Bee Movie
2-Disc Special Edition
Starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman
DreamWorks Animation
Release date: March 11, 2008

In this DreamWorks animated offering, the young, enthusiastic bee Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) lives with his colony in a feral hive in New York City. He’s just graduated from his 3-day stint at bee college and now it’s time for him to pick a career that he’ll be committed to for life. While Barry’s eager to get to work, he’s not so sure about the whole “for life” part. As a last hoorah of sorts, Barry gets the buff pollen jocks — whose job it is to cross-pollinate as well as collect honey — to take him on a mission outside the hive, his very first venture to the outside world.

Of course, this being a “one bee’s adventure” movie, Barry becomes separated from the group and cannot make his way back to the hive after it begins to rain. Because bees can’t fly in the rain, Barry tries to take cover in a windowsill planter. That’s where he meets the Vanessa (Renée Zellweger), a human florist living on the other side of the window who saves Barry from her killer-boot-wielding boyfriend, Ken. Compelled by Vanessa’s compassion, Barry breaks the first rule of bees: Don’t talk to humans.

After Vanessa recovers from the shock of Barry conversing with her, the two become fast friends. As Vanessa shows her new bee friend around town, Barry discovers that not every bee has a free existence like he does. He’s appalled that humans keep bees in crates on honey farms, using them for their honey which is then sold in stores to other humans. Wanting to make a stand against this injustice, Barry decides to sue the human race for the return of the honey to the bees.

Bee Movie comes from the mind of comedian and sitcom sensation Jerry Seinfield, who not only voices Barry, but also co-wrote the screenplay with Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, and Andy Robin, and served as producer for the film.

While marketed as a children’s movie, Bee Movie has all the assets to attract the likes of me. Being a great fan of Seinfeld, I will give anything Jerry Seinfeld is involved with a chance. I also love animated movies, especially those that have a message of kindness towards all living things. In this film, there is a very strong “Save The Bees” message, though I thought some of the other messages were a bit conflicting.

On the one hand, the filmmakers seek to educate the public about the important role bees play in the survival of the planet as well as how they are currently endangered. The film also brings to light the plight of the honey bee and, surprisingly, the fact that the honey humans consume is produced by bees in bee farms (not out in the wild). The message can also be interpreted to mean that everyone’s “role” in life is significant, worthy, and necessary; also, that humans and bees must work together to maintain the survival of their respective species.

On the other hand, the message could be construed as meaning if everyone reevaluated their status in society and perhaps tried to elevated it, that there would be a breakdown in our way of life — in other words, know your “role” and stick to it, for the most part. And, there is a strong “save the bees” message here, which is great — a PSA from Burt’s Bees with this message ran played with the movie in theaters. The problem I have is that I feel like the message is actually “Save the bees or we’ll be screwed.”

Otherwise, Bee Movie is an adorable addition to the animated film pantheon and a fun and educational viewing for both children and adults.

DVD Bonus Features

DISC 1

Feature Commentary
Jerry Seinfeld and the filmmakers provide a feature-length commentary. Any fan of Jerry Seinfeld will love this commentary, as it’s like getting a 90-minute improv performance from the comedian. One thing commentary provides is an insight into the thought process, and for a movie like this where so much work that went into the animation, this feature is a wonderful addition to the DVD.

Lost Scenes
These deleted scenes were not fully rendered. They’re black and white sketching with commentary from Jerry Seinfeld. There’s the original opening of the film with Barry at a job opening; there’s a scene with Barry going to the Queen Bee to ask for permission to speak to the humans; and one with Ray Liotta on the plane trying to kill Barry.

Alternate Endings
These are scenes that are not fully rendered and are shown here they’re black and white sketching with commentary from Jerry Seinfeld. It’s different variations on the “tragic love triangle” theme with Barry, Vanessa, and Ken that are alternate endings for the film.

TV Juniors
These are all the TV commercials Jerry Seinfeld did for NBC when promoting the film; all of them start with Jerry behind a desk in explaining what each TV clip is about.

Live-Action Trailers
These are two live-action trailers that were originally released for the movie. It shows Jerry Seinfeld dressed as a bee, shooting a live-action version of the film. Eddie Izzard is shown as the director and Chris Rock is dressed up as the mosquito. Steven Spielberg also makes an appearance, giving Seinfeld advice on making the film.

Jerry’s Flight Over Cannes
A behind-the-scenes look at the plans to unveil the movie at the Cannes Film Festival. Here, Seinfeld wears the bee outfit and practices on wires. The event is also shown.

Inside The Hive: The Cast of Bee Movie [15 minutes]
This shows the behind-the-scenes of movie and contains interviews with the stars Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick and Chris Rock, as well as much of the supporting cast. Jerry Seinfeld talks about how he came up with the idea for the movie and how he discussed it with Steven Spielberg. The producers are also interviewed.

— Previews
Previews for Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar: The Crate Escape, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and the Kung Fu Panda Activision Game Trailer.

DISC 2

Tech of Bee Movie
The animation team talks about creating the animation and seeing things on screen that have never been seen before. Jerry Seinfeld also talks about how he worked from New York City with the team in California and how it was challenging to create the look of honey.

Meet Barry B. Benson
This is an 11 question Q&A with the Barry character that you have to click through; Barry answers questions about being a bee, traveling, and honey, and about his friendship with Mooseblood the mosquito.

“We Got The Bee” Music Video
A remake of the Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” with different words. Seinfeld makes a cameo in the video.

DreamWorks Animation Jukebox
Music videos from other DreamWork titles like Shrek and its sequels, Flushed Away, Over The Hedge, Madagascar, and Shark Tale.

DreamWorks Kids

The Buzz about Bees: Fun facts about bees and how you can help the bees that live near you; explanations about what beekeepers do and how saving bees can save the world (about 7 minutes).
The Ow! Meter: This shows levels of “ow” if you get stung by various bees (5 here); also a section to chose if you’re a bee that will tell you ow factors if you get hurt; then there’s 3 ways to avoid getting stung by a bee.

That’s Un-Bee-Lievable: Bee trivia
Pollination Practice Video Game
DVD-ROM