P.T. Flea's Circus is P.T. Flea's big top circus in Disney/Pixar's 1998 film A Bug's Life. The "circus tent" is composed of a secondhand red and white umbrella, while P.T.'s "wagon" consists of two old empty boxes of Casey Jr. cookies, which he conveniently uses when traveling with the circus.
It consists of four main acts (not including P.T.'s "Flaming Death" act): Manny and Gypsy, Dim and Rosie, Tuck and Roll, and Heimlich, Francis, and Slim.
Background[]
Official Description[]
- Garbage can be useful, particularly when you're trying to think of ideas for a bug-scaled circus. By rifling through trash, the artists transformed everyday objects into a miniature scaled version of a recognizable circus. Egg cartons stacked together looked like a grandstand. A broken umbrella, if painted pink and white, had the exact pattern and shape of a circus tent. A thimble looked big enough to serve as a pedestal for a flea. Prop by prop, a circus came together as if assembled by bugs.
Role in the film[]
In its debut scene, the circus was implied to be undergoing bad times, as after Rosie and Dim's failed opening act, the flies swarmed the tent to leave in disgust, with one fly even going as far as to physically confront P.T. Flea to demand a refund. After P.T.'s "Flaming Death" act goes horribly wrong, he angrily fires the entire troupe. After the Circus Bugs leave for Ant Island with Flik (who hired them earlier, thinking they were warrior bugs), the circus goes out of business.
However, P.T. turns up on the island sometime later, presumably wanting to apologize to the troupe for firing them, and reveals the bugs to be circus clowns (not warriors like Flik had claimed). P.T. also says that his "Flaming Death" act was a huge hit and he wants them back, blowing Flik's cover in the process. As a result, Atta banishes Flik and the Circus Bugs, thus allowing Hopper and his gang of grasshoppers to take over Ant Island and putting the entire colony in danger. Fortunately, Dot goes after Flik and the Circus Bugs to warn them about the situation and encourages them to return. With help from P.T. and his troupe, the ants defeat Hopper's gang for good, and Flik and Atta lure Hopper to the nest of a bird that previously attacked Flik and the troupe. Hopper initially believes the bird is just another decoy until she squawks in his face when he taunts her, and he ends up being fed to her chicks.
At the end of the film, the Circus Bugs leave with P.T., a reformed Molt, and a group of talented acrobatic ants and head back to the city. By this time, Heimlich has grown wings and is now a "beautiful butterfly", but can't fly due to his obesity. Thus, Francis and Manny have to carry him as the ants of Ant Island bid a farewell to the circus troupe.
Gallery[]
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