Mr. Bug Goes to Town 1941

Hoppity [Stan Freed] the Grasshopper, after a period spent away, returns to Manhattan, New York City, and discovers a city that has moved on without him. His insect friends live in the Lowlands just outside the garden of down-on-his-luck songwriter Dick Dickens [Kenny Gardner] and his wife Mary [Gwen Williams], yet they are menaced by the arrival of the “human ones,” who trample the broken fence and use it as a shortcut through their world.

In this vulnerable nook, old Mr. Bumble [Jack Mercer] and his radiant daughter Honey [Pauline Loth] face a real threat to their beloved Honey Shop, as a ruthless insect “property magnate” named C. Bagley Beetle [Tedd Pierce] schemes to take control of the area. Beetle’s henchmen—Swat the Fly and Smack the Mosquito, the latter voiced by [Carl Meyer]—carry out a campaign of pressure and intimidation, aiming to push Honey into an unwanted marriage or to erase Hoppity as a rival.

The Heart of the matter lies with a promised check from Famous Music publishing for the Dickens couple’s song “We’re the Couple in the Castle.” This cash would grant the means to repair the fence, reclaim their home, and save the community, but Beetle’s plans quickly derail the effort. As the trouble deepens, the threat extends beyond personal loss to the entire Lowlands, foreseeing a distant skyscraper that would destroy their habitat entirely. The twist comes when Beetle discovers that Hoppity is listening in and responds with a cruel scheme: to trap Honey’s love rival and force a dreadful choice. He seals Hoppity inside the envelope containing the Dickens’ check and hides it in a crack in a wall, a ploy that buys him time but does not foresee the resilience of their small world.

Days pass with fear and doubt crossing the tiny faces of the Lowlanders, and many begin to lose faith in Hoppity’s promise. Construction on the planned skyscraper commences while the bug community is gathered at Beetle and Honey’s wedding, a moment that seems poised to seal their fate. A weight from a surveyor’s level tears through the chapel, sending creatures scrambling and inadvertently accelerating their abandonment of the Lowlands, unaware that their own homes lie in the path of the rising building. Hoppity, however, finds opportunity in chaos: the wall is breached and the envelope is freed, allowing him to race to Honey’s side, engage Beetle and his henchmen in a decisive struggle, and prevail.

With the envelope recovered, Hoppity delivers the check back to Mr. Dickens, and the long-awaited song becomes a major hit for the couple. The victory is not merely musical; it catalyzes a new era for the community. As the Lowlanders begin a daring exodus to the top of the skyscraper, the Dickens have built a new home there, inviting the bugs to share a Garden of Paradise high above the city. The ascent proves magical: the top floor reveals a thriving oasis rather than a barren ledge, a testament to faith and teamwork. Honey and the rest of the Lowlanders settle into this elevated haven, and the moment closes with Ambrose [Guinn “Big Boy” Williams], the wandering narrator, looking over the edge and remarking, > Look at all the human ones down there. They look just like a lot of little bugs!