Bee Movie (2007)

Directors: Simon J. Smith & Steve Hickner
Writers: Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Barry Marder & Andy Robin

Voices: Jerry Seinfeld (Barry B. Benson), Renee Zellweger (Vanessa Bloom), Matthew Broderick (Adam Flayman), Chris Rock (Mooseblood the Mosquito), Patrick Warburton (Ken), Kathy Bates (Janet Benson), Barry Levinson (Martin Benson), John Goodman (L.T Montgomery), Megan Mullally (Trudy), Rip Torn (Lou Lo Duca/Bee Army General), Oprah Winfrey (Judge Bumbleden), Ray Liotta (Himself), Michael Richards (Bud Ditchwater), Larry King (Bee Larry King), Sting (Himself), Larry Miller (Buzzwell) & Jim Cummings (Title Narrator/Graduation Announcer)

An individualistic bee decides to leave his hive to experience the world, and discovers humans are stealing their precious honey...

I was never a fan of Seinfeld, the acclaimed sitcom co-written and starring US comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Therefore, his 10-year absence since his sitcom finished hasn't bothered me. But now he's back (albeit hiding behind a computer-generated insect) in Bee Movie -- another CGI animation from DreamWorks; the closest rivals to all-conquering Pixar, thanks to the success of their Shrek franchise...

Seinfeld voices Barry B. Benson, a cheerful, smart-ass bee who longs to leave his Hive and explore the outside world, before he's assigned a repetitive honey-making task he'll perform until his dying day. Barry soon sneaks his way into a gang of "Pollen Jocks" (dashing flyboys who routinely leave the Hive to collect pollen), and experiences the dazzling wonder of the big city outside. After becoming separated from the other bees, he's rescued from certain squishing by kindly florist Vanessa Bloom (Renee Zellweger), whom he's attracted to and breaks "Bee Rule #1" by talking to her. Later, Barry is shocked to discover that humans have been stealing bee honey, so he decides to take mankind to court over the theft...

Bee Movie walks the line between appealing to kids and adults, but wobbles precariously. To begin with, things are as you'd expect – anthropomorphised bees (their antennae are phones), parallels to human society in the workings of the Hive, amusing insect-related jokes and puns that hit their mark, the visual pizzazz of the CGI, and a wonderful sequence of bees flying in formation through a city. While it's not surprising or fresh (imagine bee-centric gags from A Bug's Life and Antz), it ticks all the boxes and suggests an amusing, witty animation that won't bore adults and will keep the kids amused.

Unfortunately, once things move into more unpredictable territory, Bee Movie starts to suffer in the transition. The slump starts once Barry talks to Vanessa (an underwritten, unbelievable scene where she accepts a talking insect almost immediately.) Then, there's the bizarre inference that a romance might develop between a bee and a human, which sits awkwardly throughout the whole film. Them becoming friends, you can believe – but Barry is written as a feasible competitor for Vanessa's affections by her gruff boyfriend Ken (Patrick Warburton). It just doesn't work. It's like Sophie fancying The BFG.

Once the story moves onto the idea that Barry will take humanity to court over the theft of his fellow bee's honey, you get the distinct impression not many kids will care. Adults may chuckle over the notion being presented, but it's not really a topic that fires your imagination. Consequently, it causes the middle section of the film to drag a bit. Indeed, the climax of the film tries to revert this damage by manufacturing a plane crash that only a swarm of bees can prevent. It comes as some relief (in terms of better visuals to watch), but ultimately it's a hollow, belated thrill.

Bee Movie's moral concerns Barry realizing that small, thankless, "inconsequential" tasks actually have a wider effect that impacts the whole planet – as the world's plants shrivel and die once the bees stop working because of their surplus of honey. That's fine, but it also means Barry's initial dreams of bucking the system (being individual) is brought down to earth with a bump. As much as it's declared a victory here, the status quo is essentially maintained and 99% of the bee population once again embrace their lives of repetition so humans have pretty flowers to buy at Vanessa's florists.

Taking a broader view, the voice cast are good – although Zellweger's character animation somehow didn't fit with the vocal performance, and a lot of famous names are lost in the mix. I was very surprised to find Matthew Broderick played Barry's bee friend Adam and Oprah Winfrey voiced the Judge, for example. Jerry Seinfeld himself is perfectly cast, though -- with his zingy line delivery matching the zip of a bee's temperament. John Goodman's recognisable and good fun as a raucous defence lawyer. Chris Rock is also a highlight as a mosquito pretending to be dead on a windscreen -- but he has less than 5 minutes screen-time, disappointingly. Guest voices include Sting (guess the joke) and Ray Liotta – celebs the target audience of youngsters won't recognize. You think kids listen to The Police and have seen Goodfellas, Mr. Seinfeld?

And therein lies the rub with Bee Movie, likely brought about by stand-up Jerry Seinfeld's involvement in a cartoon: it panders too much to grown-ups with its political theme, and forgets that parents also want something easily-digestible and escapist when watching animations of this ilk. They don't want a snarky commentary on bee injustice driven by a courtroom trial, and their kids certainly don't enjoy that stuff. On the plus side, there's enough going on to keep you diverted and entertained in the opening 20 minutes and closing 10, but I don’t think Bee Movie will be getting as much playback as Toy Story, Shrek, or even Ice Age. It'll just buzz off to collect dust next to Over The Hedge.


Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks
Budget: £150 million
91 minutes
www.beemovie.com