Look, there are plenty of animated films coming out on the 2025 movie schedule, but you know me – I love to look back on the films that shaped me as a person and have caused me to alter my opinion on them. Today, we'll be talking about Bee Movie. That's right – the movie that is basically a meme for my entire generation.
Before we get into it, let me say that I grew up in a time when Bee Movie, a DreamWorks Animation film, came out during some of the height of storytelling in CGI animation. In 2007, that same year, Pixar released Ratatouille, an underrated gem. DreamWorks Animation also released Shrek the Third, and while it's certainly not the best Shrek film, it was a part of a massive franchise.
And this is among several other animated films from other studios – shoehorning a movie like Bee Movie in there was never going to lead to it doing well in the box office, despite the mixed reviews that it did get. But now, years later, I've started to realize that Bee Movie stings me a little differently, and I'm here to convince you why you should check this film out again if you haven't in many years.
Let's Just State The Pop Culture Impact Of This Movie And How Hilarious It's Become
There are so many animated films that have truly made their mark on pop culture, especially in today's day and age, where there's almost an overwhelming amount of them. Shrek is another excellent example of that. The same goes for several Pixar films and plenty of Disney animated classics. Heck, the amount of Frozen memes I have seen is just too high.
But I can't write an article about Bee Movie and not acknowledge how this film has probably had the strangest, but hilarious memes out there. From the videos online of the film getting sped up every time someone says the word "bee," to the random jokes that are used over and over again on TikTok, to the soundbites we always get to hear – it's endless.
Honestly, a lot of the jokes in this film almost feel like a fever dream. I sometimes can't even believe that this movie is accurate and that this was marketed as a kid's film with how the internet has run with it. So, I have to give it the appropriate praise for remaining relevant over the years.
The Plot Used To Be All Over The Place For Me, But NowThat Only Adds To The "B" Movie Effect
Onto critiques, I think one of the biggest things I didn't like about the movie as a kid was the fact that it was tough to follow. It felt as if there was one plot after the other, and they were all disconnected, but then somehow reconnected at the very end. At first, it feels like one of the best rom-coms out there, even though it follows a human and a bee. Then it's like a law movie mixed with comedy, and then all of a sudden… it's a drama?
I don't know how my little brain kept up with everything at the time, and it's no wonder I didn't enjoy it as much as I did in other animated films at the time. But you know what? I really like it now.
I think the fact that Bee Movie kind of flies from genre to genre only adds to the "B" movie aspect. It really makes fun of the concept of B movies while using the plot device of bees to push that forward. It's kooky, wild and out there, but somehow works in the end as a comedy movie. I wouldn't say it's that coherent, but I can at least appreciate it for what it is now.
I Never Understood Why Barry Didn't Feel Different From Jerry Seinfeld, But Now I Know It Was Really Just Him Playing Himself
I don't even know how to describe how I felt about Barry Benson as a child because he was not my favorite animated character. But now I realize Barry wasn't for me as a kid – he was for the adults. Let me explain.
Most animated characters in these big-time movies are completely molded to fit a certain stereotype for kids to love or grow up on. We could talk about Tiana being an excellent princess in The Princess and the Frog or Po's journey of resilience in becoming a kung fu master in Kung Fu Panda—I could go on and on with examples.
But Barry isn't that. Barry is just Jerry Seinfeld, and now, as an adult who has watched Seinfeld and seen all of his stand-up specials, I know that he voiced this character as himself. You know how there's this running gag in Hollywood where Ryan Reynolds doesn't play characters and that he only plays different versions of himself?
Yeah, that is Barry. He is just Seinfeld who happens to look like a bee, but tells secretly hilarious adult jokes that only we get now. I have to give it to him – he does a good job. Now I think I like Barry a whole lot more.
I Used To Think The CGI Animation Was Bad, But For 2007, It's Not As Horrible As I Originally Thought
Another thing that I began to realize I didn't like as a kid was the animation, and I am just now realizing how much of a spoiled brat I was. Because really, seeing this now, the animation is relatively decent.
Again, during this time, we were in the height of the best Pixar movies out there, so CGI animation was really the best it had been over at Disney, and it was hard for my brain to comprehend why this silly little Bee Movie didn't look as pretty as the Pixar films. Now, as an adult, this film really isn't that bad when it comes to the animation.
Sure, there are definitely moments where you can tell this film has aged a bit. Some of the humans look pretty wonky, but there's no denying the bright colors of the flower fields, the bold patterns of the honeybees, and a heck of a lot more. Even so, I find myself liking it a lot more.
Personally, there are so many bad animated movies out there now that I really appreciate this film from the 2000s, where CGI was really starting to become the main thing across all studios, but everyone was putting their best work out there. You have to love it.
Truthfully, I Think This Movie Is Only Going To Continue To Grow With Age
There are undoubtedly many cult classics out there that you watch, and sometimes you wonder why it became one. But this will end up being a good one. Bee Movie is one of those films that was under-appreciated during its time, namely by kids like me.
But the world of animation has drastically changed. The quality of some films has gone down. Heck, even Disney, which felt like it could do no wrong, bombed with Wish in 2023 because people said the animation looked lazy and unfinished. Bee Movie isn't that.
Yes, it's not the perfect movie and never will be, but that's not what Bee Movie is trying to accomplish. It's a well-animated film from 2007 that aims to make you laugh out of the jokes, the memes and the strange plotline that you follow. But you know that by the end, you'll be having a good time.
I think despite all the jokes that have surrounded this film, it's going to end up becoming a favorite of not only my generation but the one that comes after me, and maybe even after that. When you live in a world where animation is everywhere and there are more bad films than great ones, you hold onto the few from the past that dared to push boundaries with their material and ideas, and Bee Movie was undoubtedly that.
This makes it sound like I'm saying it's the ultimate kids movie – and trust me, I'm not saying that. There are plenty of other great animated films for the whole family out there that aren't as raunchy and silly as Bee Movie can be. But I will ask that you give the film a chance on your next movie night just for fun. Maybe you'll end up liking it way more than you did in the past.
