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. Barry learns that humans take honey from bees. With help from his new friend, a florist named Vanessa Bloome (played by Zellweger), Barry decides to take a stand against humans.

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

Plot

Barry B. Benson is a honey bee who can talk to humans. He starts a job at Honex Industries with his best friend, Adam Flayman. Barry feels uneasy because 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 florist. Vanessa saves Barry from her boyfriend Ken.

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. He 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. In the end, Barry wins the trial by showing how 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 has many famous voices. Jerry Seinfeld plays Barry B. Benson, the main bee. Renée Zellweger plays Vanessa Bloome, his human friend. Other voices include Matthew Broderick as Adam, John Goodman as the villain Layton, and Patrick Warburton as Ken.

Production

The making of Bee Movie started in 2003. Steven Spielberg talked to Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of DreamWorks Animation. This happened after Jerry Seinfeld asked Spielberg to help make an animated movie about insects. Seinfeld worked on the movie for a week in Los Angeles. He used a special system to keep working from New York. The movie cost about $150 million to make. Spielberg also appeared in some movie trailers with Seinfeld, who wore a bee costume.

Release

Bee Movie started in New York City on October 25, 2007, and came out in the United States on November 2. The film was made by DreamWorks Animation and shown by Paramount Pictures. A game named Bee Movie Game also came out in October 2007.

Many companies made special items to honor the movie. Brach's created candy corn with real honey, and McDonald's added special toys to its Happy Meals. The movie was put on DVD and Blu-ray in 2008, with extra scenes and fun content for fans.

Reception

Box office

Bee Movie made $293.5 million around the world. The film came out in November 2007.

Critical reception

Bee Movie has a 49% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Metacritic gave the film a score of 54 out of 100. Some critics liked the humor and animation, while others thought the story was forgettable.

Accolades

Bee Movie got 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 said their idea, called Beebylon, was similar to the movie. Another lawsuit came from a Florida company, Beeceuticals, which did not like the phrase "Give Bees a Chance" used in the film. Both lawsuits were not successful.

Legacy

Years after it came out, Bee Movie became popular again in a surprising way. People on the internet shared funny clips and quotes from the movie. One popular video made the movie only 7 minutes long by speeding it up every time the word "bee" was said. This video got millions of views.

Some writers and critics started to see the movie in a new way, liking 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.