Genres
Animated comedy
A Bug's Life (1998): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
A Bug's Life is a 1998 animated comedy directed by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, starring Kevin Spacey and Dave Foley. It runs 1 hour 35 minutes and earned $363.3 million worldwide on a $120 million budget. It won 4 awards from 9 nominations, among them 3 Oscar nominations. Critics gave it 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.6/10.
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- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 35m (95 min)
- Directors
- John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton
- Original language
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English - Studio
- Buena Vista Pictures
- Budget
- $120M
- After the credits
- Yes Extra scene during or after the credits
The story
What Is A Bug's Life About?
The premise of A Bug's Life without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A resourceful but clumsy ant named Flik accidentally destroys his colony's entire food supply, drawing the ire of the fearsome grasshopper Hopper and his gang. Facing starvation and potential destruction, Flik sets out on a daring mission to find skilled warriors to protect his home. He unknowingly assembles a group of misfit circus performers, believing them to be fierce knights, and must convince them to fight for the ant colony's survival against overwhelming odds.
A Bug's Life Themes & Keywords
· 20 tags- best selling video game
- trial and error gameplay
- collectathon
- single player
- microsoft windows
- playstation 3
- playstation vita
- playstation portable
- multiplatform
- based on film
- movie tie in video game
- caterpillar
+8 more Show fewer
- butterfly
- ant
- playstation
- nintendo 64
- cartoon insect
- surrealism
- insect
- grasshopper
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Cast & crew
A Bug's Life Cast
Kevin Spacey leads the cast, with Dave Foley. Directed by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton.
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Co-director John Lasseter -
Co-director Andrew Stanton
From the directors
More from John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton
More films directed by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, best-rated first: WALL-E, Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 5.
Ratings
A Bug's Life Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave A Bug's Life 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.6/10.
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IMDb 6.6 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 92% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 73%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 78 Metascore
User score 7.6
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 70% User score
See on TMDB
Plot
A Bug's Life Plot Summary
What happens in A Bug's Life from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
A colony of ants resides in the middle of a seasonally dry creekbed on a small hill affectionately referred to as “Ant Island”. This colony is ruled by the wise and elderly Queen and her ambitious daughter, Princess Atta. Each summer, the ants are coerced into providing food for a gang of grasshoppers, led by the menacing Hopper.
Full summary
The whole story of A Bug's Life, scene by scene
Box office
A Bug's Life Box Office & Budget
A Bug's Life grossed $363.3 million worldwide on a $120 million budget, 3.0 times what it cost. $162.8 million came from the US and Canada and $200.5 million (55%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$363.3M
3.0× its budget
- US & Canada
- $162.8M
- International
- $200.5M
- Budget
- $120M
US & Canada 45%
Rest of the world 55%
Awards
A Bug's Life Awards & Nominations
A Bug's Life won 4 awards from 9 nominations, among them 3 Oscar nominations. Its biggest night was the Critics' Choice 1999, with 2 wins from 2 nominations.
4 wins9 nominations8 ceremonies
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BAFTA 2000 1 nomination- Nominated Best Special Visual Effects
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Oscars 2000 1 nomination- Nominated Makeup
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Critics' Choice 1999 2 wins · 2 nominations- Won Best Animated Feature
- Won Best Family Film
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Annie Awards 1999 1 win · 1 nomination- Won Best Animated Feature
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Golden Globes 1999 1 nomination- Nominated Best Original Score
- Oscars 1999 1 nomination
- Nominated Music (Original Musical or Comedy Score)
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TIFF 1996 1 win · 1 nomination- Won FIPRESCI International Critics' Award – Lawrence Johnston
- Oscars 1987 1 nomination
- Nominated Music (Original Song)
Videos
A Bug's Life Trailers & Videos
6 videos: 3 trailers, 1 teaser, 1 clip and 1 behind-the-scenes video.
- Trailer A Bug's Life (1998) Trailer 1
- Trailer A Bug's Life (1998) 35mm film trailer, scope (4K re-scan)
- Teaser Tiny heroes, big adventure.
- Clip Bugs Life Clip
Quiz
How Well Do You Know A Bug's Life?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the main problem the ants face every summer?
Details
A Bug's Life Also Known As
39 alternative titles, including “Bugs” and “Das große Krabbeln”.
- Also known as
-
- Bugs
- Das große Krabbeln
- Das grosse Krabbeln
- 1001 Pattes
- Egy bogár élete
- Een Luizenleven
- A Bug's Life - Megaminimondo
- Приключения Флика
- Uma Vida de Insecto
- Ett småkryps liv
- Bichos, una aventura en miniatura
- Život brouka
+27 more Show fewer
- 虫虫危机
- Bir Böceğin Yaşamı
- Dawno temu w trawie
- Græsrødderne
- Småkryp
- Ötökän elämää
- באג לייף
- ตัวบั๊กส์ หัวใจไม่บั๊กส์
- 벅스 라이프
- Ζουζούνια
- Пригоди Фліка
- バグズ・ライフ
- Aventuri la firul ierbii
- Življenje žuželk
- 蟲蟲危機
- Une vie de bestiole
- Vida de Inseto
- Život Buba
- Život chrobáka
- Животът на буболечките
- Живот буба
- زندگی یک حشره
- Bichos: Una Aventura en Miniatura
- Iš vabalų gyvenimo
- حياة حشرة
- Thế Giới Côn Trùng
- 蟲蟲特工隊
Seen A Bug's Life?
More like this
Movies Like A Bug's Life
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including It’s Tough to be a Bug, Bug Bites: An Ant’s Life and Antz.
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It’s Tough to be a Bug 1998 -
Bug Bites: An Ant’s Life 1998 -
Antz 1998 -
The Ant Bully 2006 -
Never Bug an Ant 1969 -
Ants in the Plants 1940 -
The Grasshopper and the Ants 1934 -
Tall Tales from the Magical Garden of Antoon Krings 2019 -
Bugs and Thugs 1954 -
Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid 1942 -
Flushed Away 2006 -
The Happy Cricket and the Giant Bugs 2009
From the blog
Articles About A Bug's Life
11 articles about A Bug's Life. The latest: “Exploring the Genre of Magical Realism in Cinema”.
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TechnologyThe Evolution and Impact of High-Definition Cinema
Explore the transformative journey of high-definition cinema and its profound impact on filmmaking, distribution, and audience experience in our latest blog post at What's After the Movie. 11 min read -
HistoryExploring the Influence of Literature on Cinematic Storytelling
Discover how literature profoundly influences cinematic storytelling, shaping narratives, characters, and themes in film on our latest blog post at What's After the Movie. 10 min read
FAQ
A Bug's Life FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of A Bug's Life, each answered in a sentence.
How long is A Bug's Life?
A Bug's Life runs 1 hour 35 minutes (95 minutes).
When was A Bug's Life released?
A Bug's Life was released on November 25, 1998.
Who directed A Bug's Life?
A Bug's Life was directed by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton.
More films by John Lasseter Who is in the cast of A Bug's Life?
A Bug's Life stars Kevin Spacey and Dave Foley.
How much did A Bug's Life make at the box office?
A Bug's Life grossed $363.3 million worldwide ($162.8 million domestic, $200.5 million international) on a budget of $120 million.
How is A Bug's Life rated?
A Bug's Life has 6.6/10 on IMDb, 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, 78 on Metacritic and 70% on TMDB.
What awards did A Bug's Life win?
A Bug's Life won 4 awards from 9 nominations, including Best Animated Feature at the Critics' Choice 1999.
Does A Bug's Life have a post-credit scene?
Yes. A Bug's Life has an extra scene during or after the credits, so it is worth staying seated.
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