It's Tough to Be a Bug!

It's Tough to Be a Bug!
Entrance marker at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Area Discovery Island
Status Operating
Opening date April 22, 1998
Disney California Adventure
Area A Bug's Land
Status Closed
Opening date February 8, 2001
Closing date March 19, 2018[1]
Replaced by Marvel Land
General statistics
Attraction type 3D film
Theme A Bug's Life
Duration 9 minutes
Fastpass+ available

It's Tough to Be a Bug! is a 9-minute-long 3D film based on the 1998 Disney·Pixar film A Bug's Life, using theater lighting, 3-D filming techniques, audio-animatronics and various special effects. Flik an ant, from A Bug's Life, hosts the show and educates the audience on why bugs should be considered friends. It was the first Pixar attraction to open in a Disney park.

The attraction opened in Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort on April 22, 1998, a full seven months before the actual feature debuted in theaters.[2] A second version of the attraction debuted at the opening of Disney California Adventure on February 8, 2001.[3] The version at California Adventure closed permanently on March 19, 2018, as A Bug's Land will be replaced by a Marvel-themed land.[1]

Setting

At Disney's Animal Kingdom, the Tree of Life theater is located inside the Tree of Life. As the queue winds around the tree, visitors can glimpse animal carvings on the tree that aren't visible from other vantage points. The "underground" pre-show area features posters of various bug acts from the show, as well as those for all-insect parodies of Broadway musicals, such as Beauty and the Bees, Web Side Story, Little Shop of Hoppers and My Fair Ladybug.[4]

At Disney California Adventure, the Bug's Life theater was located in A Bug's Land. There, the queue passed through a replica of Ant Island before heading underground, where the queue appeared the same as the one at Disney's Animal Kingdom. It was originally part of the Bountiful Valley Farm area of the park until A Bug's Land was built around it.

Production

About a year before the opening of Animal Kingdom, Disney Imagineers had decided to place a show inside the park's centerpiece Tree of Life, but struggled to find an acceptable concept. Disney CEO Michael Eisner suggested a tie-in with the upcoming Pixar film A Bug's Life, and the creative team developed a story based around the characters from the film. Visual effects studio Rhythm and Hues was brought in to produce the 3-D animated portion of the show, while Disney special effects teams created the rest of the experience, including animatronic characters, wind, water, and foul smells.[5][6]

Plot

The lobby music overture consists of insect renditions of "One" from A Chorus Line, "Beauty and the Beast", "Tomorrow" from Annie, "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story, "Hello Young Lovers" from The King and I, and "Flight of the Bumblebee"/"Tonight" from West Side Story.

The doors close, and the announcer tells the audience not to buzz, sting, pollinate or chirp during the show. Flik the ant welcomes the audience in audio animatronic form from the ceiling and tells them to put on their bug eyes (3D glasses). The show begins with butterflies formed as curtains flying away. The title card, a leaf that says "It's tough to be a bug!", appears. Then, jungle music begins to play, and a Mexican redknee tarantula (referred to as a Chilean Rose Tarantula in the show) named Chili makes his appearance, surprising Flik. A pair of acorn weevils, along with Weevil Kneevil, place a slingshot on the stage and launch acorns from it (which triggers hidden air cannons in the back of the seats). Chili shoots the first acorn with a quill, but fails to shoot the second due to Weevil holding on to it. Weevil then taunts Chili, who chases after him. The next guest is a soldier termite who defends his mound by spraying intruders with acid. A piece of the set (wood) falls with a rumble and the "Termitnator" steps out. The termite shoots at a taunting flea. Sensing more intruders, the termite shoots at the audience (which triggers hidden water sprayers in the back of the seats), despite Flik's protests, until he runs out of acid and leaves, saying that he will be back. Flik next introduces a stink bug named Claire de Room, who walks onto the stage. The acorn weevils place a flower as a target. Weevil re-enters the scene and crashes into the flower, causing it to move towards the audience. Claire then passes gas, which affects and disgusts both Weevil and the audience (which triggers hidden smell cannons in the theater).

An explosion is heard as Hopper a grasshopper, in audio animatronic form, furious that Flik has allowed humans into the insect world, appears. A stag beetle chases Flik off the stage and four hornets hold up an ad for "Knock 'em Dead" exterminators. The hornets turn over the ad and use it as a makeshift movie screen to show movie clips from old monster movies featuring giant bugs. Hopper thinks that it's time for humans to have a taste of their own medicine, and a giant fly swatter attempts to flatten the audience. The screen goes black as a hand appears with a can of bug spray. Hornets sting the audience (triggering hidden leg ticklers underneath the seats), and several black widow spiders go up and down, trying to capture and scare the audience. Hopper, now on screen, says that nothing can stop him, but a chameleon appears and tries to eat him. Hopper, afraid of the chameleon, retreats.

Flik reappears and says that he forgot to mention the reptiles, which segues into the finale. Bees, dung beetles (The Dung Brothers), dragonflies and other bugs sing about how insects help humans and about how "it's tough to be a bug". Weevil returns, holding a moldy cupcake, and the bugs chase him. The butterflies come back to form as curtains and Flik, back in audio animatronic form, wraps things up, saying that magnifying glasses are for looking at little things, not for burning little things, and the show ends. The bugs start to talk all at once as they exit (which triggers the hidden leg ticklers underneath the seats again). The announcer then tells the audience to gather up their personal belongings and take their "small grubs" by their "grubby little hands" as they exit.

Soundtrack

The show's score was composed and conducted by Bruce Broughton, while much of the queue music was arranged by George Wilkins. The attraction's titular theme song was written by Wilkins and Kevin Rafferty.

Queue music

The queue features parodies or renditions of songs from famous Broadway shows using bug sounds.

Track Name Parody / rendition of
1 "One" (A Cockroach Line) "One" (A Chorus Line)
2 "Beauty and the Bees" (Beauty and the Bees) "Beauty and the Beast" (Beauty and the Beast)
3 "Tomorrow" (Antie) "Tomorrow" (Annie)
4 "I Feel Pretty" (Web Side Story) "I Feel Pretty" (West Side Story)
5 "Hello Dung Lovers" (The Dung and I) "Hello Young Lovers" (The King and I)
6 "Tonight" (Web Side Story) "Tonight" mixed with Flight of the Bumblebee (West Side Story)

Cast

The cast includes:[2]

Movie clips

  • Beginning of the End-Stock footage of giant grasshoppers is recycled from this film.
  • Empire of the Ants-During the part where Hopper takes over the show, he shows a clip from Empire of the Ants (although in black and white) to show how humans depict insects as "monsters".

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Glover, Erin (March 20, 2018). "Avengers and Other Super Heroes to Assemble in New Themed Areas at Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland". Disney Parks Blog.
  2. 1 2 "It's Tough to Be a Bug". IMDB.com. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  3. ↑ Malloy, Betsy (2002). The Everything Family Guide to the Disneyland Resort. Adams Media. p. 170. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  4. ↑ "It's Tough to be a Bug". Magically Digital. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ Sklar, Martin (2013). Dream It! Do It!: My Half-Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms. Disney Book Group. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  6. ↑ Joseph Kleiman (March 27, 2013). "It's Tough to be a Bust: The Rhythm and Hues Bankruptcy". Retrieved July 5, 2016.
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