BEE MOVIE

"But that's stealing"

Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld) has just graduated from Bee College and now he has to decide what job he is going to do in the hive but when he discovers that he will be doing that job for the rest of his life, he becomes a little disillusioned. Deciding to take his time, Barry takes a trip outside the hive with the pollen and nectar collecting flight jock bees but when he gets lost, he is saved from being squashed by kind human Vanessa Bloome (Zellweger). Wanting to thank her for his saving his life, Barry breaks the biggest bee rule and talks to a human but as the two become quick friends, Barry makes a shocking discovery. The humans have been using honey without their permission and now he wants to sue.

Animated movies about insects are nothing new but throw in bees, honey and a large dollop of Jerry Seinfeld and you have the making of a great family picture.

DreamWorks Animation is still running second fiddle to Pixar when it comes to producing quality computer animated. They have tended to rely more on there ability to cast big star vocal talent in their films, than emphasizing plot and character to sell the movie as Pixar does. Characters became personifications of the people who were providing their voices, as with 'Shark Tale', 'Over the Hedge' and 'Ants' with only the 'Shrek' franchise and 'Madagascar' allowing really creating fully developed characters. Fortunately 'Bee Movie' creates characters and ones that the whole family will enjoy.

Insects that live in communities have been highlighted in many a movie about ants but this time it is the turn of the bees. The hive is simply a honey making factory or in this case, a corporation called Honex that all of the bees are employed by for the whole of their lives. When college graduate Barry B. Benson discovers that he will be doing the same job for the rest of his life he decides to discover if there is more to life than just honey and this means going outside the hive. It is when the movie moves out into New York that the real story kicks in as Barry makes the shocking discovery that humans are eating honey and they are enslaving bees to produce it. This makes him make the decision to pursue a law suit against the honey selling companies of the world, turning the movie into a comedy courtroom drama.

What makes this different from previous DreamWorks efforts is the concentration of story and character. This has been the philosophy of Pixar since its inception, but many other studio have struggled to follow suit, relying on star power to sell their movies. While this is still a Jerry Seinfeld movie, as he also has a writing credit on the script, it is the characters and fun storyline that create a buzz around 'Bee Movie'. It's not all about Barry B. Benson, you have his family, friends and enemies as well. Matthew Broderick is excellent as Barry's best friend Adam, who is too afraid not to conform. Patrick Warburton is hilarious as Ken, the jealous boyfriend of Vanessa who really hates bees. Kathy Bates and Barry Levinson have fun as Barry's parents and Renee Zellweger is good as florist Vanessa. There are also some good cameo performances. The difference is that all the vocal stars are giving a vocal performance and creating a character and not just a personification of themselves.

With excellent animation, some great characters and a story that will appeal to adults as well as kids, 'Bee Movie' is an excellent piece of family entertainment. For Seinfeld fans this is a must see and for everyone else there is a lot of fun to be had here, as this film deserves a lot of positive buzz.