A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving/The Mayflower Voyagers

Released 1973
Animated
Voices Todd Barbee, Bill Melendez
Directed by Bill Melendez, Phil Roman

In "A Bug's Life," the protagonist is Flik (voice of Dave Foley), an ant whose sole desire in life is "to make a difference." Flik is an inventor, and, when one of his experiments goes wrong, it brings the wrath of the grasshoppers, led by the dangerous Hopper (Kevin Spacey), down upon the denizens of the ant hill. To protect the community, Flik, with the blessing of the ant queen and Princess Atta, ventures into the outside world and recruits "warrior insects" to defend the colony. There is a mistake in identity, however. Flik's "warrior bugs" are actually circus insects, and they accompany him under the false assumption that he is a talent scout. Things start to unravel once the ant and his elite corps discover the truth about each other.

"A Bug's Life" has an ingenious series of end credits. Instead of just the latest lame Randy Newman song warbling over scrolling names, we are presented with a collection of mocked-up outtakes that parody the kinds of flubs and goofs which have come to decorate the credits of numerous comedies. It's brilliant in both conception and execution, and one could make a solid case that the last three minutes of "A Bug's Life" are its best. I wouldn't go that far, but this is definitely a movie when it's a good idea not to run for the exit as soon as the story ends.

Summary by James Berardinelli

I'm not a big Peanuts fan, so I wasn't too thrilled with the "Thanksgiving" special. The "Mayflower" segment, however, is outstanding. It's the best Peanuts special I've seen, and the history is detailed and fantastic. --Bill Alward, November 20, 2001