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Circus bugs?! How can you be circus bugs?!
Flik, finding out the warrior bugs are not who he thought they were[src]

The Circus Bugs are a group of bugs in the 1998 DisneyPixar film A Bug's Life. They are trained to be circus performers but were mistaken as warrior bugs by Flik.

Members[]

Main article: P.T. Flea
Ptflea

P.T. Flea is a flea and the ringmaster of the circus troupe, who is unwilling to give refunds after his show has lasted two minutes. His finale consists of an act called "Flaming Death", in which he was almost incinerated. This caused him to fire his entire troupe, until a foot-long line of flies arrived outside the circus tent, wanting to see the "Flaming Death" act again. He is greedily obsessed with money, but his demeanor changes after he and his entire troupe help the ant colony defeat Hopper and his gang of grasshoppers once and for all. His name is based on the initials of circus owner Phineas Taylor Barnum.

P.T. was voiced by John Ratzenberger, who once noted that P.T. was his favorite role.

Francisbugslife

Francis is a hot-tempered ladybug who acts as a clown in P.T. Flea's circus troupe. Unfortunately, the effect is so convincing that insects are always mistaking him for a real girl (with the fact that his actual species being a ladybug not helping matters either). He is very short-tempered and aggressive, and it doesn't help that he's constantly being mistaken for a girl just because he's a ladybug. He is great friends with Slim and Heimlich, who try to keep him calm. He also carries Slim when the circus troupe flies. He becomes a "den mother" to the Blueberry Scouts.

Francis was voiced by Denis Leary and by Nick Jameson in the video games and in Francis' Ladybug Boogie.

Slimbugslife

Slim is a pessimistic stick bug who acts as a clown in P.T. Flea's circus troupe. It appears that he is unhappy with his position at the circus troupe, as his boss constantly casts him as a prop instead of a character, with such castings as a broom, a pole, a stick, and a splinter. He is shown to be best friends with Heimlich and Francis, and often treats other bugs with more respect in contrast to Francis' aggressive nature. However, he seems to tolerate it, as seen when he calmly broke up a fight between Francis and a couple of flies during a performance. Unlike most stick insects, Slim does not have wings and cannot fly. Because of this, Francis usually carries him for transport.

Slim was voiced by David Hyde Pierce.

Heimlich1

Heimlich is an obese lime caterpillar (blue as a butterfly) with a German accent who acts as a clown in P.T. Flea's circus troupe, with dreams of becoming a butterfly. He is shown to have a gluttonous appetite and is seen eating almost all the time, especially while helping the ants construct a model bird to scare Hopper and his gang. Although brave, he still shows fear when a real bird nearly eats him. Also, when Hopper shouts at the approaching circus wagon, he frightens Heimlich who says he thinks he's going to wet himself.

Heimlich was voiced by the late Joe Ranft.

Dimbugslife

Dim is a large rhinoceros beetle that plays the "ferocious beast" in P.T. Flea's circus troupe, with a childlike nature, as seen when he sobs in pain after Rosie accidentally lashes one of his feet. He is also shown to be ticklish when some ant kids unintentionally tickle his thorax with their antennae while exploring beneath him. He is usually mothered by the black widow spider, Rosie. He is the largest insect of the circus troupe, and also the transport to Heimlich, Rosie, Tuck, and Roll. He is big and strong but kind of cowardly, like when Thud the horsefly intimidates his friends (although maybe because Thud was even bigger than Dim).

Dim was voiced by Brad Garrett.

Rosiebugslife

Rosie is a black widow spider who acts as a "lion tamer" in P.T. Flea's circus troupe with a motherlike nature. She is mostly a mother figure to the rhinoceros beetle, Dim, with whom she shares an act, and also the younger ants of the colony. She has apparently had twelve husbands who all died, making her (as she says) a "black widow widow." She sees her circus friends as her only true family.

Rosie was voiced by Bonnie Hunt.

Tuckandrollbugslife

Tuck and Roll are Hungarian twin pill bugs. They occasionally argue, but are usually the best of friends. They speak in gibberish and act as cannonballs in P.T. Flea's circus troupe. They are supposed to be the main part of the "Flaming Death" act, but their arguing and fighting results in the act going totally out of control and everybody being fired. However, they don't seem to understand this and remain cheerful even at the Bug Bar. They also appear to like the sound of the catchphrase: "You're fired!", since they continuously repeat in throughout the film after P.T. Flea says it to them, much to Rosie's irritation.

They were voiced by Michael McShane.

Mannybugslife

Manny is an elderly praying mantis with a British accent and the magician of P.T. Flea's circus troupe and Gypsy's husband. He is very kind and courteous to his fellow circus troupe and other insects, especially the ants on Ant Island. His act involves the "Chinese Cabinet of Metamorphosis", which is really the packaging of a Chinese takeout. His magic act is not appreciated well by the flies in the usual audience, who insult him and throw berries at him, but the grasshoppers take it seriously, as he somehow improved.

Manny was voiced by the late Jonathan Harris.

Gypsybug'slife

Gypsy is a moth who is Manny's wife and his lovely assistant in P.T. Flea's circus troupe. She is very kind as heard in most of her speaking lines. She is also very brave when she was seen luring the bird away from Heimlich and during the circus act for the grasshoppers. Furthermore, she is very defensive as shown while she was protecting her husband Manny when the grasshoppers began to get suspicious. She may be a little sensitive to gore and violence, which was shown when the ant kids made a mural of the warrior bugs defeating the grasshoppers.

Gypsy was voiced by the late Madeline Kahn.

Main article: Molt
Molt(3)

Molt is Hopper's dim-witted yet well-mannered younger brother. After Hopper's death, Molt joins P.T.'s troupe where he nicknames him "Tiny" as the circus' strongman and new addition.

Molt was voiced by Richard Kind.

After Hopper's death, about 8 ants joined P.T.'s troupe, serving as acrobats and new additions to P.T.'s show just before the circus leaves Ant Island.

These fireflies serves as the employees of P.T. Flea's circus. Their occupations throughout the circus include selling food in the bleachers, setups for the stage, and as living spotlights throughout the show. During an act of Manny doing his magic act, one firefly uses a lollipop to filter another firefly's light for Manny's act.

This yellow spider serves as the circus' musician playing multiple instruments using his legs. Though he plays multiple instruments, he is also seen playing the drumroll during the "Flaming Death" act and later when the ants and the Circus Bugs are about to defeat Hopper via cannon but the plan fails when rain arrives in Ant Island.

Ptflea
These two millipedes are P.T. Flea's use of transportation pulling two "Casey Jr. Cookies" boxes as circus wagons. P.T. uses them so that the millipedes can stop for his circus troupe can perform at certain spots.

Role in the film[]

The Circus Bugs first appear when their acts do not perform well, with the flies dissatisfied of their performance and resulting in many of them leaving the circus in anger. Their leader, P.T. Flea, ruthlessly refuses to give out refunds to the flies during the first two minutes of the show, much to his harsh strictness to the circus troupe. When P.T. became very upset that his act did not perform properly, he decides to do a dangerous act known as "Flaming Death" to test if any of the circus troupe members survive the act in less than fifteen seconds while telling other bugs who are sensitive to the act to leave the circus immediately. P.T. survived the act after the flaming flypaper falls on him and the Circus Bugs extinguish him with water droplets, but he fires the whole troupe for bad performance in the circus.

Flik first sees them in the city at the Bug Bar after they were fired by P.T. Flea, when his "Flaming Death" act went wrong, doing a Robin Hood act, believing them to be warriors, and they believe him to be a talent scout, and he convinces them to come to Ant Island to help him deal with the grasshoppers. Shortly after arriving, Flik and the circus troupe discover their misunderstandings; Flik is horrified that he brought a circus troupe, and the Circus Bugs are upset that Flik didn't tell them that they were actually going to be "combatting" grasshoppers. As they attempt to leave, with Flik attempting to stop them, they stumble upon a bird's nest, and they, along with Dot, are attacked by the mother bird. Francis manages to save Dot from falling to her death, but they end up trapped in the riverbed. Flik and the others work together to save them both. After hearing that even Hopper fears birds, Flik proposes creating a model bird to scare him and his gang, with the circus troupe taking credit for the idea.

Later, P.T. comes to Ant Island looking for his troupe and inadvertently reveals the truth about them. Upon learning this, the Queen and Princess Atta banish them from the island, along with Flik as punishment for lying to the colony. However, this was a fatal mistake, as they all put themselves in danger. When Hopper and his gang return and take over the island, Dot eavesdrops on a couple of grasshoppers discussing Hopper's plan to squish the Queen in order to discourage opposition from the ants and follows Flik and the troupe to tell them about the dire situation. Flik is still ashamed of himself for being a screwup all the time, but some encouragement from Dot and the troupe makes him feel better and motivated to return and stop Hopper. The Circus Bugs present themselves to Hopper, claiming that Princess Atta invited them as a surprise for his arrival; Hopper initially orders his gang to kill them, but after seeing Tuck and Roll fight, he decides they can use a little entertainment and spares their lives. The Circus Bugs continue their show until Manny takes the Queen for a magic trick, making Hopper demand to know where she is. At that moment, Flik and the Blueberries launch the fake bird they constructed to scare the grasshoppers; it works until P.T. sets it on fire, unintentionally aiding Hopper and his gang in the process.

After seeing Thumper beat up Flik and hearing Hopper insult the colony and his troupe, P.T. realizes his mistake and, upon Flik giving an inspiring speech, assists the ants in driving out the grasshoppers, resulting in all the grasshoppers, except Hopper, his younger brother, Molt, and Thumper (until Dim and Dot scare him off), fleeing and Hopper getting killed by the real bird, putting his reign of terror and insult on the ant colony and troupe to an end. Following Hopper's defeat, P.T. reforms, becoming less greedy and more kind-hearted, and he and his troupe spend the winter on Ant Island (as it would be impossible for them to go anywhere in the rain and snow) before returning to the circus in the spring after a brief celebration, bringing a group of acrobatic ants with them and Molt (now called "Tiny" and working as a strongman), while promising to come back in the future and receiving a fond farewell from the colony.

Disney Parks[]

Disney California Adventure[]

In the former area A Bug's Land, statues of P.T. Flea's circus troupe (excluding P.T. Flea) were added since the opening of said area. P.T. Flea's Market, a market named after P.T. Flea (originally named Santa Rosa Seed & Supply) was also a shop at the former area Bountiful Valley Farm; however, this market and the rest of Bountiful Valley Farm were closed in 2010 to make way for Cars Land.

Prior to the closing of A Bug's Land, the Circus Bugs also had attractions based on and named after them: Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, Francis' Ladybug Boogie, and Tuck & Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies.

In Pixar Pier, the Circus Bugs (including P.T. Flea and Flik) are also seen as spectators in the boardwalk game Heimlich Candy Corn Toss (re-theming of the 2009 game Casey at the Bat), in addition to Heimlich being added in the game, where the player must throw candy corn at Heimlich's mouth to score points to win prizes.

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

Screenshots[]

Miscellaneous[]

Disney Parks and other live appearances[]

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v - e - d
A Bug's Life logo
Media
Films: A Bug's Life (video/soundtrack) • Classic Storybook

Video Games: A Bug's LifeDisney Emoji BlitzLEGO The IncrediblesDisney Tsum TsumDisney Heroes: Battle Mode

Disney Parks
A Bug's LandBountiful Valley FarmDisney Animation BuildingFlik's FlyersFrancis' Ladybug BoogieGames of Pixar PierHeimlich's Chew Chew TrainIt's Tough to Be a Bug!Princess Dot Puddle ParkPixar Pal-A-RoundTuck & Roll's Drive 'Em BuggiesThe Ugly Bug Ball

Entertainment: Disney KiteTailsOnce Upon a MouseOne Man's Dream II: The Magic Lives On!
Restaurants: Farmer's MarketSam Andreas Shakes
Shops: P.T. Flea Market
Parade: Block Party BashDisney's Party ExpressDisney on Parade: 100 Years of MagicPixar Play ParadeTokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights
Fireworks: Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime SpectacularWorld of ColorWonderful World of Animation
Summer: Stitch and Friends Summer Surprise

Characters
FlikAttaDotThe QueenHopperMoltThumperGrasshoppersP.T. FleaCircus BugsThe BlueberriesBirdThe Fly BrothersAnt Colony
Songs
The Time of Your LifeMain TitleA Place You've Never BeenIt's Tough to Be a Bug!
Locations
Ant IslandP.T. Flea's CircusTrailer FolkBug CityBug BarHopper's Hideout
Objects
A113Pizza Planet Truck
See Also
The Science Behind PixarPixar in a BoxFake BirdIt's Tough to Be a Bug! Stars


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A Goofy Movie: MaxVacation GoofyPowerlineRoxannePJ
Raya and the Last Dragon: RayaSisuTuk TukNamaariHuman Sisu
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Bolt: Bolt
The Fox and the Hound: TodCopper
The Great Mouse Detective: Professor Ratigan
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Treasure Planet: John Silver
The Black Cauldron: The Horned King
Oliver & Company: Oliver
Wish: AshaValentinoStar

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Gargoyles: GoliathBronxDemona
The Proud Family: Penny ProudSuga Mama
Kim Possible: Kim Possible
Adventures of the Gummi Bears: Zummi Gummi

Pixar
Monsters, Inc.: MikeSulleyRandallCeliaRozBoo

Toy Story: WoodyBuzz LightyearAlienJessieBullseyeBo PeepForkyRexDuke CaboomHammMrs. NesbitZurgLotsoPlatinum WoodyBunnyStinky PeteFluorite Buzz
WALL-E: WALL-EEVEHoliday WALL-E
Finding Nemo/Finding Dory: NemoDoryHankCrushBruceBaby DoryDestinyBaileyPearlPlatinum NemoDarla
Cars: Lightning McQueenCruz RamirezJackson StormMater
Inside Out: JoySadnessAngerDisgustFearBing BongRainbow UnicornSapphire Joy
Coco: Miguel RiveraHéctorDanteImeldaPepitaAlebrije DanteDisguised MiguelErnestoMama Coco
Ratatouille: RemyAnton EgoAlfredo LinguiniAuguste Gusteau
The Incredibles: Mr. IncredibleMrs. IncredibleJack-JackVioletDashFrozoneEdna ModeSyndrome
A Bug's Life: FlikPrincess AttaHeimlich
Brave: MeridaYoung MeridaQueen Elinor
Up: DugRusselCarlKevinAlphaHeadphones Dug
Onward: IanBarleyThe Manticore
Soul: Joe22
Luca: LucaAlberto
Turning Red: Meilin LeeRed Panda MeiAbby ParkRed Panda Ming Lee
Lightyear: Captain LightyearSox
Pixar Shorts: Bao
Elemental: EmberWade

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Captain Jack SparrowBarbossaDavy JonesElizabeth SwannPrison DogTia Dalma

Descendants: Mal
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Mary Poppins: Mary PoppinsBertJolly Holiday Mary Poppins
Enchanted: GiselleWedding Giselle
Jungle Cruise: FrankLily Houghton
The Little Mermaid: King TritonAriel
Cruella: Masquerade Cruella
The Santa Clause: Scott CalvinBernard the Elf

Disney live-action shows
The Golden Girls: Rose NylundBlanche DevereauxSophia PetrilloDorothy Zbornak
Disney Parks
The Haunted Mansion: Hatbox GhostMadame LeotaThe BrideHitchhicker Ghost PhineasConstance

Matterhorn Bobsleds: Abominable Snowman
Journey Into Imagination: FigmentSketch Figment
Main Street Electrical Parade: Electrical Parade ElliottElectrical Parade MinnieElectrical Parade Tinker BellElectrical Parade Cheshire CatElectrical Parade Blue Fairy

The Muppets
The Muppets: Kermit the FrogFozzie BearSwedish ChefMiss PiggyGonzoAnimal

The Muppet Christmas Carol: Bob Cratchit KermitMiss Piggy Emily Cratchit
Muppets Haunted Mansion: Madame PigotaGauzey the Hatbox Bear

Lucasfilm
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Indiana Jones: Indiana JonesMarion RavenwoodHelena1969 Indiana Jones
Willow: WillowKit

20th Century Studios
Ron's Gone Wrong: RonBarney

Ice Age: ScratSidMannyDiego
Anastasia: Anastasia RomanovRasputin
Titanic: RoseJack

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