| “ | Get those bugs! | „ |
| ~ Thumper to the grasshoppers and his only quote. |
This is why you don't trust grasshoppers.
What’s that? Another possible Pixar candidate? But Pixarfan1234, how can this be?! Well, I recently rewatched one of Pixar’s earliest movies (their second one in fact!), and after thinking about it for a while to reflect, I’m taking this guy in for consideration.
What’s The Work?[]
A Bug’s Life is a 1998 Pixar animated work that centers around Flik, a genius who is outcasted by his fellow ants for accidentally causing many misfortunes, eventually ruining the food supply that was needed by the nasty grasshoppers who is oppressing them. Forced to find a way to replenish the food, Flik recruits what he initially thinks are warriors, when in truth they are circus bugs. Flik must use his new companions and formulate a plan to prevent the grasshoppers from causing the ants more suffering before it's too late.
Who is Thumper and What Has He Done?[]
Thumper is Hopper's main henchman, who is also a bloodthirsty grasshopper. Thumper is first seen held on a leash by a few grasshoppers when Hopper picks up Dot and threatens to feed her to him, with his mouth wide open and the rest of the ants being visibly scared by this display. After briefly hanging out with the rest of the grasshoppers at their main location, Thumper then drops down near the ants upon Hopper discovering that they didn’t collect enough food supply again and roars loudly to make them run in horror and have them collect every single ounce of food on the island unless if they all want to be slaughtered down to the last, as Hopper and the rest of the grasshoppers now dominate and seize total control over Ant Island with an iron fist.
Thumper spots Dot when she tries to look for Flik (and after getting word on the grasshoppers' true goals) and eventually corners her before shoving her off a rock (which to the ants is basically like a cliff) to try and get rid of her with a triumphant giggle when he believes it worked. Thumper then tries to expose Flik and the circus insects to Hopper by snapping at Manny, only for Hopper to dismiss him. When the bird trick goes into shambles, Hopper has Thumper mercilessly strike Flik to near-death to remind the ants that they are merely meant to bow to the grasshoppers' whims. Flik however makes a rousing speech and convinces the ants to mutiny against the grasshoppers. Thumper sees this as a chance to ambush and try to end Dot's life for one last time (twice), but flees when Dot unleashes a beetle she befriended named Dim, leaving Hopper behind in front of the very pissed off ants...
Heinous Standards?[]
Now, Hopper may be the mastermind behind the scheme to enslave the ants on Ant Island and murder the Queen... but Thumper is the one who carries out Hopper’s demands, being used as a massive threat to the ants' safety, as while every other grasshopper are simply content with merely frightening the ants, Thumper is quite ready to actually finish them off to the point where they have to hold him back from succeeding, as shown when he tries to attack Manny in order to snitch him and the rest of the circus bugs out to Hopper, and dozens of ants when he has them find food for Hopper otherwise they will be massacred, heavily injuring Flik with delightful relish, and is quite gleeful at attempting to end Dot's life several times despite her being a kid. It also helps that he's the sole grasshopper other than Hopper and Molt (who is rather polite and redeems himself) to have a distinguished personality.
Mitigating Factors?[]
Thumper doesn't speak most of the time (except once in the scene when the grasshoppers head to Ant Island where he says: "Get those bugs!") but it's clear that he has moral agency as shown when he simply sits down at the bar to relax, when Hopper reminds him to stand down when he's about to charge at Manny, and he explicitly is willing to abandon Hopper to essentially die because he's a weasel who knows he can't take on a insect bigger than him.
He also seems to be appalled at Hopper ruthlessly disposing of three grasshoppers but it's only because of Hopper's out of nowhere venting and he has no qualms with committing rather cruel acts of violence on other creatures such as the ants (Flik and Dot) and a mantis (Manny).
One last point I would like to address is his defeat where he scampers away with a pathetic cry but it's portrayed as karmic when Dot finally is able to stand up to him with the help of Dim, thus I believe it isn't disqualifying.
Final Verdict?[]
In the end? I'm ultimately a weak yes to Thumper.