| “ | Shutting up. | „ |
| ~ Molt's catchphrase wahenever he is cut off. |
Molt is a major antagonist in Pixar's 2nd full-length animated feature film A Bug's Life.
He is Hopper's younger brother and a member of the Grasshoppers. Compared to the majority his fellow species he once worked with, Molt himself actually doesn't possess any sort of serious threat whatsoever to any other bug species.
He was voiced by Richard Kind, who also played Tom in Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Longbourne in Treasure Planet, and Aubrey James in Gotham.
Personality[]
Molt is the younger brother of the main antagonist, Hopper and former member of his ruthless Grasshoppers gang. Unlike him, he is dim-witted, naive, cowardly but friendly with those around him, including the ants. Moreover, he is not really evil but just ignorant and is content to obey his brother, only going along with the subjugation of the ants out of fear of Hopper. His good personality is finally shown at the end of the film when he joins P.T. Flea's circus troupe, redeeming himself for his actions. Throughout the film, he is molting and loses his skin, hence his name, and loses it entirely while fleeing the final fight against the ants.
Biography[]
Molt first appears with the gang in Ant Island when they discover that there is no food on the offering stone. The grasshoppers therefore destroy the galleries to claim food with Molt who tries in vain to scare. As Hopper explains how food harvesting works, Molt interrupts him by recounting how Hopper was almost devoured by a blue jay, much to his brother's annoyance. The latter grabbed Molt by the antennae and said that if he hadn't sworn to their mother that he would never kill him, he would have done it a long time ago, a gesture that Molt appreciates to his relief. Hopper adds that he doesn't want him to talk the entire time on the island and hits a grasshopper to vent his anger against Molt. After demanding a double ration of food, Hopper and the grasshoppers leave and Molt bumps into the top of the gallery before leaving too.
The next time Molt reappears, it's at the Grasshoppers' hideout where he's chatting with Axel and Loco. The two convince him to dissuade Hopper from returning to Ant Island. Enraging his brother by coming up with the idea, Molt cowardly reveals that it was their idea. Hopper therefore murders Axel and Loco and explains the dangerousness of a much larger ant rebellion and therefore the usefulness of having to terrorize them and the whole gang therefore flies to the island.
There, the harvest is not complete and Hopper mobilizes all the ants to work and Molt encourages them not to provoke his fury. In the evening, the grasshoppers eat all the food they've harvested while the Circus Bugs come in to entertain them, which is very pleasing to Molt who seems the most amused. That's when Flik's fake bird flies over the scene, terrorizing a few fleeing locusts as Hopper hides behind Molt.
Because of P.T. Flea, the bird burns and crashes, causing Hopper to fatally strike Flik with Thumper, to the shock of the ants and even Molt. However Flik's speech causes the ant colony to rebel against the grasshoppers and attack them. Molt molts completely, shedding the old skin off his body before fleeing with the other grasshoppers.
With the defeat of the Grasshoppers and the death of Hopper, Molt, having hidden on Ant Island instead of fleeing with the other grasshoppers, decided to reform and travel with the circus bugs. He brings up the flea benefits of choosing him but is ignored and locked in the wagon, Molt telling himself to shut up. This is the last time he is seen and then leaves Ant Island with the Circus Bugs under the goodbyes of the whole colony.
Quotes[]
| “ | And the birds eat the grasshoppers. Hey, like the one that nearly ate you, you remember? You remember? Oh, you should've seen it. This blue jay, he has him halfway down his throat, okay? And Hopper's kickin' and screamin', okay? And I'm scared, okay? I'm not goin' anywhere near, okay? Aw, come on! It's a great story. | „ |
| ~ Molt annoying Hopper about his story. |
| “ | How can I answer you when you say I couldn't say another word? Ahh, remember Ma! | „ |
| ~ Molt to his brother Hopper. |
| “ | Food! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Where's the FOOD? | „ |
| ~ Molt trying in vain to scare the ants into demanding where the food was and his first lines. |
| “ | ♪ The circus, the circus! I love the circus! ♪ | „ |
| ~ Molt singing about his enjoyment about circus performances. |
| “ | This was such a bad idea... | „ |
| ~ Molt once he sees the ants about to attack the grasshoppers. |
Trivia[]
- Molt is one of the few grasshoppers to basically have a nice personality as he doesn't seem to terrorize or attack ants; instead, he nicely tells the ants to do what Hopper says and not make him mad when the grasshoppers invade Ant Island a second time when the food shortage wasn't doubled. These acts barely hinted and foreshadowed his eventual redemption.
- Since Molt was meant for comic relief, the only thing where he tries to "act" menacingly was when he first appears and demands the ants where the food is, as well as laughing before hitting his head when Hopper orders the grasshoppers to take off.
External Links[]
- Molt on the Disney Wiki
- Molt on the Pixar Wiki