Ant Island is the primary setting of the 1998 Disney/Pixar film A Bug's Life. It is the home of Flik and the rest of the ant colony, as well as the main location seen in almost the entire film.
Background[]
Official Description[]
- Most of A Bug's Life takes place within a few hundred square feet. The filmmakers got to know the tiny idyllic island "like a live-action set," said John Lasseter. It was also home to a cast of thousands. The filmmakers had to contend with 400 crowd scenes, ranging from 25 to 1000 ants in each shot. In a first for animated film crowds, each character is unique, fully animated, and clearly acting.
Located in the middle of a dry riverbed, Ant Island is somewhat protected from outside threats, except for flying ones. The riverbed floods every autumn, but during the summer, it is quite dry. Rocks about one (human) meter in diameter partially surround the island.
There is a broadleaf tree in the middle of the island that grows nuts, it seems, and right at its base is the anthill. There is seemingly enough food for both the ants and grasshoppers. There is a large hole in the tree's trunk, where the ants stored the fake bird.
Besides the tree, flora includes clover, some type of grass, thorn bushes, thistles, dandelions, daisies, etc.
The only assertable native fauna are the ants themselves and the Queen's pet aphid named Aphie; however, there are presumably more aphids.
There are four specific types of fungi: two types, a large and small type, glow white and blue (respectively); a third species glows a deeper blue, and a fourth species glows a pale green and only grows in the infirmary.
Role in the film[]
When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal offering for the grasshoppers, their leader Hopper demands twice the amount of food, and it is revealed that there is not enough for both the grasshoppers and ants.
When Princess Atta banishes Flik to the city, he brings back a group of Circus Bugs that had been fired by P.T. Flea, believing them to be warrior bugs. He shows them to the ant colony and claims that they can help fight against Hopper and his gang of grasshoppers. When the Circus Bugs reveal to Flik who they really are, he attempts to cover for them in order to not be exposed for his mistake by Atta and the colony. When the Circus Bugs later get attacked by a bird, Flik helps rescue them, and Francis saves Dot when she was also in danger. After this heroic feat, the colony welcomes the Circus Bugs to stay on the island, unaware of who they actually are.
With the Circus Bugs agreeing to help the ants, they all begin building a fake bird that should scare away Hopper and his gang for good. However, P.T. Flea later arrives on the island and reveals that the new bugs are just circus clowns and not trained warriors. Distraught, Atta banishes them along with Flik to go back to where they came from. However, this was a fatal mistake, as Atta ends up putting herself and the entire colony in danger, and this leads to the Queen's downfall when Hopper and his gang take control of the island.
Dot catches up with the circus wagon and manages to persuade Flik and the others to return and help fight. Before they can do so, they tie up P.T. (using Rosie's web) and lock him in the back of the circus wagon. Flik, Dot, and the circus troupe all watch from a safe distance as the grasshoppers take the ants hostage and take all of their food. They decide that their priority is to save the Queen, who is sitting next to Hopper.
Flik and Dot enter Dot's hideout and regroup with the scout ants. Meanwhile, the Circus Bugs arrive in P.T.'s hijacked wagon. They lie that they were invited by Princess Atta as a surprise for the grasshoppers' arrival. At first, Hopper orders them to be squished. But after seeing Tuck and Roll's act, which leads to them bickering and fighting, Hopper decides that he may enjoy the entertainment. The Circus Bugs entertain the grasshoppers and put on a show. While the grasshoppers are distracted, Flik and the young scouts climb up the rocks behind the enemy and enter the fake bird they had made earlier.
During the circus acts, Manny asks for someone to join him as an assistant so he can make them disappear. With Hopper's permission, Manny takes the Queen on "stage" with him. The Queen secretly escapes unnoticed under the wings of Dim. When Manny lifts the box and the grasshoppers see that the Queen has disappeared, they accept it as part of the magic act. Gypsy flaps her wings and bows with Manny as the crowd cheers her, but it is a signal for Flik to fly down with the fake bird. Hopper soon grows irritable when Manny fails to bring the Queen back, and the grasshoppers close in on the Circus Bugs. However, they all look up in horror as the fake bird (unknown to them, driven by Flik) glides over them.
Taking their chance, the hostage ants run. Seeing the bird, most of the grasshoppers retreat and leave the island. The bird accidentally knocks over the circus wagon, and P.T. manages to escape. Seeing the bird, he too believes it to be real. Thinking he is being a hero, P.T. grabs a match and sets the bird alight, unintentionally aiding Hopper and his gang. Seeing it burn, Hopper realizes it is a fake, while Flik and the scout ants, still inside, escape the fire. Hopper, now furious and embarrassed, asks whose idea it was. Flik owns up and is beaten viciously by Thumper under Hopper's orders. Despite his beatings, Flik stands up and points out that it's not the ants who need the grasshoppers, but vice versa. Realizing he is right, the other ants link arms and finally stand up to Hopper's gang, knowing they can outnumber them. Thumper, Molt, and the remaining grasshoppers flee.
The ants attack Hopper and plunge him into the circus cannon. Just as they are ready to fire him as far away from Ant Island as possible, it begins to rain. The rain knocks over the cannon and Hopper escapes. He then flies off with Flik. Francis, Slim, Tuck and Roll, Rosie, Dim, and Heimlich give chase. Tuck and Roll manage to pull off one of Hopper's antennae, but the Circus Bugs soon get lodged in a group of branches. Atta flies past and snatches Flik away from Hopper. Flik and Atta lead Hopper to the real bird's nest, where the ants hide. The real bird suddenly appears, but Hopper thinks it's another one of the ants' tricks and even taunts it. To his horror, it is a real bird who picks him up and drops him into a nest of three hungry chicks, thus ending Hopper's reign of terror and insult on the ant colony. The grasshoppers are defeated, and the ants have their island back.
Trivia[]
- Due to them having slender builds, longer legs, smooth, hairless exoskeletons, and a habitat beneath a tree, the ant colony are most likely Argentine ants, although they are all incorrectly colored aqua to lavender instead of brownish-grey.
- During the "When She Loved Me" musical sequence in Toy Story 2, Emily takes Jessie to a tree that resembles the one on Ant Island. When Emily grows up, it is this same tree at which Jessie is left.
- The same tree is also used as the one in which Carl Fredricksen and Ellie go to in Up.
- A bonsai tree resembling the same tree is seen in Sterling's office in the Rust-eze Racing Center in Cars 3.
Gallery[]
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