Bee Movie

Bee Movie is a 2007 American animated satirical comedy film directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner. It was written by comedian Jerry Seinfeld along with Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, and Andy Robin. The movie was produced by DreamWorks Animation and stars Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger.

The story follows Barry B. Benson (voiced by Seinfeld), an anthropomorphic honey bee, who discovers that humans harvest and sell honey. With the help of his new friend, a florist named Vanessa Bloome (played by Zellweger), Barry decides to take legal action against humans for exploiting bees.

The film premiered in New York City on October 25, 2007, and was released nationwide in the United States on November 2. Although critics had mixed opinions about the plot and originality, many enjoyed the humor and voice acting. Over time, Bee Movie developed a strong fan following, especially through funny clips and jokes shared online.

Plot

Barry B. Benson, an idealistic honey bee who can talk to humans, is about to start working at Honex Industries with his best friend, Adam Flayman. Barry feels uneasy when he learns that bees cannot change jobs once they pick one. During his first trip to collect pollen in Manhattan, Barry gets lost and ends up in the apartment of Vanessa Bloome, a human florist. Vanessa saves Barry from her boyfriend Ken, who tries to harm him.

Barry returns to thank Vanessa, and they become good friends. In a store, Barry discovers that humans have been taking and eating honey from bees for years. Determined to stop this, Barry decides to sue the human race, with Vanessa's help. The trial draws large crowds, but things become difficult when Barry's friend Adam stings the defense attorney, Layton T. Montgomery. In the end, Barry wins the trial by showing how badly bees are treated. However, with no more honey being taken, flowers start to die off. Barry and Vanessa fly to Pasadena, California to save the last flowers for the bees. After a tricky landing, they succeed in helping the bees restart pollination and honey production. Barry later works at a law firm called "Insects at Law" with Vanessa, who sells special "bee-approved" honey.

Voice cast

The film features many famous voices, including Jerry Seinfeld as Barry B. Benson, the main bee character, and Renée Zellweger as Vanessa Bloome, his human friend. Other notable voices include Matthew Broderick as Adam, John Goodman as the villain Layton, and Patrick Warburton as Ken, among many others.

Production

The development of Bee Movie began in 2003 when Steven Spielberg approached DreamWorks Animation CEO and co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg after Jerry Seinfeld asked him to make an animated film featuring insects. Seinfeld worked on the movie for a week in Los Angeles and used a special teleconferencing system to continue working from New York. The film had a budget of about $150 million. Spielberg even appeared in live-action trailers in 2006 and 2007, interacting with Seinfeld, who wore a bee costume.

Release

Bee Movie debuted in New York City on October 25, 2007, and was released in the United States on November 2. The film was produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. A game called Bee Movie Game was also released in October 2007.

Many companies created special products to celebrate the movie. Brach's made candy corn with real honey, and McDonald's included special toys in its Happy Meals. The movie was later released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2008, featuring behind-the-scenes looks and extra content for fans.

Reception

Box office

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. The film was released with American Gangster and Martian Child on November 2, 2007. It earned $10.2 million on its first day and debuted at second place with $39.1 million from 3,928 theaters.

Critical reception

Bee Movie has an approval rating of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.6/10. Metacritic gave the film a score of 54 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Some critics enjoyed the humor and animation, while others found the story forgettable.

Accolades

Bee Movie received several nominations, including five at the 35th Annie Awards, one for Best Animated Feature at the 65th Golden Globe Awards, and another at the 13th Critics' Choice Awards.

Lawsuits

Two lawsuits were filed against the movie Bee Movie. Some Swedish animation students claimed that their idea, called Beebylon, was similar to the movie. Another lawsuit came from a Florida company, Beeceuticals, which objected to the phrase "Give Bees a Chance" used in the film. Both lawsuits were not successful.

Legacy

Years after its release, Bee Movie became popular again in a surprising way. People on the internet started sharing funny and strange clips and quotes from the movie, turning it into a meme. One popular video sped up the entire movie every time the word "bee" was said, making the film only 7 minutes long and getting millions of views.

Some writers and critics began to look at the movie in a new way, appreciating its humor and style. The movie’s creator, Jerry Seinfeld, found the internet’s love for the film amusing but said he wasn’t interested in making a sequel.