Bee Movie: La historia de una abeja

I hated this movie as a kid. I thought the story was lame & the jokes aren't funny. But now I think it's pretty good. Not the best DreamWorks movie. But I like it for what it is.

Plot: 6/10 Animation: 7/10 Jokes: 8/10 Characters: 7/10 Overall: 7/10.

This is a silly movie. It's goal is to make you laugh, and little beyond that. Indeed I laughed for most of the movie. It is hard for me to find much fault when I am laughing that much. That the last act had fewer jokes was a minor misstep. The characters were cute and the story didn't get in the way of the humor. And I kind of enjoyed the story, it was a little odd and funny.

It is unusual among animated movies in that its focus is jokes, kind of like a stand-up act. There are a lot of these jokes and they are quite funny! Does anything feel better than laughing? (OK, well very few things.) The story is mainly there as a vehicle for the jokes. So perhaps slightly different expectations will serve you well with this movie.

Don't go to this for a serious story! It is light humor, and at that game a great success. If you recognize that that is what the filmmakers are going for, then you will enjoy it. If you are expecting an incredible story or thrilling action or amazing animated beauty, then you might be disappointed.

As lighthearted humor with playful animation, and a great ending song, the film is a success.

Bee Movie has its moments of brilliance, but they are few and far between, and I think what weakens this movie the most is the fact that most other movies have already beaten it to its punches. There's nothing too original here. Most notably, it bears many similarities to the 1998 animated film, Antz, starring Woody Allen as the insect living in a perfectly functioning society who begins to question his importance in the greater scheme of things. And much like DreamWorks' previous animated film, Sharktale, featured many fish-themed puns, Bee Movie tries the same thing, except with bee puns, and you'll learn fairly quickly that there's not a lot to work with in that area. And, let's face it: Larry King has appeared as himself in so many movies that the gimmick itself has become an irritating cliché. Here he is, in complete bee form. I think they've taken him as far as he can go.

Altogether, though, Bee Movie is not without its charms. It does eventually find itself in some odd, uncharted territories (could a bee really fall in love with a human?), there are plenty of funny moments, and yes, even some of those puns work. Jerry Seinfeld, who has taken a lot of pride in writing, producing, acting in, and promoting the movie, does do a very good job voicing the main character. You sometimes feel like these actors doing voices for cartoons are just phoning it in, but Seinfeld gives a surprisingly energetic performance. I could picture him mimicking Barry B. Benson's movements in a recording booth as I heard his voice; it's obvious he was passionate about every aspect to the movie. The rest of the cast does a good job, too: Renee Zellwegger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, as well as John Goodman in a brief role, who once again proves what an amazingly talented voice actor he is. Whenever there's a need for a big, burly character, John Goodman is the go-to guy, because, well, he IS a big, burly character. Ray Liotta's cameo was also a highlight, and much more inspired than King's cameo.

It may not be a perfect movie, or the most original, and for a 90-minute run-time, it kind of drags on a bit, but for all that it is, I can't say that it wasn't entertaining. It won't go down in the history of greatest animated films, but it may be a decent way to spend a rainy day, when you can't go out and fly.

My rating: 6/10

P.S.

If you're knowledgeable about your animated films, you may remember the slight controversy surrounding Finding Nemo, which inspired a few children to flush their fishes down the toilet so they could "free" them into the ocean. Bee Movie just may plant some worse ideas in kids' heads. Keep an eye out for news stories about children getting stung by bees after trying to make friends with them once they see the movie. Maybe Larry King could do a special about it.

Sharp, funny animated feature about a beemused young bee and recent college graduate who learns that he's destined to work a routine colony job for the rest of his life. Although his natural instinct is to beeware of humans, his life takes a turn for the better when he meets a saintly florist who not only beefriends him, but helps him quickly file a lawsuit beefore humans can take all the credit for mass production of honey! Occasionally too silly for words, probably by intention, but lots to take in with superb animation, good gags, and quirky, memorable characters. Comedy is uneven at times, but still serves as acceptable entertainment for kids and adults alike. ***

It was a light hearted-animated-comedy-for the whole family. It taught good values, like take pride in what you do as a person. But it was geared in my opinion toward little kids. I took my 3 cousins (3 years to 8 Years) and they loved it but they wanted to get bees as pets.... try to explaining why a 3 year old can't have a bee as a pet. When i saw the parts in the court room the way the bees moved in sync it was amazing. It has nothing on the original computer generated movie "Shrek". It set all kinds of ground work for newer movies like The Bee Movie. The CG of the bees flying was a pretty cool look how they all flew in droves just like it was an actual bees taking flight. I think that there should be more family friendly films like this one. But, all in all it was a good Flick.