History NightmareFuel / ABugsLife

'''Hopper''': ''All'' your little stunt did was buy them ''TIME!''\\

'''Hopper''': (''snatches Flik by the throat'') I'll get more grasshoppers and be back ''next season'', but '''''YOU WON'T.''''''''

'''Hopper''': You think it's ''over?!''\\

'''Hopper''': (''snatches Flik by the throat'') I'll get more grasshoppers and be back ''next season'', BUT ''YOU'' '''WON'T.'''

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hopper_lunges_at_flik.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Leave it to Pixar to make you afraid of bugs once more!]]

* This movie manages to make a rainstorm pretty terrifying. After all, normal raindrops hit the ground like watery napalm.

* Thumper. Dear God, Thumper. This guy acts like a crazed attack dog and yet he's the same species as the grasshoppers, which also gives the interpretation of him being a mentally deranged psychopath. Nevertheless, he appears to be a grasshopper version of ''Film/DannyTheDog''. What makes him special is when he's first introduced when Hopper tries to take Dot to him, despite her cries of fear. Despite Hopper's [[BlatantLies ''reassurance'']] to her, it was [[WouldHurtAChild perfectly clear that he intending to let Thumper do something horrid to the scared girl,]] [[MakeAnExampleOfThem all just so he could keep the ants in line]].

'''Hopper''': You think it's over?!\\

'''Hopper''': All your little stunt did was buy them time!\\

'''Hopper''': (''snatches Flik by the throat'') I'll get more grasshoppers and be back ''next season''. But ''you'' '''won't!'''

* The movie does a pretty good job of making an otherwise adorable little summer tanager and its chicks absolutely terrifying. While a bird feeding its young obviously isn't scary, [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments quite the opposite in every other situation really]], Hopper's FamilyUnfriendlyDeath shows how horrifying it would be if you were a bug. Consider the sounds the bird makes; they did a convincing job of depicting what birdsong must sound like from a bug's perspective, because the deep and loud screeches it makes would be right at home in ''Film/JurassicPark''. It's a harrowing reminder that despite the widespread belief (especially at the time of the movie's release) that they all died in the Chicxulub asteroid apocalypse 65 million years ago, the [[PrehistoricMonster dinosaurs still walk strong among the living]]. Even more terrifying is the ''speed'' in which the bird jumps in front of Hopper, and then snaps him up to feed to the chicks. It's 100% clear that, from the moment that the bird saw him, there was no escape.

* The boss fight against Thumper can be a bit tense and scary for younger players the first time. It has very tense music, Thumper looks scary and moves fast while making animal noises, and he first appears in a JumpScare, showing up out of nowhere and flying down at you at fast speed when you near the center of the room

* The Daddy Long Legs' you first encounter in "Riverbead Canyon" can be quite scary to little kid players, given their large sizes, ugly looks, and the UncannyValley faces on their models.

** Ironically, it also accurately describes what ants, fire, army, and driver ants in particular, regularly do to grasshoppers and anything else either too slow to escape when they're on the march or [[TooDumbToLive stupid]] enough to mess with them in RealLife.

--->'''Hopper''': You let one ant stand up to us and then they ''all'' might stand up! Those "puny, little ants" outnumber us ''a hundred to one''. And if they ever figure that out, ''there goes our way of life''! It's not about food, it's about ''keeping those ants in line''. ''That's'' why we're going back! Does anybody else want to stay?\\

%%* The theme park attraction based on the movie at the Ride/DisneyThemeParks, It's Tough To Be A Bug.

* The movie does a pretty good job of making an otherwise adorable little summer tanager and its chicks absolutely terrifying. While a bird feeding its young obviously isn't scary, Hopper's FamilyUnfriendlyDeath shows how horrifying it would be if you were a bug. Consider the sounds the bird makes; they did a convincing job of depicting what birdsong must sound like from a bug's perspective, because the deep and loud screeches it makes would be right at home in ''Film/JurassicPark''. It's a harrowing reminder that despite the widespread belief (especially at the time of the movie's release) that they all died in the Chicxulub asteroid apocalypse 65 million years ago, the [[PrehistoricMonster dinosaurs still walk strong among the living]]. Even more terrifying is the ''speed'' in which the bird jumps in front of Hopper, and then snaps him up to feed to the chicks. It's 100% clear that, from the moment that the bird saw him, there was no escape.

** Hopper's scene at the bar. When he is told by his brother that the grasshoppers would rather stay there than go back to Ant Island, he plays along and says they should stay to, even if Flik stood up to him since, "it's just one ant". Hopper seems amused by this, as he throws a few pieces of grain at three of his lackeys, while they all laugh it off. [[MoodWhiplash But then he breaks the grain dispenser and buries the three grasshoppers in grain, crushing them to death]], all while their screams for help go on until they're silenced. And he merely stands there with the most [[TheSociopath bored/annoyed look]] on his face as he does nothing to save his trapped {{Mook}}s. This scene perfectly shows how [[KnightOfCerebus Hopper is essentially the first]] '''''[[NoNonsenseNemesis genuinely]]''''' [[KnightOfCerebus evil character made by Pixar]].

* The entire sequence at the end of the movie, beginning with the rain. What is a normal and perfectly harmless occurrence for us humans is amplified into a nightmarish and regular disaster for all bug kind. Amidst the chaos, Hopper still manages to spot Flik, and with a furious roar, lunges at him (see above image), and snatches him and flies off. Flik's friends from the circus ''try'' to come to the rescue, but their rescue attempts are all foiled. (Admittedly, the incident where Hopper lost one of his antennae is pretty funny.) Not even Princess Atta can keep Hopper away for too long, and his final death, albeit very [[KarmicDeath karmic]], in and of itself was '''very''' unsettling.

* A minor case occurs with P. T. Flea during his song when he is leaving the anthill with the circus bugs and a banished Flik. He sings the morbid line of "The streets will be paved with golden retrievers".

* The movie does a pretty good job of making an otherwise adorable little summer tanager and its chicks absolutely terrifying. While a bird feeding its young obviously isn't scary, Hopper's FamilyUnfriendlyDeath shows how horrifying it would be if you were a bug. Consider the sounds the bird makes; they did a convincing job of depicting what birdsong must sound like from a bug's perspective, because the deep and loud screeches it makes would be right at home in ''Film/JurassicPark''. It's a harrowing reminder that despite being severely weakened by the Chicxulub asteroid apocalypse 65 million years ago, the [[PrehistoricMonster dinosaurs still walk strong among the living]]. Even more terrifying is the ''speed'' in which the bird jumps in front of Hopper, and then snaps him up to feed to the chicks. It's 100% clear that, from the moment that the bird saw him, there was no escape.

* The movie does a pretty good job of making an otherwise adorable little summer tanager and its chicks absolutely terrifying. While a bird feeding its young obviously isn't scary, Hopper's FamilyUnfriendlyDeath shows how horrifying it would be if you were a bug. Consider the sounds the bird makes; they did a convincing job of depicting what birdsong must sound like from a bug's perspective, because the deep and loud screeches it makes would be right at home in ''Film/JurassicPark''. It's a harrowing reminder that despite being severely weakened by the Chicxulub asteroid apocalypse 65 million years ago, the [[TheDreaded dinosaurs still walk strong among the living]]. Even more terrifying is the ''speed'' in which the bird jumps in front of Hopper, and then snaps him up to feed to the chicks. It's 100% clear that, from the moment that the bird saw him, there was no escape.

* The movie does a pretty good job of making a cute little summer tanager and its chicks absolutely terrifying. While a bird feeding its young obviously isn't scary, Hopper's FamilyUnfriendlyDeath shows how horrifying it would be if you were a bug. Consider the sounds the bird makes; they did a convincing job of depicting what birdsong must sound like from a bug's perspective, because the deep and loud screeches it makes would be right at home in ''Film/JurassicPark''. Dinosaurs are still among us, pal. Even more terrifying is the ''speed'' in which the bird jumps in front of Hopper, and then snaps him up to feed to the chicks. It's 100% clear that, from the moment that the bird saw him, there was no escape.

* The movie does a pretty good job of making a cute little scarlet tanager and its chicks absolutely terrifying. While a bird feeding its young obviously isn't scary, Hopper's FamilyUnfriendlyDeath shows how horrifying it would be if you were a bug. Consider the sounds the bird makes; they did a convincing job of depicting what birdsong must sound like from a bug's perspective, because the deep and loud screeches it makes would be right at home in ''Film/JurassicPark''. Dinosaurs are still among us, pal. Even more terrifying is the ''speed'' in which the bird jumps in front of Hopper, and then snaps him up to feed to the chicks. It's 100% clear that, from the moment that the bird saw him, there was no escape.

** Hopper was [[EatenAlive eaten]] ''[[EatenAlive alive]]'' [[EatenAlive by the birds]]. When the camera cuts away from the scene, he's still in the adult bird's beak, and note that it is NOT doing any attempt to snap his neck or whatever to give him a quick and painless death; on the contrary, it looks to be about to just ''drop him'' into (one of) the chicks' mouths. He'd still be ''fully conscious'' when given to the chicks as food... and going by there being three hungry chicks, [[FridgeHorror he'd more than likely be torn apart by them beforehand]] as well. Simply put, it's a genuinely gruesome death for a G-rated movie; and his terrified screaming and [[RapidFireNo rapid-fire "no!"s]] certainly don't help.
*** [[ICantLookGesture Even after all he's done]], even Flik and Atta can't [[https://i0.wp.com/caps.pictures/199/8-a-bugs-life/full/bugs-life-disneyscreencaps.com-10027.jpg?zoom=2&strip=all bring themselves]] to [[https://i0.wp.com/caps.pictures/199/8-a-bugs-life/full/bugs-life-disneyscreencaps.com-10029.jpg?zoom=2&strip=all watch]] as Hopper dies.

--->'''Hopper''': You let one ant stand up to us and then they ''all'' might stand up! Those "puny, little ants" outnumber us ''a hundred to one''. And if they ever figure that out, ''there goes our way of life''! It's not about food, it's about keeping those ants in line. ''That's'' why we're going back! Does anybody else want to stay?\\

-->'''Hopper:''' What's the matter? You scared of grasshoppers? You don't like Thumper?