Insects tend to be of less interest than other animals, such as mammals or birds. Unlike vertebrates, they are not usually the main characters in films. Therefore, in this article we want to highlight some films that have helped to give them prominence and among which we are sure you will find some of your liking. Here is our selection:
Bugs: A Miniature Adventure (1998)
This is the insect movie that probably comes to mind for anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s. It was one of the first films produced by Pixar Animation Studios and is aimed at a family audience. It tells the story of Flik, a clever ant who gets his colony into trouble and travels to find help to fix it. Throughout his journey, we see a wide variety of insects (mantises, beetles, butterflies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, fleas...) humanised with humour. It is forgivable that the ants have only four legs or that the juveniles do not look like larvae.
Miniscule: The Valley of the Lost Ants (2013)
Another animation and family comedy film, but with a very different and original touch. It has the perspective of a nature documentary and a very neat aesthetic. It tells the story of an accidental ladybird who gets caught up in the epic struggle between two ant colonies over the remains of a picnic. The film avoids over-humanising the insects and has no dialogue, but the characters express their emotions through buzzing and movement. After watching it, you will probably empathise more with the insects that come to share your meal the next time you are in the countryside.
The Blue Butterfly: In Search of a Dream (2004)
A film aimed at a more adult audience, which brings us closer to entomology, the study of insects. Based on true events, it tells the story of Pete Carlton, a boy diagnosed with terminal cancer. Like many entomologists, Pete has developed a fascination with insects from a very young age and dreams of catching a stunning blue butterfly of the species Morpho menelausin the rainforest. In his journey with entomologist and populariser Alan Osborne, we can appreciate the difficulty, expectation and frustration that often accompany many field trips. Nor does he leave out the patience and understanding needed by those family members or friends who, even with a fear of insects, accompany the entomologists.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Produced by part of the team that would later found Studio Ghibli, this film, like several of the studio's films, has a strong environmentalist theme that invites us to reflect on our relationship with nature. Here, the insect protagonists, the Ohms, are not cuddly, but giant trilobite-like creatures feared by most humans. Their appearance is the result of adaptation to the pollution caused by a war that destroyed their habitat. Nausicaä, the princess of the Valley of the Wind, can communicate with the Ohms and will do everything possible to achieve coexistence between humans, Ohms and other living creatures. The film was inspired by the environmental disaster in Minamata Bay (Japan) in 1956, in which the discharge of sewage containing methylmercury led to the contamination of fish and the poisoning of the people who consumed them.
We hope that in the coming years we will see more films that bring us closer to the world of insects and that we will be able to continue to expand this review.
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