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{{Infobox film
| name        = Bee Movie
| image       = Bee movie ver2.jpg
| caption     = Theatrical release poster
| border      = yes
| director    = {{Plainlist|
* Simon J. Smith
* Steve Hickner }}
| producer    = {{Plainlist|
* Jerry Seinfeld
* Christina Steinberg
* Cameron Stevning }}
| writer      = {{Plainlist|
* Jerry Seinfeld
* Andy Robin
* Barry Marder
* Spike Feresten }}
| narrator    = Jim Cummings
| starring    = {{Plainlist|<!--Per poster billing-->
* Jerry Seinfeld
* Renée Zellweger }}
| music       = Rupert Gregson-Williams
| editing     = Nick Fletcher
| studio      = DreamWorks Animation<br />Columbus 81 Productions<ref name=VarietyReview>{{cite news|last1=McCarthy|first1=Todd|title=Review: ‘Bee Movie’|url=https://variety.com/2007/digital/reviews/bee-movie-1200555014/|accessdate=October 1, 2014|work=Variety|date=October 28, 2007}}</ref>
| distributor = Paramount Pictures{{efn|name=distributed by|In July 2014, the film's distribution rights were purchased by DreamWorks Animation from Paramount Pictures<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chney|first1=Alexandra|title=DreamWorks Animation Q2 Earnings Fall Short of Estimates, SEC Investigation Revealed|url=https://variety.com/2014/biz/news/dreamworks-animation-q2-earnings-fall-short-of-estimates-1201271262/|accessdate=July 30, 2014|work=Variety|date=July 29, 2014}}</ref> and transferred to 20th Century Fox before reverting to Universal Studios in 2018.}}
| runtime     = 91 minutes
| country     = United States
| language    = English
| budget      = $150 million<ref name=BOM>{{cite web|title=Bee Movie (2007)|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=beemovie.htm|website=Box Office Mojo|accessdate=November 20, 2012}}</ref>
| gross       = $293.6 million<ref name=BOM />
}}
'''''Bee Movie''''' is a 2007 American [[Computer animation|computer-animated]] comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures.{{efn|name=distributed by}} Directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner, the film stars Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger, with Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman and Chris Rock in supporting roles. Its story follows Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld), a [[Biology:Honey bee|honey bee]] who sues the human race for exploiting bees, after learning from his florist friend Vanessa (Zellweger) that humans sell and consume [[Chemistry:Honey|honey]].

''Bee Movie'' is the first motion-picture script to be written by Seinfeld, who co-wrote the film with Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, and Andy Robin. The film was produced by Seinfeld, Christina Steinberg, and Cameron Stevning. The production was designed by Alex McDowell, and Christophe Lautrette was the art director. Nick Fletcher was the supervising editor and music for the film was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams.

The cast and crew include some veterans of the long-running NBC [[Engineering:Sitcom|sitcom]] ''Seinfeld'', including writer/producers Feresten and Robin, and actors Warburton (''Seinfeld'' character David Puddy), Michael Richards (''Seinfeld'' character Cosmo Kramer), and Larry Miller (who plays the title character on the ''Seinfeld'' episode "The Doorman").

''Bee Movie'' was theatrically released on November 2, 2007 to mixed reviews, with primary criticisms aimed at the premise, and grossed $293 million worldwide.<ref name=BOM />

==Plot==
A young [[Biology:Honey bee|honey bee]] named Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) has recently graduated from [[Organization:College|college]] and is about to enter the hive's Honex Industries honey-making workforce alongside his best friend Adam Flayman (Matthew Broderick). Barry is initially excited to join the workforce, but his courageous, non-conformist attitude emerges upon discovering that his choice of job will never change once picked. Later, the two bees run into a group of Pollen Jocks, bees who collect pollen from flowers outside the hive. The Jocks offer to take Barry outside the hive to a flower patch, and he accepts. While on his first pollen-gathering expedition in {{wipe|New York City}}, Barry gets lost in the rain, and ends up on the balcony of a human [[Biology:Floristry|florist]] named Vanessa (Renée Zellweger). Upon noticing Barry, Vanessa's boyfriend Ken (Patrick Warburton) attempts to squash him, but Vanessa gently catches and releases Barry outside the window, saving his life.

Barry later returns to express his gratitude to Vanessa, breaking the sacred rule that bees are not supposed to communicate with humans. Barry and Vanessa develop a close bond, bordering on attraction, and spend time together frequently. Later, while Barry and Vanessa are walking through a [[Finance:Grocery store|grocery store]], Barry is horrified to discover that the humans have been stealing and eating the bees' [[Chemistry:Honey|honey]] for centuries. He decides to journey to Honey Farms, which supplies the grocery store with its honey. Furious at the poor treatment of the bees in the hive, including the use of [[Engineering:Bee smoker|bee smoker]]s to subdue the colony, Barry decides to sue the human race to put an end to the exploitation of bees.

Barry's mission attracts wide attention from bees and humans alike, and hundreds of people show up to watch the trial. Although Barry is up against tough defense attorney Layton T. Montgomery (John Goodman) the trial's first day goes well. That evening, Barry is having dinner with Vanessa when Ken shows up. Vanessa leaves the room, and Ken expresses to Barry that he hates the pair spending time together. When Barry leaves to use the restroom, Ken ambushes Barry and attempts to kill him, only for Vanessa to intervene and break up with Ken. The next day at the trial, Montgomery unleashes an unrepentant [[Philosophy:Character assassination|character assassination]] against the bees leading a deeply offended Adam to [[Biology:Stinger|sting]] him; Montgomery immediately exaggerates the stinging to make himself appear the victim of an [[Social:Assault|assault]] while simultaneously denouncing Adam. Adam's actions jeopardize the bees' credibility and put his life in danger, though he manages to survive. While visiting Adam in the hospital, Barry notices two people [[Chemistry:Tobacco smoking|smoking]] outside, and is struck by inspiration. The next day, Barry wins the trial by exposing the jury to the cruel treatment bees are subjected to, particularly the smoker, and humans are banned from stealing honey from bees ever again.

Having lost the trial, Montgomery cryptically warns Barry that a negative shift in the balance of nature is imminent. As it turns out, the sudden, massive stockpile of honey has put every bee out of a job, including the vitally important Pollen Jocks. As a result, without anything to pollinate them, all of the world's plant life slowly begins to die out. Before long, the last remaining flowers on Earth are being stockpiled in Pasadena, California for what is expected to be the final Tournament of Roses Parade. Barry and Vanessa travel to the parade and steal a parade float, which they load onto a plane to be delivered to the bees so they can re-pollinate the world's flowers. When the plane's pilot and copilot are [[Medicine:Unconsciousness|knocked unconscious]], Vanessa is forced to land the plane, with help from Barry and the bees from Barry's hive.

Armed with the pollen of the last flowers, Barry and the Pollen Jocks manage to reverse the damage and save the world's flowers, restarting the bees' honey production. Humans and bees are seen working together, and certain brands of honey are now "bee-approved". Barry becomes a member of the Pollen Jocks, helping to pollinate the world's plants. Barry is also seen running a law firm inside Vanessa's flower shop, titled "Insects at Law", handling disputes between animals and humans. Ken is not pleased with this discovery as Andy (Chuck Martin) tells him to let it go. The film ends with Barry flying off to a flower patch with the Pollen Jocks.

==Voice cast==
{{div col}}
* Jerry Seinfeld as Barry B. Benson
* Renée Zellweger as Vanessa Bloome
* Matthew Broderick as Adam Flayman
* Patrick Warburton as Ken
* John Goodman as Layton T. Montgomery
* Chris Rock as Mooseblood the Mosquito
* Kathy Bates as Janet B. Benson
* Barry Levinson as Martin B. Benson
* Megan Mullally as Trudy, Honex Tour Guide
* Rip Torn as Lou Lo Duca and the Pollen Jocks General
* Oprah Winfrey as Judge Bumbleton
* Michael Richards as Bud Ditchwater
* Larry King as Bee Larry King
* Larry Miller as Dean Buzzwell
* Jim Cummings as Title Narrator and Graduation Announcer
* David Moses Pimentel as Hector
* Chuck Martin as Andy
* Brian Hopkins as Sandy Shrimpkin and TSA Agent
* John DiMaggio as Bailiff and Janitor
* Tress MacNeille as Jeanette Chung, Mother and Cow
* Simon J. Smith as Truck Driver and Chet
* Ray Liotta as Himself
* Sting as Himself
* Robert Jayne as Bee (''uncredited'')
* Carl Kasell as Himself (''uncredited'')
{{div col end}}

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name       = Bee Movie
| type       = Film score
| artist     = Rupert Gregson-Williams
| cover      =
| alt        =
| released   = October 30, 2007
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = Score
| length     = 44:56
| label      = Sony Classical
| producer   =
| chronology = Rupert Gregson-Williams film scores
| prev_title = I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
| prev_year  = 2007
| next_title = Made of Honor
| next_year  = 2008
}}

{{Track listing
| total_length = 44:56
| headline = Track listing:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bee-movie-music-from-motion/id266932739 |title=Bee Movie (Music from the Motion Picture) [Bonus Track Version] |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Software:ITunes|iTunes]] |publisher= |access-date=November 20, 2012 |quote=}}</ref>
| extra_column = Performer
| all_music = Rupert Gregson-Williams, except as noted
| title1 = Graduation
| length1 = 3:13
| title2 = Honex
| length2 = 2:48
| title3 = The Pollen Jocks
| length3 = 1:32
| title4 = Barry Flies Out
| length4 = 5:34
| title5 = Vanessa Intervenes
| length5 = 2:01
| title6 = Sugar, Sugar
| extra6 = The Archies
| length6 = 2:46
| title7 = Assault on Honey Farms
| length7 = 2:33
| title8 = Ken
| length8 = 2:28
| title9 = Barry Turns the Screws
| length9 = 3:12
| title10 = Monty Slanders and Adam Stings
| length10 = 2:12
| title11 = Hearts, Flowers and Hive Closures
| length11 = 2:34
| title12 = Honey Round Up
| length12 = 1:38
| title13 = Rooftop Consequences
| length13 = 1:50
| title14 = Land That Plane
| length14 = 6:39
| title15 = Here Comes the Sun
| extra15 = Sheryl Crow
| length15 = 2:59
| title16 = Thinkin' Bee
| extra16 = Jerry Seinfeld & Matthew Broderick 
| note16 = [[Software:ITunes|iTunes]] bonus track
| length16 = 0:57
}}

==Marketing==

===Trailers===
Two teaser trailers were released for the film that feature Seinfeld dressed in a bee costume, trying to shoot the film in live-action. Eddie Izzard portrays the direction agent, and Steven Spielberg suggests to Seinfeld in the second trailer to just do it as a [[Engineering:Cartoon|cartoon]]. Upon the release of the first trailer, it was announced that three of the live-action teasers would be released in total.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://trailers.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/beemovie/trailer1_large.html |title=Bee Movie - Teaser 1 - Large |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple]] |publisher= |access-date=July 2, 2013 |quote=}}</ref> In the second trailer, Steven Spielberg is taking a picture of himself and an assistant director, referencing the camera gag Ellen DeGeneres pulled on him during the 79th Academy Awards. After Seinfeld fails to do scenes in live-action, Spielberg suggests Seinfeld that the film can just be made as a cartoon. One of the crew members announces that the film is a cartoon, having the crew leave the stage studio. The trailer finally shows the movie as an animated CGI feature. Also in the second trailer, the bear that jumps out at Barry is Vincent the Bear from ''Over the Hedge'', another DreamWorks Animation SKG movie.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slashfilm.com/bee-movie-trailer-2-revealed/ |title=Bee Movie Trailer #2 Revealed &#124; /Film |publisher=Slashfilm.com |date=February 15, 2007 |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name=AVBeeFacts>{{cite web|last1=Ziebarth|first1=Christian|title=Bee Movie Fun Facts|url=http://animatedviews.com/2007/bee-movie-fun-facts/|publisher=Animated Views|accessdate=September 11, 2014|date=September 14, 2007|quote=Vincent the bear from Over the Hedge appears in both a trailer for Bee Movie and in the courtroom scene in the film.}}</ref>

The third trailer was released with ''Shrek the Third'', but this was an animated teaser. The fourth trailer was released on the ''Bee Movie'' official website, and revealed most of the film's plot.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://trailers.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/beemovie/trailer3_large.html |title=Bee Movie - Trailer 3 - Large |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple]] |publisher= |access-date=July 2, 2013 |quote=}}</ref> In addition, two weeks before the release, NBC aired 22 behind-the-scenes skits called "Bee Movie TV Juniors," all of which are staged and tongue-in-cheek in nature.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2007/10/19/tv-juniors-bee/ |title='Bee Movie TV Juniors': I mean WHAT is the DEAL with THESE?! |last=Barrett |first=Annie |date=October 19, 2007 |work=Entertainment Weekly |publisher=Meredith Corporation |access-date=July 2, 2013 |quote=}}</ref> The popular internet site [[Company:Gaia Online|Gaia Online]] featured a great deal of promotional material for the film.<ref>[http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/announcements/dreamworks-presents-bee-movie-get-free-bee-items/t.32765269/ Forum :: Main Index | Gaia Online<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===Books===
Eleven books were released for the film: 

* ''Bee Movie: The Story Book''<ref>{{cite book |last=Korman |first=Susan |date=September 18, 2007 |title=Bee Movie: The Movie Storybook |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=8Q0_wdVTmJ0C |location=New York, NY |publisher=HarperCollins |page= |isbn=9780061251795 |access-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref> 
* ''Bee Movie: The Honey Disaster''<ref>{{cite book |last=Frantz |first=Jennifer |date=September 18, 2007 |title=Bee Movie: The Honey Disaster |url=https://archive.org/details/honeydisaster00fran |url-access=registration |location=New York, NY |publisher=HarperCollins |page= |isbn=9780061251665 |access-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref>
* ''The Art of Bee Movie''<ref>{{cite book |last=Beck |first=Jerry |date=October 25, 2007 |title=The Art of Bee Movie |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=J3cD5gGALT4C |location=San Francisco, CA |publisher=Chronicle Books |page= |isbn=9780811859516 |access-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref> 
* ''Bee Movie: Deluxe Sound Storybook''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Bee-Movie-Deluxe-Sound-Storybook/dp/0696233843/ |title=Bee Movie: Deluxe Sound Storybook |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Company:Amazon|Amazon]] |publisher= |access-date=August 25, 2018 |quote=}}</ref> 
* ''Bee Movie Ultimate Sticker Book''<ref>{{cite book |last=Scott |first=Heather |date=September 17, 2007 |title=Bee Movie Ultimate Sticker Book |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=DU7VBAAACAAJ |location= |publisher=DK |page= |isbn=9780756632144 |access-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref> 
* ''Bee Movie (I Can Find It)''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Bee-Movie-Can-Find-It/dp/0696233851 |title=Bee Movie (I Can Find It) |last= |first= |date= |website=[[Company:Amazon|Amazon]] |publisher= |access-date=July 2, 2013 |quote=}}</ref> 
* ''Bee Movie: The Junior Novel''<ref>{{cite book |last=Korman |first=Susan |date=September 18, 2007 |title=Bee Movie: The Junior Novel |url=https://archive.org/details/beemovie00susa_1 |url-access=registration |location=New York, NY |publisher=HarperCollins |page= |isbn=9780061251788 |access-date=July 2, 2013}}</ref> 
* ''Bee Movie: What’s the Buzz?''<ref>{{cite book |last=Katschke |first=Judy |date=September 18, 2007 |title=Bee Movie: What's the Buzz? |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=20IQ8zb5aC0C |location=New York, NY |publisher=HarperCollins |page= |isbn=9780061251771 |access-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref> 
* ''Bee Movie Mad Libs''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stern |first1=Leonard |last2=Price |first2=Richard |date=October 4, 2007 |title=Bee Movie Mad Libs |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=OBcGBAAACAAJ |location= |publisher=Penguin USA |page= |isbn=9780843126754 |access-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref> 
* ''Bee Movie: Bee Meets Girl''<ref>{{cite book |last=Driggs |first=Scout |date=September 18, 2007 |title=Bee Movie: Bee Meets Girl |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Tz9gKmqgJHsC |location=New York, NY |publisher=HarperCollins |page= |isbn=9780061251740 |access-date=August 25, 2018}}</ref>
* ''Bee Movie Mix & Match Jigsaw Puzzle Book''<ref>{{Cite book|last=|first=|title=Bee Movie: Mix & Match Jigsaw Puzzle Book|publisher=Meredith Books|year=2007|isbn=978-0696234798|location=USA|pages=}}</ref>

===Video game===
A video game titled ''[[Software:Bee Movie Game|Bee Movie Game]]'' was released on October 30, 2007 for [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Microsoft Windows]], [[Engineering:Xbox 360|Xbox 360]], [[Engineering:Wii|Wii]], [[Engineering:PlayStation 2|PlayStation 2]], and Nintendo DS.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.g4tv.ca/technews/JP/JP_20071024_beemovieinterview.shtml |title='Q&A with 'Bee Movie Game' producer |last=Powell |first=John |date=October 24, 2007 |website=G4 Canada |publisher= |access-date=September 14, 2014 |quote= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108101523/http://www.g4tv.ca/technews/JP/JP_20071024_beemovieinterview.shtml |archive-date=November 8, 2014}}</ref>

===Home media===
''Bee Movie'' was released on DVD on March 11, 2008 in both fullscreen and widescreen formats and a 2-disc special edition DVD. The single-disc extras include the "Inside the Hive: The Cast of ''Bee Movie''" and "Tech of ''Bee Movie''" featurettes, "We Got the Bee" music video, "Meet Barry B. Benson" feature, and interactive games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Bee-Movie-DVD/839/ |title=Bee Movie DVD: Full Screen Edition |publisher=Blu-ray.com |date=March 11, 2008 |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> The special edition DVD extras additionally include a filmmaker commentary, alternate endings, lost scenes with commentary, the live action trailers, and ''Jerry's Flight Over Cannes''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Foster|first=Dave|title=Bee Movie (R1) in March - Art & Specs added|url=https://www.thedigitalfix.com/film/content/66738/bee-movie-r1-in-march-art-and-specs-added/|accessdate=August 11, 2012|newspaper=The Digital Fix|date=January 23, 2008}}</ref> An [[HD DVD]] version was cancelled after the discontinuation of that format.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/DreamWorks/Paramount/Industry_Trends/Paramount_Cancels_Majority_of_HD_DVD_Slate_UPDATED/1522 |title=Paramount Cancels Majority of HD DVD Slate (UPDATED) |last=Bracke |first=Peter |website=High Def Digest |date=February 28, 2008 |accessdate=March 21, 2011}}</ref> Paramount released the movie on Blu-ray Disc on May 20, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/04/29/paramount-officially-rejoins-the-blu-ray-camp-on-may-20th/ |title=Paramount officially rejoins the Blu-ray camp on May 20th |last=Drawbaugh |first=Ben |website=Engadget HD |date=April 29, 2008 |accessdate=March 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923191315/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/04/29/paramount-officially-rejoins-the-blu-ray-camp-on-may-20th/ |archivedate=September 23, 2009 }}</ref>

==Reception==

===Critical reception===
The film received a 50% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 173 reviews with an average rating of 5.67/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "''Bee Movie'' has humorous moments, but its awkward premise and tame delivery render it mostly forgettable."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bee_movie/ |title=Bee Movie (2007) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=[[Company:Fandango Media|Fandango Media]] |date= |accessdate=July 8, 2019}}</ref> Another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a [[Normalization (statistics)|normalized]] rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 54 based on 34 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/bee-movie |title=Bee Movie Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |date=June 16, 2010 |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |title=Cinemascore |last= |first= |date= |website=CinemaScore |publisher= |access-date=August 25, 2018 |quote=}}</ref>

Kyle Smith of the ''New York Post'' gave the film three out of four stars, saying "After ''Shrek the Third''{{'}}s flatulence jokes, the return of that Seinfeldian wit brings animation up a level."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Kyle|title=JERRY ‘BEE’ GOOD|url=https://nypost.com/2007/11/02/jerry-bee-good/|accessdate=October 30, 2016|work=New York Post|date=November 2, 2007}}</ref> Michael Phillips of the ''Chicago Tribune'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "It's on the easygoing level of ''Surf's Up'', and a full tick up from, say, ''Over the Hedge'' or ''The Ant Bully''. But given the Seinfeld pedigree it's something of a disappointment."<ref name="rottentomatoes1">{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bee_movie/reviews/?type=top_critics |title=Bee Movie - Movie Reviews |work=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=[[Company:Fandango Media|Fandango Media]] |date= |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> Peter Travers of ''Rolling Stone'' gave the film three out of four stars, saying "At its relaxed best, when it's about, well, nothing, the slyly comic ''Bee Movie'' is truly beguiling."<ref name="rottentomatoes1"/> Desson Thomson of ''{{wipe|The Washington Post}}'' said, "''Bee Movie'' feels phoned in on every level. The images, usually computer animation's biggest draw, are disappointingly average. And as for the funny stuff, well, that's where you were supposed to come in."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/01/AR2007110102491.html |title=Bumbling 'Bee Movie' Needs More of Jerry |work={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |date=November 2, 2007 |accessdate=July 2, 2013 |first=Desson |last=Thomson}}</ref>

A.O. Scott of ''{{wipe|The New York Times}}'' gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "The most genuinely apian aspect of ''Bee Movie'' is that it spends a lot of its running time buzzing happily around, sniffing out fresh jokes wherever they may bloom."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=A. O. |title=A Drone No More: No Hive for Him! |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/movies/02bee.html |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |date=2 November 2007}}</ref> Claudia Puig gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "''Bee Movie'' is certainly not low-budget, but it has all the staying power and creative value of a B-movie. The secret life of bees, as told by Seinfeld, is a bore with a capital B."<ref name="rottentomatoes1" /> Steven Rea of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' gave the film three stars out of four, saying "''Bee Movie'' is not ''Shrek'', and it is not ''Ratatouille'' either (by far the standout computer-animated feature of the year). But it has enough buzzing wit and eye-popping animation to win over the kids—and probably more than a few parents, too."<ref>{{cite web|last=Rea |first=Steven |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/movies/20071102_Bee_Movie_flies.html |title=`Bee Movie' flies *** |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=November 1, 2007 |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> Richard Roeper gave the film a positive review, saying "This is a beautifully animated, cleverly executed, warm and funny adventure."<ref name="rottentomatoes1" />

[[Biography:Roger Ebert|Roger Ebert]] of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film two out of four stars, saying "All of this material, written by Seinfeld and writers associated with his television series, tries hard, but never really takes off. We learn at the outset of the movie that bees theoretically cannot fly. Unfortunately, in the movie, that applies only to the screenplay. It is really, really, really hard to care much about a platonic romantic relationship between Renee Zellweger and a bee, although if anyone could pull it off, she could."<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert |first=Roger |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bee-movie-2007 |title=Bee Movie Movie Review & Film Summary (2007) |website=RogerEbert.com |date=November 1, 2007 |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> Ty Burr of ''The Boston Globe'' gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The vibe is loose-limbed and fluky, and the gags have an extra snap that's recognizably Seinfeldian. If I believed in a sitcom afterlife, I'd swear the whole thing was cooked up by Kramer and George's dad."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2007/11/02/bee_plus/ |title=Bee plus |work=The Boston Globe |date=November 2, 2007 |accessdate=July 2, 2013 |first=Ty |last=Burr}}</ref> Jack Mathews of the ''New York Daily News'' gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Watching this pun-filled cartoon is like falling into a tray of children's watercolors—the warm end, where oranges and yellows and ambers wave."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/bee-movie-bee-dazzling-article-1.227709 |title='Bee Movie' is bee-dazzling! |work=New York Daily News |date=October 31, 2007 |accessdate=July 2, 2013 |location=New York}}</ref>

Stephen Whitty of the ''Newark Star-Ledger'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "The movie has some pretty pictures and a few good jokes, but not nearly enough. And the story suffers from sitcom attention-deficit disorder, veering off in a new direction every half-hour or so."<ref name="rottentomatoes1" /> David Botti of ''Newsweek'' said, "What I like about ''Bee Movie'' is its comfy, off-the-cuff charm: unlike a lot of animated family entertainment, it's not all Thwack Smash Kaboom."<ref>{{cite web|last=Ansen |first=David |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2007/11/01/sweet-bee-movie-more-plot-please.html |title=Sweet ‘Bee Movie’—More Plot, Please |work=The Daily Beast |date=November 1, 2007 |accessdate=July 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529161508/https://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2007/11/01/sweet-bee-movie-more-plot-please.html |archive-date=May 29, 2012}}</ref> Moira MacDonald of ''The Seattle Times'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "''Bee Movie'' doesn't touch the bar raised so high by Pixar, but it creates a little buzz of its own."<ref>{{cite news|last=Macdonald |first=Moira |url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?slug=bee02&date=20071102 |title=A little bit of buzz for "Bee Movie" |work=The Seattle Times |date=November 2, 2007 |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> Peter Howell of the ''Toronto Star'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "''Bee Movie'' is a cute movie. Not that there's anything ... well, you know the rest. But cute is not what adults expect from Jerry Seinfeld, although children will be delighted."<ref>{{cite news |last=Howell |first=Peter |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2007/11/02/bee_movie_unearned_stripes.html |title='Bee Movie': Unearned stripes |work=Toronto Star |date=November 2, 2007 |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref>

===Box office===
The film opened in second place to ''American Gangster'', but its gross of $38,021,044 had it more in line with the studios' lowest-grossing features, such as ''Shark Tale''. The film had an average of $9,679 from 3,928 theaters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2007&wknd=44&p=.htm |title=Weekend Box Office Results for November 2-4, 2007 |website=Box Office Mojo |date=January 7, 2013 |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> In its second weekend, the film held well with a 33% drop to $25,565,462 and claiming the top spot, resulting in a $6,482 average from expanding to 3,944 theaters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2007&wknd=45&p=.htm |title=Weekend Box Office Results for November 9-11, 2007 |website=Box Office Mojo |date=January 7, 2013 |accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> Its widest release was 3,984 theaters, and closed on February 14, 2008 after 104 days of release, grossing $126,631,277 domestically along with an additional $166,883,059 overseas for a worldwide total of $293,514,336.<ref name=BOM /> Based on its domestic box office performance, the film failed to recoup its production budget of $150 million.<ref name=BOM /><ref name=THRDragonCaged>{{cite news|last1=Bond|first1=Paul|title='Dragon' Caged a Little Longer|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dragon-caged-a-little-longer-105682|accessdate=February 23, 2017|work=The Hollywood Reporter|publisher=Valence Media|date=February 27, 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223190338/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dragon-caged-a-little-longer-105682|archivedate=February 23, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the income from worldwide box office, home media, and pay television, the film ultimately turned a small profit for the studio.<ref name=DreamWorksEarnings>{{cite web|title=Bee Movie pushes Dreamworks earnings|url=http://www.cultjer.com/2008/04/29/bee-movie-pushes-dreamworks-earnings?part=single|website=Cultjer|accessdate=February 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |author=DreamWorks Animation |date=February 26, 2008 |title=FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2007 FINANCIAL RESULTS |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1297401/000119312508038700/dex991.htm |location=Glendale, CA |publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |agency= |access-date=February 23, 2017}}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
''Bee Movie'' was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 65th Golden Globe Awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/news/id/81 |title=Hollywood Foreign Press Association 2008 Golden Globe Awards For The Year Ended December 31, 2007 |accessdate=December 13, 2007 |date=December 13, 2007 |website=Golden Globes |publisher=Hollywood Foreign Press Association |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071214020838/http://www.goldenglobes.org/news/id/81 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = December 14, 2007}}</ref>

Barry B. Benson was the presenter for Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film on the 80th Academy Awards for 2008. Beforehand, he showed the audience some of his "prior" roles, including every bee in the swarm in ''The Swarm''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2008/02/25/bee-movie-seinf/ |title=PopWatch Petition: Enough 'Bee Movie' product placement already! |last=Slezak |first=Michael |date=February 25, 2008 |work=Entertainment Weekly |publisher=Meredith Corporation |access-date=July 2, 2013 |quote=}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-  style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Awards
|-  style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! Award
! Category
! Name
! Outcome
|-
|rowspan="5"| '''35th Annie Awards'''
| Annie Award for Best Animated Feature
|
|rowspan="12" {{Nom}}
|-
| Annie Award for Best Animation Production Artist
| Michael Isaak
|-
| Annie Award for Best Music in an Animated Feature Production
| Rupert Gregson-Williams
|-
| Annie Award for Best Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
| Athanassios Vakalis
|-
| Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
| Patrick Warburton
|-
||'''Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards'''
| Best Animated Feature
|
|-
||'''Golden Globe Awards'''
| Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film
|
|-
||'''Golden Reel Awards'''
| Best Sound Editing - SFX, Foley, Dialogue & ADR for Feature Film Animation
| Michael Silvers<br />Will Files<br />Luke Dunn Gielmuda<br />J.J. George<br />Scott Guitteda<br />Kyrsten Mate Comoglio<br />Robert Shoup<br />Shannon Mills<br />Steve Slanec<br />Kevin Crehan
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards'''
| Favorite Animated Movie
|
|-
| Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
| Jerry Seinfeld
|-
||'''Producers Guild of America'''
| Animated Theatrical Motion Picture
| Jerry Seinfeld<br />Christina Steinerg
|-
||'''Young Artist Awards'''
| Best Family Feature Film (Animation)
|
|}

==Lawsuits==

===Beebylon vs. DreamWorks===
''Bee Movie'' is alleged to be similar to a concept developed in 2000 by a team of Swedish animation students, which they claim was presented to DreamWorks in 2001 under the name ''Beebylon''. The animation students say DreamWorks rejected the idea, on the basis of it being "too childish". When ''Bee Movie'' was announced in 2003, the students claim they once again contacted DreamWorks to make sure the movie was not similar to their original concept, and were given a reassuring answer. When one of the members of the ''Beebylon'' team saw a trailer of the movie in 2007, he found it to be extremely similar and attempted to find a U.S. lawyer who could represent them. Jerry Seinfeld rejected the plagiarism claims during his PR tour for ''Bee Movie'' in Sweden. "I'm doing my best not to laugh and I'm taking it as serious as I can. But it's a little bit hard. It is entirely possible that somebody else came up with an idea about making a movie about bees. I knew nothing of this until this very morning and I hope they are not too upset."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.svd.se/seinfelds-skamt-blev-film |title=Seinfelds skämt blev film |last= |first= |date= |work=Svenska Dagbladet |publisher=Schibsted |access-date=March 18, 2008 |quote=Jag försöker att inte skratta och tar det så allvarligt jag kan. Men det är lite svårt. Det är fullt möjligt att någon annan kommit på en idé att göra en film om bin. Jag visste inget om detta imorse och hoppas att de inte är alltför upprörda. De borde försöka göra en egen film. |language=Swedish |trans-title=Seinfeld's joke became a movie}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sydsvenskan.se/nojen/article282948.ece |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128135203/http://sydsvenskan.se/nojen/article282948.ece |archivedate=November 28, 2007 |title=Seinfeld förnekar plagiat av filmidé |last=Redvall |first=Eva |work=Sydsvenskan |publisher=Bonnier Group |date=November 27, 2007 |accessdate=March 21, 2011 |language=Swedish |trans-title=Seinfeld denies plagiarism of film idea }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/isidorpub/PrinterFriendlyArticle.asp?ProgramID=478&nyheter=1&artikel=632987 |title=Har Stephen Spielberg stulit en svensk filmidé? |website=Sveriges Radio |date=June 3, 2005 |accessdate=March 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224042724/http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/isidorpub/PrinterFriendlyArticle.asp?ProgramID=478&nyheter=1&artikel=632987 |archivedate=February 24, 2009 |language=Swedish |trans-title=Has Stephen Spielberg stolen a Swedish film idea?}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesliv/article291295.ab |title=Svenskar anklagar Spielberg för stöld |work=Aftonbladet |publisher=Schibsted |date=June 5, 2005 |accessdate=March 21, 2011 |language=Swedish |trans-title=Swedes accuse Spielberg of theft}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwwc.aftonbladet.se/vss/telegram/0,1082,65316294_640__,00.html |title=Henrik anklagar Spielberg för stöld |work=Aftonbladet |publisher=Schibsted |date=June 5, 2005 |accessdate=March 21, 2011 |language=Swedish |trans-title=Henrik accuses Spielberg of theft}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aftenposten.no/kul_und/film/article2123255.ece?service=print |title=Seinfeld ler av svensk søksmål |work=Aftenposten |publisher=Schibsted |date=November 28, 2007 |accessdate=March 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604131959/http://www.aftenposten.no/kul_und/film/article2123255.ece?service=print |archivedate=June 4, 2011 |language=Norwegian |trans-title=Seinfeld laughs at Swedish lawsuits}}</ref>

===Beeceuticals vs. DreamWorks===
A Florida-based cosmetics company called Beeceuticals filed a lawsuit over the use of their trademarked phrase "Give Bees a Chance".<ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://www.theindychannel.com/entertainment/14530310/detail.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202074612/http://www.theindychannel.com/entertainment/14530310/detail.html |archivedate=December 2, 2008 |title='Bee Movie' Makers Sued Over Use Of Slogan |website=WRTV |date=November 7, 2007 |accessdate=March 21, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecorazzi.com/2007/11/06/bee-movie-hit-with-not-so-sweet-lawsuit/ |title="Bee Movie" Hit With Not-So-Sweet Lawsuit |author=Stefani |website=Ecorazzi |date=November 6, 2007 |accessdate=March 21, 2011}}</ref> The suit between the parties was settled out of court.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=VIA/B:US&sid=anJbGSk8FO7w |title=Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Settle `Bee Movie' Slogan Suit |last=Larson |first=Erik |date=January 14, 2008 |website=[[Company:Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] |publisher= |access-date=September 20, 2008 |quote=}}</ref>

==Internet popularity==
 
Several years after the film's release, ''Bee Movie'' had an unexpected rise in popularity as an [[Social:Internet meme|Internet meme]].

In 2015, posts of the entire film [[Engineering:Screenplay|screenplay]] spread across [[Company:Facebook|Facebook]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Purdom|first=Clayton|title=People are inexplicably flocking to watch ''Bee Movie'' at "20,000X speed"|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/people-are-inexplicably-flocking-watch-bee-movie-2-246092|website=The A.V. Club|accessdate=November 29, 2016|date=November 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Feldman|first1=Brian|title=The Best Prank on Facebook Right Now Involves the Entire Transcript of ''Bee Movie''|url=http://nymag.com/selectall/2015/12/why-do-people-post-the-bee-movie-script.html|accessdate=November 29, 2016|work=Select All|publisher=New York|date=December 2, 2015}}</ref> In November 2016 [[Company:YouTube|YouTube]] user "Avoid at All Costs" uploaded a video where the entire film sped up every time the word "bee" was used. The video, titled ''The entire bee movie but every time they say bee it gets faster'', has gathered over 17 million views as of May 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Alexander|first1=Julia|title=YouTube removes Bee Movie memes due to its policy on spam, deception and scams (update)|url=http://www.polygon.com/2016/11/23/13732986/bee-movie-meme-youtube-remove|accessdate=November 29, 2016|work=Polygon|date=November 23, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Shamsian|first1=Jacob|title=This YouTube video that has been viewed over 12 million times could be the heralding of a new meme|url=http://www.thisisinsider.com/bee-movie-sped-up-meme-2016-12|accessdate=December 3, 2016|work=INSIDER|date=December 2, 2016}}</ref> The popularity of this video spawned several variants where the movie or trailer is edited in unusual ways.<ref name="nymag">{{cite web|last1=Feldman|first1=Brian|title=Honestly, This New ''Bee Movie'' Meme Is Just Baffling|url=http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/11/honestly-this-new-bee-movie-meme-is-just-baffling.html|work=Select All|publisher=New York|accessdate=December 22, 2016|date=November 18, 2016}}</ref> ''Vanity Fair'' would later characterize the film's late popularity as "totally bizarre." <ref name=Beemovievanity>{{cite web|last=Bradley|first=Laura|title=How ''Bee Movie'' Won 2016|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/12/bee-movie-memes-2016|work=Vanity Fair|date=December 30, 2016|accessdate=February 2, 2017}}</ref>

There have been some attempts to explain the phenomenon: Jason Richards, whom ''Vanity Fair'' identified as one of the larger promoters of the meme via his @Seinfeld2000 [[Company:Twitter|Twitter]] handle has noted the "off-brand Pixar quality" as a possible reason,<ref name=Beemovievanity/> while Barry Marder, one of the film's script writers, identified "that odd relationship between an insect and a human woman," as the possible cause.<ref name="Statemenmeme">{{cite web|last=Tait|first=Amelia|title=A decade on, Bee Movie’s creators reflect on its many memes|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/internet/2017/12/why-is-bee-movie-a-meme|work=New Statesman|date=December 14, 2017|access-date=December 16, 2017}}</ref> Inverse meanwhile writes that the film's internet popularity "was a reaction not just to the movie itself but to the realization among millennials that they’d been shown a truly odd movie as children and thought nothing of it." <ref>{{cite web|last=Bergado|first=Gabe|title=How Barry B. Benson Became an Internet A-Lister|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/25329-bee-movie-memes-explained-script-youtube-videos|website=Inverse|date=February 22, 2017|accessdate=December 22, 2017}}</ref>

Writing for ''New York'' magazine, Paris Martineau identified the meme as starting on [[Company:Tumblr|Tumblr]] circa 2011 at which point users would, apparently in earnest, post the opening quotation identifying it as inspiring.<ref name="NYmag">{{cite web|last1=Martineau|first1=Paris|title=A Complete History of ''Bee Movie''’s Many, Many Memes|url=http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/11/a-complete-history-of-bee-movies-many-many-memes.html|work=Select All|publisher=New York|date=November 2, 2017|accessdate=December 23, 2017}}</ref> By December 2012, however these posts became so ubiquitous that it would inspire parodies.<ref name="NYmag"/> It has also been suggested that the spread of videos such as ''The entire bee movie but every time they say bee it gets faster'' was inspired by the preceding popularity of the "[[Social:We Are Number One|We Are Number One]]" meme videos, many of which used a similar title format of "We Are Number One but...".<ref name=nymag />

Seinfeld said that he has no interest to make a sequel to ''Bee Movie'' in the wake of its online popularity. During a Reddit AMA in June 2016, a fan asked if a ''Bee Movie 2'' would happen. Seinfeld had this to say, 
{{quote|text=I considered it this spring for a solid six hours. There’s a fantastic energy now for some reason, on the internet particularly. [[Company:Tumblr|Tumblr]], people brought my attention to. I actually did consider it, but then I realized it would make ''Bee Movie 1'' less iconic. But my kids want me to do it, a lot of people want me to do it. A lot of people that don’t know what animation is want me to do it. If you have any idea what animation is, you’d never do it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/jerry-seinfeld-wont-make-bee-movie-sequel-not-reason-might-think-141071.html|website=Cartoon Brew|accessdate=March 15, 2018|title=Jerry Seinfeld Won’t Make A ‘Bee Movie’ Sequel, But Not For The Reason You Might Think|date=June 27, 2016|last=Amidi|first=Amid}}</ref>}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official|https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/bee-movie}}
* {{IMDb title|0389790}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|bee_movie}}
* {{metacritic film|bee-movie}}
* {{mojo title|beemovie}}



[[Category:Internet memes]]

{{Sourceattribution|Bee Movie|1}}