverted back to its original title again in 2001... |
rowspan="12" | |
| Annie Award for Best Animation Production Artist | Michael Isaak | ||
| Annie Award for Best Music in an Animated Feature Production | Rupert Gregson-Williams Rupert Gregson-Williams Rupert Gregson-Williams is an award winning British film score composer. Educated at St John's College, Cambridge choir school and Lancing College, he is the brother of multi-nominated and awarded film composer Harry Gregson-Williams and former member of Hans Zimmer's Media Ventures team of... |
||
| Annie Award for Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production | Athanassios Vakalis | ||
| Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production | Patrick Warburton Patrick Warburton Patrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect... |
||
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2007 The 13th Critics' Choice Awards were given on 7 January 2008 to honor the finest achievements in 2007 filmmaking.-Winners and nominees:The nominees in each of the 18 categories are listed below :-Best Actor:... |
Best Animated Feature | ||
| Golden Globe Awards 65th Golden Globe Awards The 65th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2007, were scheduled to be presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on January 13, 2008... |
Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film was awarded for the first time at the 64th Golden Globe Awards in 2007. It was the first time that the Golden Globe Awards had created a separate category for animated films since its establishment. The nominations are announced in January and... |
||
| Golden Reel Awards Motion Picture Sound Editors Founded in 1953, Motion Picture Sound Editors is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound editors, show the artistic merit of the soundtracks, and improve the professional relationship of its... |
Best Sound Editing - SFX, Foley, Dialogue & ADR for Feature Film Animation | Michael Silvers Will Files Luke Dunn Gielmuda J.J. George Scott Guitteda Kyrsten Mate Comoglio Robert Shoup Shannon Mills Steve Slanec Kevin Crehan |
|
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2008 Kids' Choice Awards The 21st annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards were held at the Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California on March 29, 2008. The show was the first live-action/animated Kids Choice Awards show. The event was hosted by Jack Black. Voting began March 3 on Nick.com and Nicktropolis. A "Bring on the... |
Favorite Animated Movie | ||
| Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie | Jerry Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,... |
||
| Producers Guild of America Producers Guild of America Producers Guild of America is a trade organization representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 4,700 members of the producing establishment worldwide... |
Animated Theatrical Motion Picture | Jerry Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,... Christina Steinerg |
|
| Young Artist Awards Young Artist Awards 2008 The 29th Annual Young Artist Awards ceremony, presented by the Young Artist Foundation, honored excellence of young performers under the age of 18 in the fields of film and television for the year 2007, and took place on March 30, 2008 at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City, Los Angeles,... |
Best Family Feature Film (Animation) | ||
Beebylon vs. DreamWorks
Bee Movie is alleged to be similar to a concept developed in 2000 by a team of Swedish animation students, which they claim was presented to DreamWorks in 2001 under the name Beebylon. The animation students say DreamWorks rejected the idea, on the basis of it being "too childish." When Bee Movie was announced in 2003, the students claim they once again contacted DreamWorks to make sure the movie was not similar to their original concept, and was given a reassuring answer. When one of the members of the Beebylon team saw a trailer of the movie in 2007, he found it to be extremely similar and attempted to find a U.S. lawyer who could represent them.Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
rejected the plagiarism claims during his PR tour for Bee Movie in Sweden. "I'm doing my best not to laugh and I'm taking it as serious as I can. But it's a little bit hard. It is entirely possible that somebody else came up with an idea about making a movie about bees. I knew nothing of this until this very morning and I hope they are not too upset."