Disney Parks Told to Consider Use of Segways

Disney Parks Told to Consider Use of Segways

 

Tina Baughman wanted to celebrate her daughter’s 8^th birthday at Disneyland. Tina has disabilities that make it difficult and painful for her to rise from a sitting position. She uses a Segway to get around instead of a wheelchair. The main reason is rising from a sitting position after sitting for a prolonged period of time causes pain. Disneyland officials told her she could not use her Segway. She was told she would have to either walk or if she could not walk rent a wheelchair or scooter even though she explained sitting caused her pain.

Tina took Disney to court over the American’s with Disability Act and tried to get the policy changed. Her suit was dismissed and she lost. The lower court felt Disney had other options for her to get around. She appealed the ruling and July 19^th, 2012 the U.S. 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s ruling and told Disney to study the issue further and reconsider.

"Technological advances didn't end with the powered wheelchair," a three-judge panel said, overturning a lower court's decision in favor of Disney.

"As new devices become available, public accommodations must consider using or adapting them to help disabled guests have an experience more akin to that of non-disabled," Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote for the court.

Disney must show, based on actual risks, why Segways would be unsafe in the park, the panel said. The case now returns to district court.

"We have every confidence that the organization that, half a century ago, brought us the Carousel of Progress and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln can lead the way in using new technology to make its parks more welcoming to disabled guests," Kozinski wrote.

I can see many reasons for a disabled person wanting to use a Segway instead of a wheelchair or even a scooter. When you are sitting in a chair you spend the day looking at people’s butts. (Sorry to be so indelicate.) Would that be your view of choice? You are often over looked because people don’t bother to look down. You don’t have the feeling of self-confidence, self-respect and pride because you can’t look people you are speaking with eye to eye. Wheelchairs and scooters have a wider base and it is hard to get them through lines without bumping into things. When in shops you can’t see what is on the higher shelves and sometimes the isles are so small you can’t even get into them. Wheelchairs are exhausting to use. Either you tire yourself pushing yourself around or you tire a friend or family member by having them push you. In a wheelchair you may even choose not to go to some areas of the park because of the hills you would have to traverse.

Now you might say if she can stand to use a Segway all day why not just walk? Well some people can stand but walking tires them. You still might have trouble with steps/stairs or even grades. Every person’s disabilities are different and there is no one size fits all tool for helping them. What works for one person may not work at all or only help a small bit for another.

For all the reasons to say yes to the Segway there are real concerns about the safety. The creator of the Segway, Jimi Heselden died in a Segway accident. They do move a bit faster than an electric scooter and do not stop quite as quickly. Segway’s are not as easy to steer as a scooter. A scooter handles almost like a bike or car as far as how you change directions. A Segway’s direction is changed by leaning in the direction you wish to go.

I believe that overall the Segway is no more dangerous than a scooter when used in Disneyland. I believe Disney was wrong to tell her no in the first place. I hope that Tina gets to come back to Disneyland and use her Segway soon. I hope she has many happy visits wheeling around the park and showing Disney and the public at large that disability or not you can still enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth.

Some of the information in this story came from the following link.

The majority of this aritcle is my opinion on the use of the Segway in a Disney Park.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/19/local/la-me-disney-segway-20120719

Every Disney Hero Has a Voice Basil of Baker Street

Every Disney Hero Has a Voice

The Great Mouse Detective

Basil of Baker Street

Barrie Ingham

February 10^th, 1935

 

Barrie Ingham (born 10 February 1932) is an English actor of stage, television and film.

Life and career

Ingham was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, the son of Irene (née Bolton) and Harold Ellis Stead Ingham. He was educated at Heath Grammar School and became a Royal Artillery Officer. His major theatre debut was at Manchester Library Theatre Company and then he moved to London's Old Vic. He has also played with many leading production companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Mermaid Theatre Company and Royal National Theatre.Barrie has been featured in over 200 British and American films and TV productions. After playing Sejanus in Granada TV's The Caesars (1968), he had a short spell as an ambitious government minister in The Power Game in 1969. In 1971 took the leading role in the series Hine, as an unscrupulous arms dealer.

Sir John Gielgud gave him his Broadway debut and he subsequently played in many Broadway musicals, including Copperfield on Broadway, and opposite Angela Lansbury in the London production of Gypsy: A Musical Fable in 1973. When the production transferred to Broadway, Barrie did not stay with the show. He also appeared as King Pellinore in the 1981-82 revival of Camelot to critical acclaim. In 1991-2, he appeared in the final cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspects of Love, opposite Sarah Brightman on Broadway. His last Broadway outing was in the Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which while the show did not receive favorable reviews on Broadway, Mr. Ingham did for his performance as Sir Danvers Carew, a mentor to the title character of Dr. Jekyll and the father of Emma Carew, Jekyll's fiancee. Mr. Ingham opened the show in 1997 and subsequently stayed for the next four years till the show closed in January 2001. Ingham was seen as was the final Broadway cast in the 2001 filmed version of the musical. Also acted in theatre in Australia, such as Noël Coward's Private Lives, in Sydney in 1976. He was interviewed during that visit by Bill Collins, and for the Doctor Who fanzine Zerinza.

Selected filmography

• Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)
• A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967)
• The Day of the Jackal (1973)
• Camelot (1982) -Pellinore
• The Great Mouse Detective (1986) (voice)-Basil
• Josh Kirby... Time Warrior! (1995–1996)
• Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical (2001) -Sir Danvers

TV series

• Doctor Who: The Myth Makers (1965)
• The Avengers (1967)
• Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969)
• The Power Game as Garfield Kane (1969)
• Hine as Joe Hine (1971)
• Remington Steele: "Scene Steelers" (1983)
• Antony and Cleopatra (1983)
• The A-Team "Members Only" (1985)
• Matlock
• Murder, She Wrote: "Sing a Song of Murder" (1985)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Up the Long Ladder" (1989)
• The Triangle (2005)

http://en.wikipedia.org

Avatar Land in Disney Animal Kingdom Park

Avatar Land in Disney Animal Kingdom Park

 

Disney is planning on adding an Avatar themed land to the Disney Animal Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World. I think it is a bad idea as the movie is not Disney and is just not real enough to be part of DAK. DAK is a reality based park that is part Animal Park/Zoo and part theme park with rides and shows. It is totally unique and the entire focus of the park is to encourage people to learn about the world around them and how they can help protect nature. Avatar, while encourage conservation and understanding of “nature” has nothing to do with reality or our world.

The following is a description of what the plans are so far for Avatar Land.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_Project

Avatar Land will be a themed area at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida based upon the film franchise by James Cameron. Construction will begin in 2013, with the land expected to open between 3 and 5 years later.

History

In Spring 2011, James Cameron was approached by The Walt Disney Company's chief executive officer, Bob Iger, regarding the possibility of Avatar-themed attractions in Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.^[4] On September 17, 2011, a long-term, exclusivity deal was signed between Disney, James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment. This deal was officially announced to the public on September 20, 2011, on the Disney Parks Blog. The highlight of the announcement was that Disney's Animal Kingdom would receive a new themed area dubbed Avatar Land. The area is set to cost approximately $500 million. Construction is expected to begin in 2013, with a planned opening date between 3 and 5 years later. The deal could see Avatar attractions added to other Disney theme parks in the future, however, there are no immediate plans to do so.

Design

Avatar Land will be designed by Walt Disney Imagineering with Avatar producers James Cameron and Jon Landau also providing creative assistance. The area will be an immersive world based upon the fictional exoplanetary moon, Pandora. Avatar Land is expected to span several acres and will feature multiple rides and attractions, entertainment, audio-animatronics, 3-D holograms as well as retail, food and beverage outlets. Although exact details of the attractions have not yet been announced or even devised,  James Cameron confirmed that a flying attraction featuring "3-D projections and creature designs that were cut from the original film" was a concept on the drawing board for the area.  Avatar Land will include elements from the original Avatar film as well as its two, yet-to-be-released sequels.

Location

Although it has been announced that Avatar Land will be added to Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney Imagineering is yet to determine a precise in-park location. It has been reported that Avatar Land will make use of the undeveloped land originally earmarked for the Beastly Kingdom, a never-built themed land which would have been based around mythological creatures.

Here is my letter to Disney World:

Dear Sirs

I am saddened to hear you are adding Avatar Land to Disney Animal Kingdom. In many Disney Fan chat rooms and around the blogosphere the chatter is overwhelmingly against the addition to DAK of a land based on the movie Avatar. Please reconsider the entire idea!

DAK is a special place that focuses on the conservation of our earth. Avatar Land is so strange an idea I think it will detract from the unique park you have worked so hard to develop. Avatar is not even Disney property so it is totally strange and out of place. Really, if you wanted to do something Avatar or had to do something Avatar themed I’d say put a ride in DHS as part of movie making.

I do agree you do need a new area in DAK and you need to bring in some mystical/magical feelings. You need something more “Disney” less real in other words. I have some ideas you may want to consider. I know your Imagineers could do much better than I can in coming up with ideas. Every culture on earth has a dragon myth. You already have a Dinoland so I think it would fit better than an Avatar Land.

Having just seen pictures of the very real miniature dragon lizard from Indonesia I thought it would be a neat way to combine both real and mystical. How about a Dragon Land? Maybe you can acquire some of the fantastic little creatures to display and therefore show the importance of protecting the environment. They have been around for a long time but never “seen” until 2009 or so.

In Dragon Land you could add rides or shows that showcase some of Disney’s famous and not so famous Dragons. Maleficent, Mad Madam Mim, Elliot and Mushu come to mind. It is possible that these little creatures are the basis of many of the old tales of dragons. You could add a show telling how stories told grow into myth.

This is just a thought freely given with no thought of being compensated for it. Feel free to use or reject any/all of the ideas and do what you do best, make it better.

Carolyn Hoagland

What do you think about Avatar Land? If you don’t like the idea write a letter to Disney! Here is a link to the Contact us page for WDW.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/contact/

Help Save the Disney Armed Forces Salute

Help Save the Disney Armed Forces Salute

Disney Parks have been offering a discount 3 day park hopper to members of the USA Armed Forces. This wonderful discount has been in place for several years and will end in September of this year. It was set to expire last year and they extended it. Disney has not announced plans to extend this discount for our brave Armed Service Personal.

I applauded Disney for offering this deal to our service men/women and their families. It gives them a chance to bond and make memories that can sustain them all while our men and women are deployed. It is a needed blessed break from what these wonderful men and women see while serving.

I’ve wrote a letter to both Disneyland and Disney World about this discount. I asked if it was being discontinued and if a different discount would be put in its place if it was being discontinued. Here is my latter and the replies from both Disneyland and Disney World.

Here is my letter:

Dear Sirs

There is rumor that the discounted tickets for Armed Service Personal will no longer be available after September of this year. Is that so? Will you continue to offer some discount for our brave service men and women as you have done for years?

I’m not in the service and I have no family in the service. I have always supported all branches of the service and respect each and every person that serves his country. I’ve always been pleased at how Disney shows it’s American pride and support of our troops by offering discounted tickets to them and their families so they can build memories and be better emotionally able to serve. This discount has always been something that has set Disney apart from all the rest. Please do not
stop the Salute.

Thank you for taking time to answer my question.
Carolyn Hoagland

This is the reply from Disneyland:

Dear Carolyn:

Thank you for your e-mail to the DISNEYLAND® Resort. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us.

We apologize for any disappointment as a result of the rumors mentioned in your letter. There are no plans at this time to make an announcement or revision of our offerings regarding military tickets. The DISNEYLAND® Resort has a long standing tradition of supporting our armed forces, and international armed forces, with year-round programs for all military personnel, including retirees and veterans. You may be eligible to take advantage of our ongoing, year-round military discounts for single and multi-day tickets and hotel room rates. Please contact your military installation's Ticket Office for more information, as these tickets are not available at the DISNEYLAND® Resort ticket booths.

Again, thank you for contacting us. Comments such as yours are welcomed in that they assist us in evaluating our operation and our success in generating happiness for our Guests. We hope you will have the opportunity to visit the DISNEYLAND® Resort soon and that our attractions and entertainment will delight you in every way.

Sincerely,

DISNEYLAND® Resort
Guest Experience Services

Here is the reply from Disney World:

Dear Carolyn,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.

Carolyn, at this time there has been no announcement if our current Military Discount will be offered after September. Nor has there been an announcement if a new program will start. Please know that Specially priced multi-day theme park admission passes are offered to active-duty and military personnel and their families on a regular basis at participating ITR/ITT offices nationwide. These passes may also be purchased from Guest Services at Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort, our on-site resort exclusively for active and retired U.S. armed forces members and their families, including individuals in the reserves and veterans who are 100% disabled.

We hope this information has been helpful and we hope that you will visit the Walt Disney World Resort in the near future.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all correspondence.

Sincerely,

WDW Online Communications

There is a Facebook page trying to get people to write letters to Disney to encourage them to continue the Armed Forces Salute. Like the page and spread the word. Help save the Disney Armed Forces Salute.

For years Disney has honored our Armed Forces by giving them wonderful discounts that allow them to have time with family to rebuild relationships stretched to the breaking point by separation and the horror of battle. Please join in and encourage Disney to continue. Send messages to both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. Here are the links to the website where you can send them a message. The more letters they get the more likely they will save the Armed Forces Salute.

Disneyland

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/help/email/

Walt Disney World

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/contact/

Save the Disney Armed Forces Salute

https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheDisneyArmedForcesSalute

How Do You Build Excitement for a Disney Trip?

How Do You Build Excitement for a Disney Trip?

Ok, I’m one of the lucky ones that gets to go to a Disney Park several times a month. Most of those are day trips not vacations. Occasionally I will stay at my home park for a night or two and that is a big treat. I’ve only had 2 big Disney Trips where I did not go to my “home park”.

Right now I’m looking forward to a huge Disney trip with the gang from Walt’s Basement. This trip is sooo faraway we can’t even set a date! Walt’s Basement is planning a gathering on the Disney Dream in early 2014. The plan is for the end of January beginning of February of 2014. Problem is Disney Cruise Line has not released the schedule for that time. We will have to wait until the end of this year for a preliminary schedule, and that can be changed.

With a trip that far away it is easy to just put it to the back of the mind and forget it. Why worry or work on something that is 18 months or so in the future? You have time right? Yes and No. Disney trips are expensive, as we all know. It takes time to save up the money for a trip like this. It also takes time and money to get any little fun things you wish to take on the trip.

So what do you do while you are waiting? It is never too early to start dreaming about your trip. It is always time to look at the entertainment and dining options and start thinking about what you would want to do. Will you do what you did on past trips or do something different? Will you skip that must go to restaurant and go try a new one or must you go there or “ruin” the trip.

This looking ahead is even more important if you have never gone to the Disney Destination you are going to before. If it is a park check out the rides and shows and start thinking about what is a must do for each person and what may not be appropriate for some members. If it is the cruise there is the Fish Extender to consider. Do you join a Fish Extender group or skip it? If you join making the goodies takes time and money. Will decorate your door or leave it neutral? If you decorate you need to make your magnets! (No tape allowed.) Check out the Port and Shipboard Adventures and talk about which ones you might want to do.

If you have school age children you can plan on filling the trip with edutainment! This is especially good if it is during the school year. On a cruise you can choose a tour that tells the history of one of the places you visit. Your child can map your trip and write a report before you go about the places you will visit. This is a double bit of fun as it builds excitement for where you will be going and gives you an idea about the area. If it is WDW pick a country in EPCOT and do a report on it. If DLR do a report on California or maybe the history of rollercoasters! (Hint, The Matterhorn was the first tubular steel rollercoaster.)

Maybe you need to make physical goals for yourself. Lose weight, build endurance for long walks or if you are nuts like my husband and I learn to dance! So no matter how long you have to go before your next Disney trip there is always something to do!

Aurora, Colorado Theater Shooting

Aurora, Colorado Theater Shooting

Safety in Public Places

 With the unexpected violence at a movie theater, a place of magic and escape safety comes to mind. First off I must send out my condolences to the families/friends of those that died and prayers for healing to those that were injured. May the Lord grant swift healing and peace.

Do not let fear keep you from doing things you wish. What happened yesterday was not the act of a terrorist. It was the act of a mad man. Still it is normal to feel terror at some level because of what happened.

So how safe is a Disney Park? I will say over all a Disney Park is one of the safer places to be. With security at every entrance to the park it is unlikely that an act of violence on the level of the theater shooting will happen there. Could it happen? It is possible. Is it likely to happen? I don’t believe so. Besides the security at the gates uniformed security with dogs trained to sniff out weapons, explosives and drugs go through the parks looking for dangerous items. Add to the visible level of security undercover security that blends in with the crowds and it is unlikely an act of such heinous proportions could happen in one of the parks.

Let me stop here for a moment and let you know how I know this. Both my husband and I have had training in safety. Our training included general office safety with its making sure the power cords are not a trip hazard to setting up for natural disasters such as earthquakes. There was also some terror and biochemical preparedness and response training. My husband has had many more hours than I have but what he learns I learn by him talking to me about it.

If you are concerned about safety when in public, especially a busy place such as a Disney Park here are some basic things you can do:

1.     Be aware of what is going on around you.

a.    Know where escape exits/routes are.

b.    Be aware of who is around you and keep an eye open for those that do not “fit” or seem to be acting “strange”.

c.    Know where your group members are. Set up an “emergency” meeting spot. This is a spot you can all go back to reconnect if you get separated for any reason. Tell the younger members it is a place to meet if you get lost.

d.    Trust yourself if you feel someone/thing is not right. Predigest is not a bad word! It means to pre judge a situation. It means using wisdom when going into a situation. You pre judge a ride by looking at it. Will that ride be too much for you physically? Will you like it? It is not wrong to use the same practice when in large groups of people.

e.    Know how to identify people that can help. Show your children how to identify security and/or any employee.

2.    Do not put yourself in harm’s way to “save” others. Once you are hurt you can no longer help. Protect yourself so you can help others when it is safe to do so. YOU are the most important person in the situation. If you are hurt someone has to save you as well as the person you tried to help adding to the problem not helping. Avoid the temptation to take pictures until it is safe to do so.

3.    If something happens move quickly to a place of safety. In most cases getting low and out of site is the best thing you can do. Do nothing to attraction to yourself if someone is attacking! Play dead if you must. Call attention to yourself when it is safe.

4.    Be ready to listen to directions of trained security and employees.

5.    Report anyone/thing that seems out of place.

6.    Get basic first aid training. It is always good to be prepared to help when it is safe. More lives are saved by bystanders than by the emergency personal that get there. People need to be kept alive until emergency personal can get to you.

This is good information to know when in any public place but once again I say do not let fear keep you from going about your normal life. Do not let fear stop you from enjoying life to the fullest. My husband and I knew this information before the horror 9/11/01. It did not stop us from going before 9/11. 9/11 did not stop us from going either. We were at the park 9/10/01 and again 9/13/01. The terrorists will not win. Be ready if the unthinkable happens but do not be looking for bad guys in every shadow.

It's Film Strip Friday! A Bugs Life

It’s Film Strip Friday!

A Bugs Life

Release Date November 25^th, 1998

            

SYNOPSIS:

Flik is a natural-born inventor and always looking for ways to improve things - which would be great if he weren't merely an ant. The rest of the anthill residents just want him to settle down and do exactly what all the other ants do. So, when Flik sets out to recruit "warrior bugs" to protect the anthill from a bullying gang of grasshoppers, they're glad to see him go. So begins an epic adventure on a very small scale. When Flik returns with a troupe of circus bugs, he needs to think fast to find a winning strategy to save the day - and impress the lovely Princess Atta. The ants, however, must trust Flik and work together if they are to survive.

FUN FACTS:

A Bug's Life is a 1998 American computer animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures in the United States on November 25, 1998. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Andrew Stanton, the film is the second Disney-Pixar feature film after Toy Story, and the third American computer-animated film after Toy Story and DreamWorks' Antz. Based on Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai, and Aesop's fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper", it tells the tale of an oddball individualist inventor ant named Flik who hires what he thinks are "warrior bugs" — actually circus performers — to fight off a small band of grasshoppers who have made the ant colony their servants. The film received positive reception and was a box office success.

Plot

Flik is an individualist and would-be inventor in a colony of ants — led by Princess Atta and her mother, The Queen — living on a small island in the middle of a creek. Flik is different and always unappreciated because of his problematic inventions. He is friends with Princess Dot, Atta's younger sister.

The colony is oppressed by a gang of marauding grasshoppers led by Hopper who arrive every season demanding food from the ants. When the annual offering is inadvertently knocked into a stream by Flik's latest invention, a harvester device, the grasshoppers demand twice as much food as compensation.

Given a temporary reprieve by the grasshoppers, Flik tricks the ants into accepting his plan to recruit "warrior bugs" to fight off the grasshoppers. While Flik actually believes in the plan, the other ants see it as a fool's errand to get rid of Flik and save themselves trouble. Making his way to the "big city" (a heap of trash under a trailer), Flik mistakes a group of circus bugs for the warrior bugs he seeks. The bugs, in turn, mistake Flik for a talent agent, and agree to travel with him back to Ant Island.

Discovering their mutual misunderstanding, the circus bugs attempt to leave, but are forced back by a bird. They save Princess Dot from the bird as they flee, gaining the ants' trust in the process. They continue the ruse of being "warriors" so the troupe can continue to enjoy the attention and hospitality of the ants. The bird encounter inspires Flik into creating an artificial bird to scare away Hopper, leader of the grasshoppers, who is deeply afraid of birds. The bird is constructed, but the circus bugs are exposed by their former ringmaster, P.T. Flea, when he arrives searching for them.

Angered at Flik's deception, the ants exile him and desperately try to pull together enough food for a new offering to the grasshoppers, but fail to do so. When the grasshoppers discover a meager offering upon their arrival, they take control of the entire colony and begin eating the ants' winter store of food. After overhearing Hopper's plan to kill the queen, Dot leaves in search of Flik and convinces him to return and save the colony with his original plan. The plan nearly works, but P.T. Flea lights the bird model on fire, causing it to crash and be revealed as a fake. Hopper has Flik beaten in retaliation, but Flik defies Hopper and inspires the entire colony to stand up to the grasshoppers and drive them out of the colony

Before Hopper can be disposed of, it begins to rain. In the chaos, Hopper viciously pursues Flik, who leads him to an actual bird's nest. Hopper mistakes the real bird for another fake bird, and taunts it, attracting its attention. He is eaten by the bird and its chicks, ending his menace once and for all.

Some time later, Flik has been welcomed back to the colony, and he and Atta are now a couple. As the troupe departs with the last grasshopper, Molt, as an employee, Atta is crowned the new Queen, while Dot gets the princess' crown. The circus troupe then departs as Flik, Atta and Dot watch and wave farewell in a tree branch.

Cast

• Dave Foley as Flik: An ant who wants to make a difference for his colony.
• Kevin Spacey as Hopper: The cruel leader of the grasshoppers.
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Princess Atta: The older daughter and heir of The Queen, Dot's older sister and Flik's love interest.
• Hayden Panettiere as Dot: The Queen's youngest daughter, Atta's younger sister and one of Flik's friends.
• Phyllis Diller as The Queen: Atta and Dot's mother and the leader of the ants.
• Richard Kind as Molt: Hopper's well-meaning younger brother.
• David Hyde Pierce as Slim: A Stick Insect clown who is part of P.T. Flea's circus troupe.
• Joe Ranft as Heimlich: A Caterpillar clown who is part of P.T. Flea's circus troupe; likes to eat.
• Denis Leary as Francis: A Ladybug clown who is part of P.T. Flea's circus troupe; has a bad temper due to often being mistaken for a female.
• Jonathan Harris as Manny: A Praying Mantis magician who is part of P.T. Flea's circus troupe.
• Madeline Kahn as Gypsy: A Gypsy Moth who is part of P.T. Flea's circus troupe; Manny's wife and assistant.
• Bonnie Hunt as Rosie: A Black Widow Spider who is part of P.T. Flea's circus troupe; acts like a mother figure to Dim and the younger ants in the colony.
• Mike McShane as Tuck and Roll: Two Pillbug acrobats who are part of P.T. Flea's circus troupe.
• John Ratzenberger as P.T. Flea: A Flea who is the boss of the circus troupe.
• Brad Garrett as Dim: A Rhinoceros Beetle who is part of P.T. Flea's circus troupe; acts like a son to Rosie.
• Roddy McDowall as Mr. Soil: The colony's resident thespian and advisor to The Queen. It was McDowall's last role.
• Edie McClurg as Dr. Flora: The doctor of the ant colony.
• Alex Rocco as Thorny: A member of the Council of Ants.
• David Ossman as Cornelius: An elderly ant.

Production

In 1988, Disney had considered producing a film entitled "Army Ants", that centered around a pacifist ant living in a militaristic colony but it was never fully materialized. In 1994, while working on Toy Story, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter and Joe Ranft attended a lunch to discuss future projects. They talked about doing Aesop's fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper", but with a twist. They eventually decided that instead of having the Grasshopper beg for food, it would demand it. The Japanese film Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa influenced the story. In early versions, Flik was an ant named Red and was part of P.T's Circus. However this created several story problems and he was changed to the ant sent to hire the warrior bugs. The characters of "Tuck and Roll" were inspired by a drawing that Andrew Stanton did of two bugs fighting when he was in Second Grade.

Kevin Spacey met John Lasseter at the 1995 Academy Awards (Spacey being there for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for The Usual Suspects and Lasseter being there for Academy Special Achievement Award for Toy Story). When Lasseter asked Spacey if he would be interested in doing the voice of Hopper, Spacey was delighted.

For research, Pixar ordered a tiny camera, put Lego wheels on it, attached it to a stick and named it the "Bug-Cam". The "Bug-Cam" was then wheeled out onto the garden of Pixar in order to see what small objects looked like from a bugs point of view. The artists were amazed by the translucency of the world. Lasseter claimed "It was like living in a world of stained glass windows." The animators also studied the movement of insects to apply to the characters.

The technical artists created crowd simulation, allowing the film makers to create over 430 shots with over 800 characters in the frame without having to animate every single ant. The animators would only animate 4–5 groups of approximately 8 individual universal ants. Each one of these universal ants would later be randomly distributed throughout the digital set. The program also allowed each ant to be automatically modified in subtle ways (e.g. different eye color, different skin color, different heights, different weights etc.). This made sure that no two ants were the same.

DreamWorks Animation's similar film Antz was released a little more than a month before A Bug's Life. DreamWorks' Jeffrey Katzenberg left Disney in 1994 and said the idea for Antz came from a 1991 story pitch by Tim Johnson that was related to Katzenberg in October 1994. Pixar head John Lasseter said he felt "betrayed" when he learned Antz was scheduled for release before A Bug's Life. According to Lasseter and Steve Jobs, Katzenberg offered to stop development of Antz if Disney moved the release date of A Bug's Life, which was coming out opposite DreamWorks Animation's The Prince of Egypt. Pixar refused.

The release date of Antz was moved up from March 1999 to October 1998 in response to Pixar's refusal. Even though A Bug's Life was the first to be pitched, Antz was finished and released first. A Bug's Life, however, was a bigger success.

Music

A Bug's Life: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the original soundtrack album to A Bug's Life, produced by Walt Disney Records. The first track of the album is song called "The Time of Your Life" written and performed by Newman, while all the other tracks are orchestral cues. The album has gone off the market but is available for purchase on iTunes.

The score won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition.

All songs written and composed by Randy Newman.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Time of Your Life" (performed by Newman)	3:16
2.	"The Flik Machine"	2:54
3.	"Seed to Tree"	1:01
4.	"Red Alert"	1:49
5.	"Hopper and his Gang"	3:21
6.	"Flik Leaves"	2:37
7.	"Circus Bugs"	1:27
8.	"The City"	2:35
9.	"Robin Hood"	0:59
10.	"Return to Colony"	1:33
11.	"Flik's Return"	1:24
12.	"Loser"	2:43
13.	"Dot's Rescue"	4:00
14.	"Atta"	1:08
15.	"Don't Come Back"	1:07
16.	"Grasshoppers' Return"	3:01
17.	"The Bird Flies"	2:38
18.	"Ants Fight Back"	2:14
19.	"Victory"	2:33
20.	"A Bug's Life Suite"	5:12
Total length:		47:32

Reception

Critical reception

The film received very positive reviews upon release. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 81 reviews, with an average score of 7.9/10. The critical consensus is "Blending top notch animation with rousing adventure, witty dialogue, and memorable characters, A Bug's Life is another Pixar winner." Another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 77 based on 23 reviews."

Box office

A Bug's Life grossed approximately $33,258,052 on its opening weekend, ranking #1 for that weekend. It managed to retain its #1 spot for two weeks. The film eventually made $162.7 million in its United States theatrical run, covering its estimated production costs of $45 million. The film made $200,600,000 in foreign countries. The film made a worldwide gross of $363.3 million, surpassing the competition from DreamWorks Animation's Antz.

Awards

Main article: List of Pixar awards and nominations (feature films)#A Bug's Life

American Film Institute

The American Film Institute nominated A Bug's Life for its Top 10 Animated Films list.

Release

Home media

The DVD of the film was the first wholly digital transfer of a feature film to a digital playback medium. No analog processes came between the creation of the computer images and their representation on the DVD.

The pan and scan or 'full screen' version of the video (on the DVD as well as VHS releases) has been reframed and restaged; rather than sacrifice image in some parts of the film, the frame has been extended or objects moved to fit the narrower aspect ratio. Pixar continued this process on its later video releases. Also, different characters (Flik, Dot, Francis, Hopper, and Heimlich) were on one (by themselves) cover of the video cover, considered a collectible in many cases.

To show off its new DVD capabilities, a copy of the film was included with the Apple iMac DV, which made its debut on October 8, 1997. A laserdisc version was also released in Japan by Pioneer, one of the last. The film was released on August 15, 2000 on VHS and DVD in the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection.

The widescreen version of the film preserves its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. A Bug's Life is the first fully computer animated feature to be created with this ratio.

A set of "fluffs" and "outtakes" was included, in which various animated characters corpse or "blow" their dialog. In one, Flik yells the line "To infinity, and beyond!", quoting Buzz Lightyear from an earlier Pixar film, Toy Story. Later, Woody leans into view with an upside down clapperboard to mark the end of a botched take.

On July 19, 2005, another DVD was released as a Special Edition. This DVD is fully remastered and has substantial bonus features about the film, and is the current DVD release today. On May 19, 2009, a Blu-ray version was released. These versions included a DisneyFile Digital Copy.

Media and merchandise

Attached short film

Theatrical and video releases of this film include Geri's Game, a Pixar short made in 1997, a year before this film was released.

Theme park attractions

A Bug's Land is a section of Disney California Adventure Park is entirely dedicated to A Bug's Life. One of the main attractions is the 3D show It's Tough to Be a Bug! which is also in Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort. The Disney California Adventure Park attraction, World of Color features a segment focused on A Bug's Life.

http://disney.go.com/disneyinsider/history/movies

http://en.wikipedia.org