Jerry Seinfeld is Barry B. Benson
The result of a few years’ hard work in both project development with producer Steven Spielberg (not to mention a record-breaking twenty-plus thousand CGI-rendering computer hours), Seinfeld and his team of artists and writers offer us Barry B. Benson (unavoidably voiced by Jerry Seinfeld himself), an everyday bee who realizes upon bee college graduation, that he is forcibly doomed to spend the rest of his short existence in any one of the thousands of menial career positions open to him within his hive home (described to the viewer as “a division of the Honex Corporation”.)
Unwilling to settle into a thankless life of repetitive work, Barry makes an unauthorized exit to the outside world (posing as a pollen jockey), away from the safety of his birthplace. Though curious as to what the human world has to offer, Barry is most unprepared as to the dangers that await him, and the friend he will make while on his adventure, in the form of Vanessa Bloome (ably voiced by Oscar Winner Renee Zellweger.)
While sampling the best North-American culture can offer, Barry discovers that humanity has been enjoying the fruits of his people’s labor (honey, and lots of it). Finding this unacceptable, he decides to sue mankind, for profiteering from for ages.
The film itself transparently acts as an effective moral message, regarding the necessity of insect life on Earth in order to maintain floral equilibrium. The plot has plenty for both kids and parents alike, and the jokes are tame enough to safely bypass any kid’s radar.
Jerry Seinfeld Gets Upstaged
This film is clearly meant as a star vehicle for its writer-producer-star, yet despite an acceptable supporting cast of respectable Hollywood names such as Kathy Bates, Chris Rock, Matthew Broderick, and several others, the film boasts an unlikely hero in the form of Seinfeld TV veteran Patrick Warburton, who portrayed the memorable clean freak Dave Puddy on the popular show. In this film he portrays Ken, a somewhat arrogant and ill-tempered tennis aficionado and love interest to Vanessa. Warburton is no stranger to animation voice work, having worked on Disney projects (Emperor’s New Groove and its spin-offs and sequel), Hoodwinked, Over the Hedge, and Open Season, to name a few.
What makes his character so memorable, is Warburton’s ability to make the best out of the given dialogue (a personal favorite has to be “Why must Yogurt Night be so DIFFICULT???” Priceless.) relying on both his impeccable comic timing, and his unmistakably unfazed tone of voice. His character Ken comes across as a perfect foil to Barry the Bee, as he ventures out into the human civilization.
The film comes off as mildly entertaining; there are enough references to popular culture to satisfy the mass market audience, with tongue-in-cheek references to celebrities such as Sting, Ray Liotta, Winnie the Pooh, Larry King and many others. Credit these inclusions to Jerry Seinfeld’s creativity and resourcefulness, pulling in big names along, to contribute to his pet project (no pun intended).
DVD Review
In terms of overall quality, the viewer will be quite satisfied with the level of graphic rendering done on this film. From the vertigo-inducing aerial acrobatics to the intricate texture of each environment, this project is clearly at par with its studio cousins, such as Shrek, Flushed Away, and Madagascar. The DVD transfer is crisp and pristine; as such, animated films of this sort always carry over well to the home video medium.
Bonus features on the disc include a detailed making-of featurette, describing the journey from story pitch to theatrical release. In this feature, Seinfeld explains how much of the movie’s dialogue stemmed from much in-studio, spur-of-the-moment improvisation, based on the voice actors’ chemistry together.
Also included as part of the extras, are clever and educational fact nuggets about bees and their lives. The viewer can learn about different breeds of the insect, by selecting the Ow-Meter, an option which rates the different levels of pain one can receive from various species' sting. Also, tips on how to avoid being stung, a history of honey-based products, and interactive activities for the little ones.
An acceptable (but not vital) addition to any family library, Bee Movie is sure to provide plenty of chuckles for all. One question remains: How long until the next Seinfeld project?
