The Rocket

Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: MCT Campus [Click to enlarge]

Since computer-generated imagery has taken over the animated movie world, there have been two companies battling back and forth for pixilated supremacy: Dreamworks and Disney's Pixar.

Pixar has been on top for quite some time, with mega hits like "Toy Story," "Monsters, Inc." and "Cars," but now the house that "Shrek" built has fired back with something Pixar never could have expected, sitcom icon Jerry Seinfeld ("Seinfeld").

Best known for the show about nothing, Seinfeld left the sitcom world in 1998 and has been essentially nonexistent since then.

Or at least he was until about two years ago, when the first "Bee Movie" teaser trailer hit the big screen. Since then, the film's lead bee, Barry B. Benson, has been a commercial juggernaut.

Sponsorship tie-ins with Hewlett Packard, McDonald's and Dolby have plastered Barry all over the big and small screens, making the film impossible to ignore.

Written by Seinfeld, "Bee Movie" gives the viewer a detailed and humorous look into the life of bees, a more family-friendly concept than a rat cooking food.

The film really takes off after Barry and his best bee Adam (Matthew Broderick) finish their three days of both high school and college and must pick the jobs they will take on until their little bee wings fall off.

Fearing the monotony of being a lifetime honey stirrer like his father, Barry heads out with the famed Pollen Jocks to go outside the hive to collect nectar and pollinate the world's flowers.

After having his life saved from the brutal human world by a florist named Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger), Barry realizes that humans have been harvesting and selling the honey that bees spend their entire lives making.

Angered by this injustice to the bee world, Barry decides to take a stand and sue the human race.

The plot is a little deeper than other kid-friendly favorites, like "A Bug's Life," but that fact sets it apart from being just another 3-D cartoon movie.

Having a well-known stand-up comedian write the script was also quite effective, as the jokes are frequent and there is rarely a misfire. Who knew you could do so much with the letter 'B'?

Other than his comedic expertise, Seinfeld brought with him to the hive a celebrity clout like no other.

"Bee Movie" was able to round up A-list voices from Patrick Warburton ("Rules of Engagement"), John Goodman ("Arachnophobia"), Chris Rock ("The Longest Yard"), Rip Torn ("Dodgeball"), Ray Liotta ("Goodfellas"), Sting ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") and Oprah Winfrey ("The Color Purple").

You know you have some major stroke if you can get one of the most powerful women in the world to be a voice in a movie about bees.

Even though you might find yourself Bee-t over the head with all of the cutesy bee-related names like Judge Bumbleton and the honey conglomerate Honeyburton, "Bee Movie" lives up to the years of buzz Seinfeld created.

The film shows that Dreamworks wasn't a one-hit wonder with "Shrek."

"Bee Movie" can really be enjoyed by many different audiences. Even though the plot is a little bit complicated for the average youngsters, they can attach themselves to the characters, and a theme of the impossible being possible is a good lesson to learn.

Adults can expect some typical Seinfeld humor and a fair amount of poking fun at celebrities. For example, Liotta playing himself and making fun of his loose-cannon persona is golden.

Plus, hearing Zellweger's voice without seeing her creepily, squinty face is always a crowd-pleaser.

This B+ Bee-venture could very well entertain the Bee-jeezus out of you.

Ivan Moore is a senior communication major and a regular contributor to The Rocket.

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