Why This is the Most Important Scene in A Bug's Life: the essay you never asked for
(a continuation of my answer to @bluemoonbeam15 in this post <3)
For me personally, my love for Pixar's woefully underrated gem, A Bug's Life, has always been about two characters: Flik and Dot.
"You've just got to give yourself some time. You're still a seed."
Flik is a pure, well-meaning, loveably awkward misfit. Dot is a precious, feisty, freckled little bean who isn't afraid to speak her mind when someone pushes her buttons. They're both misfits (Dot with her smallness and her wings that don't work quite yet, Flik with his...personality) who find each other and accept each other just as they are.
We don't know much about their relationship prior to the events of the movie, but by the time the credits roll they've basically adopted each other as siblings. My heart melts a little every time they're together.
And that's why I want to talk about a scene I think gets overlooked in this movie, one that caused me extreme anxiety as a child and what I personally consider to be the most important scene in the film: the moment when Flik steps out of line to stand up to Hopper for Dot when no one else will. Without this scene, Flik and Dot's relationship — and, I would argue, A Bug's Life as a whole — wouldn't be what it is.
Here are the five reasons I think of this as The Most Important Scene in A Bug's Life.
Reason #1: This scene establishes Hopper as the merciless villain he is.
"What's the matter, you scared of grasshoppers?"
Until this point, we don't know much about Hopper except that he's loud, mean, and hangry. He bullies Atta. He threatens his brother. He knocks out one of his own gang members in frustration over said brother. He's frightening, yes, but for all we know it's just for show.
Then he snaps his fingers.
Cue Thumper, a rabid-looking grasshopper who's clearly been trained to respond to that sound with violence. Then cue sweet, scared little Dot, running right into Hopper's hand as though the whole thing was planned.
Suddenly, Hopper isn't playing anymore. Here we see the depths of his cruelty, the lengths he'll go to prove a point. We don't know if he's actually going to let Thumper hurt Dot, but we know he's willing to let her and everyone else think he is. He literally laughs at her terror. He's a monster, and for a few seconds it looks like no one's going to stop him.
Enter Flik.
Reason #2: This scene establishes Flik as the hero of the story.
"Leave her alone."
Until this point, all we know about Flik is that he has big ideas and poor execution. He's goofy, clumsy, and a little too eager to please. He just cost the colony an entire season of food meant to appease the grasshoppers.
And honestly, up until now he's been pretty cowardly. He shied away when Atta tried to point him out as the real culprit of the empty offering, and he stayed quiet when she was being publicly berated by Hopper for his mistake.
But as soon as his friend Dot is in danger, all bets are off.
Flik pushes through the crowd of shaking ants and leaps out of line, ordering Hopper to leave her alone. He's well aware of the gravity of what he's done — we see it on his face as soon as Hopper turns around. And when Hopper challenges Flik to take Dot from him, the ant wisely backs down, knowing there's no chance for him or Dot if he takes the bait.
Even so, this foolish act of bravery is enough to make Hopper let Dot go. And it's also enough to make Hopper remember him.
Which leads us to...
Reason #3: This scene serves as a catalyst for the rest of the plot.
"We'll be back at the end of the season, when the last leaf falls."
Here's the thing: we have no idea if the grasshoppers were originally planning to come back to Ant Island. After all, there's a whole bottle of grain waiting for them back at the sombrero. Maybe the plan was just to rough the ants up a bit to teach them a lesson, then make their way home and enjoy the rest of their summer.
When Dot betrays her fear of Thumper, Hopper sees the perfect opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the colony. He's sure that threatening the safety of the youngest princess will guarantee a mistake like Flik's won't happen again.
What he doesn't count on is one ant loving that little princess enough to stand up for her. And that terrifies him.
After his encounter with Flik, Hopper realizes it's time to lock down on his power over the colony. If he had any doubts about returning to the island, they're gone now.
After all, if he lets one ant stand up, they all might stand up.
Reason #4: This scene shows us the moment Flik becomes Dot's safe place.
"It's gonna be okay, Dot."
Do you ever notice how during the rest of the movie, any time Dot is in trouble, her first instinct is to look for Flik? Whether she's floating away on a dandelion puff or fleeing from invading grasshoppers, it's his name she calls.
Why is that?
When the grasshoppers first arrive on the island, Dot immediately goes looking for her mom. It's a natural instinct, one she's probably never questioned. Her mother is the one who's supposed to keep her safe.
But she doesn't. In the moment when Dot needs them most, both her mom and her older sister just stand by and watch while Hopper torments her.
And then her new friend Flik — this strange, funny ant everyone else seems to dismiss — is the only one who intervenes.
And from now on, Dot knows exactly who she can count on to protect her.
Reason #5: This scene begins the full circle of Flik's character arc.
"Leave her alone, Hopper! The bird was my idea. I'm the one you want."
Flik says the phrase leave her alone to Hopper twice. The second time he says it, he's a very different ant than he was the first time.
The first time is out of fear and adrenaline. Flik sees that Dot is in trouble, and he reacts without thinking. All the fight inside of him leaves once he realizes how small and weak he is compared to the grasshopper in front of him. When Hopper orders him to get back in line, Flik obeys with his head hanging low. He knows his place.
The second time Flik says (or really, shouts) this phrase is near the end of the movie, right after the fake bird crashes and burns. When Hopper pulls Dot from the wreckage and starts closing in on Atta, accusing her of coming up with the idea, Flik has finally had enough.
This time, Flik knows exactly what he's saying and who he's saying it to. He's not afraid. He's angry. He refuses to let Hopper pick on an ant he loves any longer.
Flik knows what he and the colony are capable of now. He watched them collaborate with a band of clowns to build a sparrow out of sticks and leaves, using his blueprints. He piloted that bird through the air with a bunch of girls behind him, laughing as the grasshoppers they'd always feared ran for their lives below them.
And — most importantly — he did all this with the help of a little friend who believed in him all along. A friend who helped him realize how brave he could be.
So, yeah. The scene that once sent me running from the room as a kid has now become one of my favorites as an adult. It's even oddly sort of comforting for me to watch now.
I know now that Dot is going to be okay, because Flik is there. And when Flik gets banished from the colony (the other scene I hated as a kid), I know that he's going to be okay, too, because Dot will find him and bring him home.
That's what siblings do.
anyways thanks for coming to my TED talk have a great night you beautiful butterflies <3
P.S. hi here's a shameless plug for some of my fics that were inspired by this scene:
Nightmare
Safe
Leave Her Alone
