Mr. Bug Goes to Town facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mr. Bug Goes to Town |
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Mr. Bug Goes to Town original one-sheet poster.
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| Directed by | Dave Fleischer Shamus Culhane (uncredited) Animation directors Willard Bowsky Shamus Culhane H.C. Ellison Thomas Johnson Graham Place Stan Quackenbush David Tendlar Myron Waldman |
| Produced by | Max Fleischer |
| Screenplay by | Dan Gordon Tedd Pierce Isadore Sparber Graham Place Bob Wickersham William Turner Carl Meyer Cal Howard |
| Story by | Dave Fleischer Dan Gordon Tedd Pierce Isadore Sparber |
| Narrated by | Guinn "Big Boy" Williams (uncredited) |
| Starring | Kenny Gardner Gwen Williams Jack Mercer Tedd Pierce Carl Meyer Stan Freed Pauline Loth Pinto Colvig (uncredited) Margie Hines (uncredited) Mae Questel (uncredited) Dave Fleischer (uncredited) Max Fleischer (uncredited) Seymour Kneitel (uncredited) Isadore Sparber (uncredited) The Four Marshalls The Royal Guards |
| Music by | Leigh Harline (score) Frank Loesser (words-songs) Hoagy Carmichael (music-songs) Sammy Timberg (music-songs) Lou Fleischer (supervisor, uncredited) |
| Editing by | Dave Fleischer (uncredited) |
| Studio | Fleischer Studios |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 5, 1941 (premiere) February 13, 1942 (California) February 20, 1942 (New York City) |
| Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
| Money made | $241,000 |
Mr. Bug Goes to Town is a classic animated movie from 1941. It is also known by the names Hoppity Goes to Town and Bugville. This feature film was made by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. It first showed on December 5, 1941, and then came out in California and New York City in February 1942.
The movie was originally planned to be based on a book called The Life of the Bee. However, the filmmakers could not get the rights to use the book's story. So, they created a brand new story that was inspired by the book's ideas. The film was produced by Max Fleischer and directed by Dave Fleischer and Shamus Culhane. Many talented animators worked on the film's sequences. It also features popular songs like "We're the Couple in the Castle" and "Katy Did, Katy Didn't". This movie was the last animated feature film from Paramount Pictures until Charlotte's Web came out much later in 1973.
Contents
Story of the Bugs: Plot Summary
Hoppity's Return and Bug Trouble
The movie begins with Hoppity the Grasshopper returning to a big city, Manhattan, New York City. He finds that things have changed a lot since he left. His insect friends live in a place called the "Lowlands." This area is just outside the garden of a small house. The house belongs to a songwriter named Dick Dickens and his wife, Mary.
The insects are in danger from "human ones." Humans are using a broken fence as a shortcut, trampling through the bugs' homes. Insect houses are getting flattened or burned by discarded cigar butts. Old Mr. Bumble and his daughter, Honey, are especially at risk. Honey is also Hoppity's sweetheart. Their Honey Shop is in great danger.
Beetle's Tricky Plan
To make things worse, a greedy insect named C. Bagley Beetle wants to marry Honey Bee. He is a "property magnate," which means he owns a lot of land. With the help of his helpers, Swat the Fly and Smack the Mosquito, Beetle tricks Honey. He makes her believe that marrying him will save the insect community.
Hoppity soon learns that the songwriter, Dick Dickens, is waiting for a check. This money is from a music company for his song, "We're the Couple in the Castle." Hoppity believes this money can save all the bugs. But C. Bagley Beetle and his helpers steal the check. Because of this, the Dickens family loses their home.
Losing Faith and a New Skyscraper
Days pass, and nothing gets better for the bugs. Many insects in the Lowlands start to lose faith in Hoppity. They think his plan won't work. To make matters even worse, a huge skyscraper starts to be built exactly where the Dickens' house used to be. Mr. Beetle thinks he can make everyone pay high prices to live on his property. But then he finds out that the new building will also be on his property.
Beetle realizes Hoppity overheard him. So, he traps Hoppity inside the envelope that held the Dickens' check. He hides the envelope in a crack in a wall.
Hoppity's Escape and Heroic Rescue
Construction on the skyscraper begins while everyone is at Beetle and Honey's wedding. A heavy weight from a construction tool crashes through the wedding chapel. The terrified bugs flee back to the Lowlands. They don't realize that the entire area is now in danger from the construction.
Hoppity escapes when the construction crew tears down the wall. This frees the envelope he was trapped in. Hoppity rushes to Honey's rescue. He bravely battles Beetle and his helpers and wins!
A New Home: The Garden of Paradise
Hoppity tells everyone what happened and manages to get the check to Mr. Dickens. The song "We're the Couple in the Castle" becomes a huge hit! Meanwhile, Hoppity leads all the bugs from the Lowlands to the top of the new skyscraper. He believes the Dickens family has built a new home there and invited the bugs to live with them.
When they reach the top, it looks empty at first. But then the young bugs discover that the Dickens family has built a beautiful new penthouse. It has a "Garden of Paradise" just as Hoppity described! Honey and all the other bugs from the Lowlands live happily ever after in their wonderful new home. At the end, Ambrose looks down from the skyscraper and says, "Look at all the human ones down there. They look just like a lot of little bugs!"
Characters and Voice Actors
This movie features many fun characters, brought to life by talented voice actors:
- Kenny Gardner as Dick Dickens, the songwriter
- Gwen Williams as Mary Dickens, Dick's wife
- Jack Mercer as Mr. Bumble and Swat the Fly
- Tedd Pierce as C. Bagley Beetle, the tricky bug
- Carl Meyer as Smack the Mosquito
- Stan Freed as Hoppity the Grasshopper
- Pauline Loth as Honey Bee
- Pinto Colvig as Mr. Creeper (uncredited)
- Margie Hines as Mrs. Ladybug (uncredited)
- Mae Questel as Buzz the Beescout (uncredited)
- The Four Marshals and The Royal Guards provided chorus singing
- Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as the Narrator (uncredited)
Books and Merchandise
The movie was so popular that it also became a book! This book came out around the same time as the film. It included new characters and went into more detail about some parts of the story. For example, in the movie, Honey knows Beetle wants to marry her and doesn't like him. But she is willing to marry him to keep her community safe. In the book, Hoppity learns about Beetle's plan from Ambrose the Bee Scout. This makes the conflict between Hoppity and Beetle clear from the very beginning.
Besides the book, Mr. Bug Goes to Town also inspired a fun board game. There was even a series of trading cards for fans to collect!
