The upcoming DreamWorks film “Bee Movie“, while still a couple of months away, already offends my sensibilities. For one, I dislike Jerry Seinfeld. But that’s really a minor point.

My main gripe is the sex of the main protagonist, for two reasons.

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been vaguely upset at the lack of heroines in Disney and other movies. The damsels in distress of old-style Disney never particularly appealed to me. Then there was the occasional “strong woman” in a sidekick or love interest type role, but they always ended up needing to be saved as well. Oh, and of course, there’s Mulan - at last a true female hero! But she has to dress up like a man. Like, duh.

Do they really think kids don’t notice this? I mean, ok, back in the days of Disney’s Snow White, you really couldn’t expect the film makers to have female role models at the forefront of their minds. But these days? I would’ve expected Harry Potter to be a girl. I would’ve expected things to be different.

Especially when making movies about ants or bees.

I mean, Antz, I could forgive, because Z was Woody Allen. A Bug’s Life was just a pale copy of Antz, so I guess I can let it slip without comment (except to note that ants aren’t bugs). But Bee Movie? They’re gonna do the same to bees now?

The official site describes Bee Movie as “a comedy that will change everything you think you know about bees”. Well, yeah! I for one had no idea bees go to university. Nor that honeybees are striped like wasps with bodies like bumblebees. But what I really don’t get is how they’ve missed this one fundamental thing about bees that pretty much everyone who’ve heard of the animal knows: Male bees don’t work! In fact, half of the year, they don’t even exist, on account of being slaughtered each autumn.

I have a nagging feeling I’m taking all this much too seriously - but if it turns out Mr Barry B. Benson has a stinger too, I’m gonna kill someone.

bee movie, dreamworks, honeybees